What You Can Expect from Meeting with the CEO

Deals stall because the meeting with the CEO didn’t go as planned. We all have been there.

When the time comes to present to the CEO, you need to prepare yourself to be for 20-30mins in a different dimension. CEOs think different then the teams they lead. I have seen many deals go wrong here. Including my own!

What to Expect

What can you expect from meeting with these top senior executives? Why is meeting with them so different? After being in this business for so many years across several industries, here is my take. Pick the ones that resonate most with your situation and start improving tomorrow.

Six Facts What CEOs Think

Fact 1: Time is Money.

Top executives have tremendous demands on their time and are necessarily very protective of that.

action: get to the point

Answer the question of what the meeting is about and why you are here. Don’t go into a lengthy explanation. Throughout the whole conversation, avoid not answering their question. They get really annoyed with that.

Fact 2: The Buck Stops with Them 

CEOs have a sharp focus on producing business results and avoiding anything that does not have any connection with that.  Their business instincts often pairs with a sense of humor, but….in the end the business outcome is their main kpi.

action: focus on driving business results

This will get their attention. CEOs are curious if you have found something they didn’t know. They also love success stories of other customers you have helped. They will prick up their ears when they hear something that could affect their business results.

Fact 3: THEY THINK “What is the business case?“

While you are sharing insights or success stories the CEO’s mind goes 1.000 miles per hour and they want to have an answer to one single question: what is the business case?

action: know your numbers

This is about you being seen as someone who can help them to move their business forward and improve profits in a big way. You got to show your business acumen. Ensure you have prepared quick impact numbers and percentages.

FACT 4: they HATE SLIDES

This has happened to me many times when in was asked to present to the CEO. I had the most powerful slides prepared. When I made the attempt to open my laptop be said: “Ton.. let’s just talk. No slides”.

action: know your story without slides

Be prepared, you must have your story ready. Follow a simple structure, exactly the way CEOs think:

1. What is the problem?

2. What have we missed in finding solutions?

3. Why is this so insightful?

4. What is the business impact if we would implement?

fact 5: THEY WILL DO THE credibility check

What is your credibility? What gave you the right to sit at the CEO’s table? There are questions the CEOs may want to have an answer to early in the conversation, or, as it happened to me several times, right in the middle of the meeting. CEOs want to know with whom you have been talking about your ideas and proposed solutions?

action: involve the team

Ensure you have met with stakeholders of the CEO’s team. Cover Commercial, Financial and Operations. Be short in verbalising their reaction. Are they on board?

fact 6: THEY THINK “is this a smart strategic move?“

At the end of the day, CEOs don’t just want to hear about incremental improvements — they want to know if what you’re proposing will give them an edge. Will it move the company forward in a way competitors can’t easily copy? Will it strengthen their market position, win more customers, or open new growth opportunities? If the answer is yes, you’ve got their full attention.

action: think big

Frame your ideas at a strategic level. Don’t just talk about faster processes or cost savings — connect the dots to competitive advantage, market share, and growth. Paint the bigger picture of how your solution positions their company one step ahead. When you do that, you’re not just another salesperson… you become a partner in shaping their strategy.

PS: Access my ChatGPT prompts to be better prepared when meeting with Senior Executives. It’s FREE.

Have you enjoyed this post? Let me know in the comments & follow Ton Verleg for more.

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