6 Optimal Business Dinner Ingredients

In order to make a name for yourself in a business world, you need to use all means you have at disposal. Even though some people look for no more than cold hard facts when dealing with work related issues, there are those who highly valuate human factor. Needless to say, these people will make a decision of whether to do business with you based on the impression they made of you as a person. This is where carefully planned and skillfully executed business dinner can make all the difference. So, here are some tips and tricks on how to make this happen.

Make Atmosphere Intimate

The single most important rule of a good business dinner is that it shouldn’t resemble business dinner at all. It needs to see as a casual get-together between old friends (even if you are meeting in person for the very first time) with a bit of business related talk on the side. Even this talk shouldn’t seem too forced so you might want to start with some pleasantries and personal life inquiries. Needless to say, in order to make the atmosphere really intimate, you don’t want anything too large or too crowded.

Menu Matters

Humans are creatures which rely on all their senses when making an impression. This means that not only will the words you say influence your potential clients/partners but the decoration of the place and the content of their plate/glass as well. This is why, you need to study the menu of the venue you are going to in order to make sure everything is appropriate. Additionally, you can also make this business dinner at home (another plus for intimacy we already discussed). Here, you will have to find and prepare appropriate meals yourself and supply your cellar with drinks. According to people behind a renowned bottle shop from Perth, during business dinner the right vintage can make all the difference.

Showing Etiquette

On every business dinner, person opposite from you will try to decide on whether to do business with you or not, which means that he or she is going to evaluate everything you do. Apart from dressing appropriately to the occasion, next thing you can do here is show some basic table manners. Things like what to do with the napkin, where and when to sit as well as the way you are handling utensils will be the key in making good impression.

A Bit of Research

Now, it is true that most conversations you will lead in life (if not all of them) will be quite spontaneous, but you need to remember that this particular dialog may determine the future course of your business. This is why, you should not leave anything up to chance. Do your best to study your dinner companion either from a quick internet browse, discussion with mutual acquaintances or from a social network investigation. Of course, we are not advising that you stalk anyone but you need to know some of your companion’s interests and if there is a taboo topic you need to avoid, you should be aware of it.

Prepare Some Questions in Advance

Remember that this dinner should not be about you, but about the other party, which means that they should talk as much as possible and you should listen. On the other hand, sometimes, they will feel uncomfortable to initiate the conversation in front of a person they don’t know so you might want to prepare some questions that will break the ice. It doesn’t have to be anything special really, few simple questions about their children, hobbies or even work will be quite adequate.

Staying on Topic

Now, what we discussed so far was mostly chit-chat, but it is still a business meeting that we are talking about, so eventually you will have to come to the topic of your mutual business interests. Here, you are not a host but a ruthless negotiator and the most important thing in the world will be your agenda. Sure, you want your guest to be comfortable, but this is not why you invited them to this dinner. You have something you want from them and everything else that takes place that evening should be subjected to this single goal.

Conclusion:

As you can see, organizing a successful business dinner is no short of an art. Although all of this may seem like a lot of effort, seeing how such an event may determine the future course of your business you need to do all that it takes. Luckily, by following just these few simple steps, you would be well on your way to success.