Lesson Six

The business of entertaining

Moving up the corporate ladder? Meeting clients over dinner and lunch? Striking deals over a dinner table? Be careful! You are in high profile zone now and your dining and entertaining skills will be under close scrutiny by people who matter. You can polish up your act with a few simple tips.

Many business deals are struck outside the office over a meal.
Each business meal has its own reason for being and it is never about food.
Breakfasts are ideal for urgent business, to review an event happening that day. It can last an hour at the most.
Allow two hours for a meeting over lunch. Lunch is the ideal meal to entertain clients or to establish business contacts. Lunches are also most comfortable when both male and female executives are involved.
Tea is the new power meal, an ideal time to become better acquainted with someone with whom you want to establish a business relationship. It is also a civilised time to discuss matters outside the office without breaking up the middle of the day. Business dinners should never be the first meal with a client unless that person is from out of town or has specifically requested it. Respect the client's personal time. Dinners are ideal to cement existing relationships.

Who pays the price?

This is one issue where people end up in awkward and embarrassing situations. Keep in mind that   

Whoever benefits from the business association pays, regardless of gender.

So, whether you invite your client or your client invites you, you pay.
If there is no clear beneficiary, the person who extends the invitation pays.
There are several ways to handle the check so it never becomes an issue.
Ideally, try to avoid having the check brought to the table.
The best time to clarify that you are hosting is when you extend the invitation by saying, "I'd like you to be my company's guest at lunch on..."
If your client has invited you to a private club, don't offer to pay. Instead, reciprocate at a later date.

If you need to ride the escalator to corporate fame, you need to pay serious attention to the business of entertaining.