Win over a client executive who doubts your experience in a first meeting

You are meeting a senior executive at a customer for the first time, and early in the conversation they openly question whether you have the experience to handle their work. How do you respond? ```hint Find the worry behind it A challenge to your background often stands in for a specific business risk the executive is worried about. Think about how you would learn what that risk is before you start defending yourself. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this account new to me, or am I taking it over from someone the executive already trusted? - Has the customer had problems with our product or our delivery that could explain the skepticism? - Is the executive the person who decides whether the project or contract continues, or a senior stakeholder I will work with day to day? - Would you like my approach to the scenario, or an example of a time this happened to me? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Staying composed and treating the challenge as legitimate rather than taking it personally - Uncovering the concern behind the question before answering it - Building credibility through preparation and a few proof points relevant to the customer's problem, not a list of titles - Concrete, achievable next steps with dates, and the follow-through that turns them into trust - Judgment about when to bring in your own leadership or other experts ### Follow-up Questions - What would you do if the executive asked your company to assign someone more senior instead of you? - How would you handle it if the skepticism were justified, for example because you are new to their industry? - What would you do in the first two weeks after this meeting?