ADVENT TRANSPORTATION BLOG

The Art of the Business Dinner

 

When you think about dinner, what is the first thing that crosses your mind? Perhaps family or a date, right? Well, dinner may seem so ordinary, but in business a successful, enjoyable dinner can open doors and build strong relationships between you and your associates. Therefore, the specialists at our limo service in Nashville have come up with a few tips on how to create the perfect scenario for a successful business dinner with your partners.

We also recommend employing the best car service Nashville has to offer for all your transportation needs during your business trips, including business dinners. Hire a luxurious vehicle for your business associates and create an image of professionalism even before you have sat down to have dinner. This will strengthen your ties because it will make them feel valued, and everyone likes to go where they feel valued and appreciated. Here are several ingredients that go into creating a successful business dinner.

Do your Homework

Get to know your guests more intimately by reading up on them on networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. It sounds sneaky, but getting to know your guest and their interests, places they frequent, backgrounds, hobbies, etc., will give you information that may be invaluable in your attempt to build a stronger relationship. This way you can steer the conversation towards a topic you are certain they will take an interest in and in the process,  you will appear more pleasant, making your guests want to stick by you even more.

Show Respect

This especially goes for the staff and service providers at the establishment you are dining. Showing respect to your guest but disrespecting the staff will certainly change how they view you as a person. They may find you rather pretentious and conniving and nobody wants to work with a person like that. Even when you feel like it is justified to lose your cool, do not. Your business associates will assume that this is the same attitude you carry to work and that is not good for you. Let us also add that respect is a principle you should carry with you everywhere, even when no one is looking.

Be Punctual

Don’t just be punctual, ensure that you arrive at the venue before your guests. If your guests arrive earlier than you, they may not feel valued and this may hinder the achievement of your business agenda. Further, arriving early will give you the chance to prepay the bill and select a table positioned in a strategic location. You should be in a position where you can speak about confidential information without having to worry whether the people in the next table can hear you. You should not also be positioned by the walk-way where you are constantly interrupted by the people passing by.

Follow Up

Take note of everything you discuss over dinner and follow up on them a day or two after dinner. This shows genuine interest and seriousness, which may boost your chances of actually achieving the objectives you came with to dinner.

Posted on Feb 19th 2019

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