Lunch For Success

Business Lunch Etiquette: Interacting with the Wait Staff

Posted on 11. Jan, 2009 by Mark Cornish.

Your clients will form opinions of you by watching how you relate to other people, and at a business lunch your interaction with the wait staff will say a lot. (I’ve heard too many people say, “Well, they are SUPPOSED to serve me…”. Get over yourself.)
Not only do you have an opportunity to show your [...]

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Tipping the Scales of Power (Bending the Power Curve)

Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by Craig Peters.

One of my readers asked what I meant when I said that bending the “power curve” is what you’re trying to do when you conduct your power lunches. I was borrowing the term from Fox News in that earlier post, and I’d like to elaborate here. We explain it in our video as tipping the [...]

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Obama’s Power Lunch Goals: “Advice, Good Council, and Fellowship…”

Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by Craig Peters.

An important part of a successful business lunch is knowing why you’re there. What are your goals? Be specific. Even for the over-arching goals - be specific. According to this AP clip, President-elect Obama says he hoped to gain “advice, good council, and fellowship…”.

While you’re not likely to have a ‘photo op’ at your lunch, [...]

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Obama’s Power Lunch with the Presidents

Posted on 07. Jan, 2009 by Craig Peters.

Now this would be a fun lunch to sit in on. Foxnews.com’s article Obama Hails ‘Extrodinary Gathering’ of All the Presidents covers this rare lunch. I wonder what they talked about:
“It’s going to be an interesting lunch,” Bush told an interviewer recently. When asked what the five men would talk about, Bush said: “I don’t [...]

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Don’t Hibernate - Keep Moving Forward with Business Lunches

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Craig Peters.

I just came across a post by Lee Goldberg called The Business Lunch, R.I.P? Lee’s not proposing that he wants business lunches to end; he’s just going to have to react to cutbacks in the publishing industry.

I guess that next time I see my editor, I’m the one who is going to have to [...]

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Successful Business Lunching Means Being a Good Host

Posted on 05. Jan, 2009 by Craig Peters.

Occasionally, we come across people who have a hard time with the idea of learning about and preparing for a business lunch. It feels manipulative or false somehow. Many people can’t really put a finger on it, but I think I understand where it’s coming from.
Meals are personal. Think about how many meals we have [...]

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Getting VIP Treatment From the Valet: Part 2 of 2

Posted on 02. Jan, 2009 by Mark Cornish.

In my previous post Getting VIP Treatment From the Valet: Part 1 of 2, I outlined how valets can benefit you. Now, I want to give you some concrete ways to take advantage of these opportunities. Follow these simple tips, and you are on your way to VIP treatment.
Tip well and tip early
Seems like a [...]

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A Power Lunch Blueprint Is Better Than Tons Of Tips

Posted on 31. Dec, 2008 by Craig Peters.

There are lots of sources of tips and suggestions for how to conduct a successful business lunch. For example, in our training video, The Power Lunch: A Modern Approach to the Business Lunch, the guest interview section contains lots of tips. We’re going to be giving lots of tips here on this blog and on [...]

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Getting VIP Treatment From the Valet: Part 1 of 2

Posted on 23. Dec, 2008 by Mark Cornish.

Don’t underestimate the role a parking valet can play in your business lunch. Valets can help you in more ways than you think, and they can also be part of the first and last impressions that you can make with your client.
Does this sound familiar? Your business lunch is over, and the masses are returning [...]

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Three Types of Power Lunch

Posted on 22. Dec, 2008 by Mark Cornish.

In order to have a successful lunch, you have to be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish. This will be different depending on which type of lunch you are having. Each lunch you have will fall into one of these three categories.
Initial Contact
This is the first lunch, where making a great impression is paramount. [...]

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