Let's Do Lunch: Meal Protocol

Next time you say, "Let's do lunch," you may want to consider how it relates to your ROT. Effective time management is a discipline that must be practiced every day, all day—including meals. The three meals of the day offer an excellent opportunity to extend your selling hours and possibly increase your productivity.

With an eye to that end, I offer you these guidelines on meal protocol and maximizing your meal time with customers:

Breakfast. A great way to begin the day with a potential or existing customer. Meet at 6:30 or 7:00 AM at a spot conveniently located close to their office. The dialogue should be 90% business, 10% social. You are there to sell the customer and through open conversation, discover how to earn their business. Your agenda is, "I want your business, how do I go about earning it?" Don't be afraid to express your intentions. The conversation will quickly move to business and they expect you to be asking questions. Breakfast is quick, it's cheap, and it provides excellent one-on-one time with your customer. It offers a more relaxed venue than the office and may inspire the customer to share some valuable information. Give it a try—it works well.

Lunch. What should be on our agenda when we "do lunch"? The primary objective of lunch is to thank them for their business. Don't do lunch until after you are doing business with them. During lunch the dialogue should be 40% business ("Thank you for your business. I want to continue our relationship by exploring other opportunities") and 60% social. Humanize the relationship and learn about some of their hobbies and interests. Personally, I will not do lunch with a customer until we have had an opportunity to do business together. Lunch can easily be seen as an attempt to buy their business.

Dinner. A great way to truly get to know your customer and show your appreciation. The dialogue should be 10% business and 90% social. The 10% business is simply to acknowledge their importance as customers and say thank you—leave it at that and enjoy the evening. However, if the customer wants to talk shop all night, go with it—it's their evening. You might want to consider planning some social topics to safeguard against any extended periods of silence. Also, I suggest you make dinner a foursome—include spouses or significant others.

"Where did the time go?" is a cry frequently heard among sales professionals working under the stress of increased demands. The answer lies in the daily application of five time-management principles to organize your life, using your time in the best possible way. Through effective allocation and organization of your time, you will have more control over your activities and reap the benefits of a proactive approach. The sooner you make the decision to take action, the sooner you'll have more time to enjoy life and experience less stress. At the end of the day it comes down to three options: do it, delegate it, or dump it. Enjoy your new-found freedom and the rewards of effective time management. Work to live—don't live to work