meeting-customer

name	meeting-customer
description	Plan and run a customer meeting — discovery call, demo, business review, or renewal conversation. Use when preparing for any external meeting with a customer, prospect, or client.

Customer Meeting Planning

Types of Customer Meetings

Each type has a different primary goal and structure:

Type	Primary Goal	Who Leads
Discovery Call	Understand the customer's problem and context	AE / CSM
Demo / Presentation	Show how your solution solves their problem	AE / SE
Business Review (QBR/EBR)	Prove value delivered; renew/expand	CSM / Account Lead
Onboarding Kickoff	Set up for success; define expectations	CSM / Solutions
Renewal / Expansion	Confirm continued value; close next deal	CSM / AE
Escalation / Recovery	Rebuild trust after a problem	CSM + Leadership

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Discovery Call

Goal

Understand the customer's situation well enough to know: (1) do we have a fit? (2) what does a solution look like for them?

Structure (45-60 min)

1. Rapport (3 min) — personal opener; acknowledge any context you know
2. Agenda setting (2 min) — "Here's what I hope we'll cover; does that work for you?"
3. Situation (10 min) — Current state; what they're doing today; team/process context
4. Problem (10 min) — What's not working; what's the pain; how long has this been a problem
5. Impact (5 min) — What does this problem cost them (time, money, risk, opportunity)
6. Need / Vision (5 min) — What does "solved" look like? What would they do if it were fixed?
7. Exploration (10 min) — Share 2-3 relevant insights or questions; do NOT pitch yet
8. Next steps (5 min) — Clear, specific, mutually agreed next action

SPIN Questions (Use Liberally)

• Situation: "Walk me through how your team currently handles X?"
• Problem: "What are the biggest frustrations with that process?"
• Implication: "When that breaks down, what happens downstream?"
• Need-Payoff: "If you could fix that, what would it enable for the business?"

The #1 Rule

Listen 70%, talk 30%. Your job in discovery is to understand, not to pitch.

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Demo / Solution Presentation

Goal

Show how your solution solves THEIR specific problems (not a generic feature tour).

Structure (45-60 min)

1. Re-confirm their pain (5 min) — "Based on our last conversation, the key challenges were X and Y — is that still right?"
2. Framing (3 min) — "I'm going to focus today on how we solve exactly those two things"
3. Demo (25-30 min) — Problem → solution flow; use their language; show the outcome, not features
4. Proof (5 min) — Reference customer, case study, or metric that mirrors their situation
5. Q&A (10 min)
6. Next steps (5 min)

Demo Best Practices

• Use a sandbox environment with their company name / realistic data
• Show the outcome first ("Here's what this looks like when it works"), then how to get there
• Don't demonstrate features nobody asked about — it adds noise
• Pause frequently: "Does this map to what you're dealing with?"
• Avoid speaking to the slides; speak to the customer

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Quarterly / Executive Business Review (QBR / EBR)

Goal

Demonstrate the value you've delivered; align on future roadmap; secure renewal or expansion.

Structure (60-90 min)

1. Executive opening (5 min) — Restate business goals they told you 90 days ago
2. Value delivered (20 min) — Usage, outcomes, ROI — in their language (not your metrics)
3. Challenges / What didn't work (5 min) — Be honest; shows maturity and trust
4. Customer health (5 min) — NPS / satisfaction / adoption trends
5. Roadmap preview (10 min) — What's coming that's relevant to them
6. Goals for next quarter (10 min) — Mutually define success for the next 90 days
7. Commercial discussion (10 min) — Renewal / expansion if applicable
8. Open Q&A (15 min)

EBR Prep (1 week before)

• Pull actual usage and outcome data — tie to their stated goals
• Prep the 3 hardest questions they might ask and your answers
• Confirm the right attendees (executive sponsor must be there)
• Send pre-read 48 hours in advance

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Meeting Preparation Checklist (All Types)

Research (Before Every Meeting)

• Review last meeting notes and action items
• Check their LinkedIn / news for context (funding, headcount, leadership changes)
• Review their usage data / support tickets if available
• Know their industry and main business challenge

Agenda

• Send agenda 24 hours before — with stated goal of the meeting
• Confirm attendees and their roles
• Identify the economic buyer, champion, and skeptic in the room

Technology

• Confirm video link / room setup
• Test screen share / demo environment
• Have a backup plan if tech fails (local slides, PDF backup)

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During the Meeting

Opening

• Thank them for their time — genuinely
• State the goal: "By the end of today I want us to have X"
• Confirm: "Does the agenda still work, or is there something urgent to add?"

Active Listening Cues

• Take visible notes — it signals respect and you'll remember more
• Repeat back what you heard: "So what I'm understanding is..."
• Don't interrupt — let them finish even if you know where they're going

Handling Objections

• Acknowledge first: "That's a fair concern"
• Clarify before responding: "Can you tell me more about what's driving that?"
• Respond to the root concern, not the surface objection

Reading the Room

• Quiet executive = either bored or thinking — ask: "What's your reaction so far?"
• Side conversations = they're interested but need to discuss — pause and invite them in
• Clock-watching = time is being wasted — accelerate to the point

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Closing the Meeting

Always end with explicit next steps:

• What will YOU do, by when?
• What will THEY do, by when?
• When is the next touchpoint?

Weak close: "Great meeting! I'll follow up." Strong close: "So agreed: I'll send you the proposal by Thursday. You'll share it with your CFO by Friday. We'll connect on Monday at 2pm to discuss. Does that work?"

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Post-Meeting Follow-Up

Send within 2 hours:

• Summary of what was discussed (3-5 bullets)
• Action items with owners and dates
• Any materials promised
• Confirm the next meeting

Template:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the time today. Here's a quick recap:

Key takeaways:
• 

Action items:
• [You] — [action] by [date]
• [Them] — [action] by [date]

Next step: [meeting / call / decision] on [date/time]

Let me know if I missed anything.

[Signature]

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Hebrew / Israeli Customer Context

• Israeli decision-making can be fast and informal — "החלטנו" in a hallway conversation is real
• Hierarchy matters less in Israeli companies; ICs may have strong influence on decisions
• Directness is normal — "זה לא עובד לנו" is feedback, not rejection
• Relationships are key — small talk and personal connection are not wasted time
• WhatsApp is often the primary business communication channel for Israeli customers