"You've Got Three Minutes"

"What a weekend." Walt had just arrived at his new office Monday morning. As he sat on his plush, leather swivel chair, the best money could buy, he contemplated the soreness in his back and shoulders. He knew he shouldn't have played that extra 9 holes at the new club, but that Biotech CEO had needed another to round out the foursome...oh well, such was life at Midasonia, the most exclusive club in the state of California. You never knew who you would rub elbows with... Walt perused his calendar for the day. It was booked solid. He had figured that he would need 20 minutes for each of his meetings, the main goal being to assure his clients that his new position was actually a better opportunity for them. New forum...better resources...easier marketing...1.5x trailing 12 gross comission, no wait. That was why HE had moved. He certainly couldn't state that. No, he would come up with some story about bond inventories, that's what was hot right now...credit markets...supposedly some opportunity or something. "Walt, that wholesaler is here, should I send her in?" stated Daisy, his assistant. "Oh, yes, of course." He contemplated this first meeting. It was with Dominique. He'd taken the meeting because her firm was promising some nifty new allocation strategy. Something about different sleeves...hopefully she'd be wearing short sleeves. He always loved the female wholesalers, and hoped that this one would be no less of a pleasure at which to look. As she entered, he looked at his watch. Realizing he still had his breakfast and coffee routine ahead of him, and that his first client was coming in in 30 minutes, he figured he could spare about 3 minutes...ok, 5 if she was hot...
Dominique had received a call from the assistant of a new advisor today. According to her sources, he was one of those corner office big shots recently moved from the other predominant wirehouse. Got 150% of trailing-12 production: typical. She wondered what he was like. Apparently, interested in the core product...what is it that she should bring up first? Dominique knew that the first minutes and approach were critical. Should she ask him questions about his practice? About his book of clients? About how he got started in the business and whether he trained by being handed a phone book and was ordered to "dial for dollars"? What are his theories on investing? on wealth management? Does he even know what wealth management is? Why is he interested in our approach to investing?
She walked into the office face to face with a daunting leather chair and desk of rich mohagany. Walt's eyes bored into her immediately, displaying an attitude of thinly concealed disdain. Did he just give her an up-and-down? "ok," he said, "you've got 3 minutes. Whaddayou have?" This was going to be a piece of work...