Funny, when I saw the title, that was my first thought.<p>But the deeper, better first question is "What are you working on?" Give them a chance to make their elevator pitch, then start asking questions. There's a good chance the "How can I help you?" can turn into "I think I could help you with ${PROBLEM}..."<p>But to get there, you need to figure out what their pain points are, and what you can actually do about them. This is no different than figuring out your own customers, really.<p>And the step beyond this is to actually <i>do something that really helps them</i>. Because if you can truly help someone, you'll make a lasting impression, something that they will want to pay back, with interest.