Let’s Do Lunch
 By Alex R. Merriman

Many deals are sealed – or lost – over business lunches. These face-to-face encounters prove the adage, “People do business with people they like.”

Business etiquette expert Lydia Ramsey observes, “…there’s not always much difference between goods and services from one company to another.”

If so, then how are we to win the competition for customers’ dollars?

“It’s relationships – your people skills – that ultimately set you and your business apart from the competition,” Ramsey says. Nowhere are people skills more evident than at a business lunch.

You can set yourself apart from competitors by revealing yourself as crude, boorish and an embarrassment. Or by being courteous, kind and a delight to be around.

Which way do you lean?

Business lunch etiquette is more than using the proper fork with the salad. It’s knowing how to arrange and execute a planned event with a purpose in mind, while simultaneously making your client feel at ease, comfortable and glad to be there.

Drawing on advice from Ramsey, a business etiquette speaker and author, we can identify some important elements for your role at a business lunch.

First, be the host, and therefore be in charge. Make arrangements and invitations far enough in advance to allow invitees (and yourself) wiggle room for postponements or cancellations. Nothing is as sour as an eleventh hour, “Sorry, I can’t make it.”

Pick up the tab. Dutch treats are fine for casual dining. But your goal is to sell your product or service. Potential clients shouldn’t be asked to pay an admission fee to hear your pitch.

Pick a restaurant you know, and as Ramsey suggests, “preferably one where you are known.” A lousy meal, distracting environment or disappointing service all undermine the pleasant event you want your client to experience.

Approach the event as if you are serving your client, not merely showing up at a neutral venue to eat together. Inform the restaurant staff in advance that it is a business lunch and you wish to please your clients. Make it clear you will pick up the check, and for servers not to embarrass your guests by plopping the bill down in front of them.

A day or so before the lunch, confirm with your guests the time and location. When the time comes, make sure you’re there early to handle last-minute details. Ramsey notes, “This is the perfect time to give your credit card to the maitre’d and avoid the awkwardness that seems to accompany the arrival of the bill.”

Arrange the seating so guests get prime seats and you get the least desirable spot, but definitely not a seat where your head must turn left to right and back again to follow conservations.

Guests should order first, although you can make suggestions, which serves also to indicate a price range. Order no more or less than your guests. Don’t still be stuffing your face when your clients have nothing to do but stare at you eating.

Finally, Ramsey says be mindful of these tips:

• Don’t plunge right in to your sales spiel.

• Lunches should last an hour and a half, breakfasts an hour and business dinners two to three hours maximum.

• When things go wrong – cold food, bad service, etc. – don’t make guests uncomfortable by complaining in front of them. Excuse yourself to discuss problems with the restaurant staff.

• Finally, limit alcohol consumption for obvious reasons. If a guest is getting looped, excuse yourself and ask the server to refill less frequently.

(Posted June 2005)

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