The VP who took the meeting to be polite

Thirty minutes with someone who agreed to this call so an internal referral would stop asking. There is a real problem underneath. She will not lead with it.

You are

An account executive at a mid-market workforce analytics vendor. You sell to operations leaders in logistics and field services.

The situation

Natasha Bell, VP of Operations at Calder Freight (about 900 staff, 60 depots), accepted a meeting after one of her regional managers mentioned you. She has not filled in a form, downloaded anything, or asked for pricing. You have thirty minutes.

What you want out of it

Find out whether there is a real problem here worth pursuing — and if there is, leave with a specific next step involving whoever else needs to be in the room.

What you already know

• — The referral came from a regional manager, not from Natasha.
• — Calder Freight has grown from 40 to 60 depots in two years.
• — Nobody at Calder has spoken to you before.

5 things they won't volunteer, one of them buried.