He started by recapping main points in his networking skills part 1. How to make people remember you. There are 20 topics you can learn and some are like wine tasting, sports, etc. Find common topics that interest your clients. It's like playing ball games, you shoot a ball to others and if others can't return back, please change your topic and make the flow of your networking better.
He recommended a book "7 Habits of highly effective people" by Stephen Covey which teaches networking skills and etiquette in business. He recalled one of his clients who claimed even manager grades colleagues didn't have appropriate business etiquette.
Why etiquette is important? It's vital for relationship building. A famous writer, Emily Post, claims that most clients will like your company, then know and finally trust your company and make business with you. Every detail is key! The situation is like when you enter a room with nice carpets, good atmosphere, beautiful installation but with a pin on the floor! You get hurt and leave a bad impression of the room even with good decorations.
Three "B"s to bear in mind during business lunch: Be sincere, Be caring and Be respectful. Your clients will know if you are sincere to them or not. Keep the same manner to people lower grades than you. Your client is observing how you behave!
Other things to keep in mind is "MAM", which stands for "Mouth", "Animal" and "Mess". When you are the host of business lunch, please beware of the following:
- Type of cuisine (research what your client like)
- Restaurants that've been tried & tested (Don't try new restaurants as the quality & service is not stable)
- Offer options in dates (at least 2) and invite early
Dress appropriate unless you work for fashion industry. Always dress up rather than dress down. Wait for guest at lobby at least 10 minutes before event.
When is the right time to discuss business in a meal? After starter? Dessert? The answer is after main meal. If you meet a client during lunch, especially a guy, he must be hungry at that time and can't concentrate on what you're presenting. Be patient and let your client eat something first before your discussion.
Order food that is of medium price, clean, tidy and easy to eat such as fillet or risotto. Don't be adventurous.
