The world over, sharing a meal often works in building alliances. For instance, business lunches and formal dinners are quite common when wooing investors, headhunting talent, or as part of high ticket sales. In negotiation settings, serving food can be a strategic tool for motivating participants to collaborate with each other.
A meal can be an opportunity for both sides to create goodwill and increase engagement. Plus, eating increases glucose and metabolism, so participants will likely be more engaged and less irritable. Here are a few pointers if you’re planning to serve food at a negotiation meeting.
Alert Participants
If you’re hosting the meeting, let everyone know in advance that you’ll be serving food either before or after the meeting. That way, the other side know not to come with full stomachs.
Alerting the other side also provides you the opportunity to discuss the menu with your contact. You connect on an important part of the process without pressure. Going over the menu ensures you avoid serving culturally inappropriate food and are aware of allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Agreeing on the menu gives both sides a sense that you are working toward common goals. Plus, knowing a meal will be served can generate positive feeling for the upcoming negotiations.
Choose an Appropriate Venue
You don’t really need negotiation training to be familiar with home field advantage. Like in sports, you and your team will likely perform better on your home turf. Hosting a pre-negotiations meal at your offices can give a boost to the home team, but may be less well received by the “away” team.
There’s a high chance the other side will feel more guarded and less amiable when not on neutral turf. So, if your contact requests a change in venue, then offer to host at a restaurant. A restaurant feels more like neutral territory, so the other side will likely feel more at ease.
Check Who Pays – and Don’t Be Tight-Fisted
Particularly if you’re hosting a meeting at a restaurant, the first thing to check is that your guests’ company policy allows for you to pick up the tab. Knowing where you stand on paying for guests means avoiding potential embarrassment when it comes to splitting the bill at the table.
If you are allowed to pay for your guests’ food, it’s important to not be miserly about the bill. Don’t treat the meal as an afterthought or scrape together a cheap meal for the lowest dollar amount.
While cost-saving is part of business training and culture, cutting too many costs can speak to the quality of your work. The other side may perceive that you lack a positive company culture and that you may cut corners or deliver low quality solutions.
On the other hand, spending too lavishly may be a sign of desperation. Try to choose a meal and venue that reflects the type and size of the offer under deliberation.
Serve Before Your First Offer
Serving food before the meeting begins gives you time to socialize before getting down to business. The informal setting provides an opportunity to build relationships and uncover personal information you may otherwise not have gathered sitting across a negotiation table.
The camaraderie of sharing a meal can influence participants to view each other as collaborators rather than competitors. Also, if it’s a team negotiation, members from both sides can privately chat with their equivalents from the other side.
For example, your sales leader gets to feel out the purchase manager’s expectations. When the meeting starts, both sides have a clearer idea on where they can create some value addition.
Consider Time Pressures
Be wary of taking up too much of people’s time. If your team feels impatient, your people are likely to overlook opportunities and may strike deals at lower values.
On the other hand, if the other team is facing tight timelines, their side may rely on ultimatums to force your side into a quick deal.
Maintain Dining etiquette
A story published by the BBC tells the tale of a business lunch gone wrong. Camilita Nutall, a UK motivational speaker, recounts an all-too-common scenario of a contact arriving late, talking about himself constantly, and ordering the most expensive meals – and Camilita ended up paying the bill.
While most business settings have become more casual, failing to understand the rules of modern table manners can hurt your business. For example, do you have a colleague who often brings up divisive politics during client lunches? Maybe some members of your team lack the exposure to appreciate the dining rules of other cultures? If so, some culture-specific training on business lunch etiquette might be in order.
Some general business restaurant dining norms to follow include:
- Work out ahead of time who pays for the meal and tips.
- If you have to complain about the meal or service to the caterers, be civil. If the caterers serve bad food or show poor service, it’s within your right to complain. However, keep in mind that how you complain gives an insight into how you might handle problems in business, and can make or break a delicate business deal.
- Arrive at least a few minutes ahead of time. You don’t want to interrupt others after they’ve started eating or keep them waiting for a cold meal.
- Never order for the other side unless you have their express permission. That’s why it’s important to discuss the menu in advance.
Wrapping Up
Sharing a meal often brings people closer together. The in-person contact in a relaxed setting promotes partnership and value creation. At your next negotiation meeting, if you decide to serve food, consider the guidelines mentioned above.
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