“So tell me what your company does?”

When I get this one, I start thinking about what else I need to do today.  Why?  Despite having LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Company websites, etc., it tells me that this person across the table has not even taken 5 minutes to do a simple search.

See the tool “10 Questions to Understand a Company” – whether your contact is a CEO, CFO, lawyer or banker – you can use these questions to understand what they do.

If you are meeting a service provider (lawyer, banker, etc.) most of them have extensive websites with explanation of services, biographies, etc.

Use your time for discussion to understand their background and clarify issues about the business.   The more you move beyond chit-chat, the more you connect and find out ways to make yourself memorable.