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BBC Questions Exec's Lunch Expenses
Las Vegas, NV
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
The Art of the Business Lunch
Video Clip: Click to Watch
In the wake of the biggest bailout in the history of the United States, many companies find themselves looking for ways to cut expenses and keep a low spending profile. As extravagance becomes a thing of the past for businesses, will the "Businessman's Lunch" become nothing more than a memory? And, is this any way to rectify the current economic crisis?
"Absolutely not!" says Business Relationship Expert Robin Jay. "You perpetuate the recession when you hunker down, cancel expense accounts, and all but disappear from being in front of your clients. If you really want to stimulate the economy, continue to take your clients out to lunch."
Jay ought to know. As an advertising account executive, she became known as "The Queen of the Business Lunch.." Jay hosted more than 3,000 client lunches during her career in advertising sales and saw her sales increase by more than 2,000%. She admits that being called "The Queen of the Business Lunch" was originally a nickname offered in jest. But, because of the nature of her business, she found herself taking clients to lunch almost daily for nearly twenty years. Her clients came to depend on her for knowing where to go as well as how to conduct business over the table.
In 2006, Jay wrote her award-winning book, "The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships Between 12 and 2" (Career Press). The popular book has been sold in twelve languages. In it, she covers everything about the business lunch – from how to get the first lunch date with someone who won't even return your call to paying for the check discreetly.
"In twenty years, I've seen it all," says Jay. "There is a lot that can go wrong during a business lunch and we can all fall victim to circumstances beyond our control. Circumstances like bad service, bad food, clumsy servers, and even fire alarms going off are situations that present a unique opportunity for us to react…and how we choose to react reveals our character. Being prepared for anything and remembering to stay calm and cool is the key to conducting a successful business lunch."
As for the current economy and expense account cutbacks, Jay warns companies not to cut too much. "I understand the need to modify expense accounts. This is not the time for people to socialize with clients using a blank check. But it's a terrible mistake to eliminate expense accounts altogether. It's not just a bad idea for business, but it's bad for the economy. We all have the power to stimulate the economy while we grow our business by taking clients and prospects out to lunch.."
Jay was recently interviewed by the BBC about their executive team's expense accounts. The BBC executives had to reveal their expense account reports to the public. They were coming under fire for some of the charges and the public was left wondering whether these expenses were justified or if having an expense account was merely an excuse to order a lavish lunch with fine wine. You can listen to the lively interview by clicking on the link on this page.
The bottom line, according to Jay, is that business professionals should continue to stimulate their business and the economy by taking clients out to lunch and doing things right. For more tips on how to conduct a successful business lunch or to purchase a copy of Jay's book, visit her site as listed on this page.
"Absolutely not!" says Business Relationship Expert Robin Jay. "You perpetuate the recession when you hunker down, cancel expense accounts, and all but disappear from being in front of your clients. If you really want to stimulate the economy, continue to take your clients out to lunch."
Jay ought to know. As an advertising account executive, she became known as "The Queen of the Business Lunch.." Jay hosted more than 3,000 client lunches during her career in advertising sales and saw her sales increase by more than 2,000%. She admits that being called "The Queen of the Business Lunch" was originally a nickname offered in jest. But, because of the nature of her business, she found herself taking clients to lunch almost daily for nearly twenty years. Her clients came to depend on her for knowing where to go as well as how to conduct business over the table.
In 2006, Jay wrote her award-winning book, "The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships Between 12 and 2" (Career Press). The popular book has been sold in twelve languages. In it, she covers everything about the business lunch – from how to get the first lunch date with someone who won't even return your call to paying for the check discreetly.
"In twenty years, I've seen it all," says Jay. "There is a lot that can go wrong during a business lunch and we can all fall victim to circumstances beyond our control. Circumstances like bad service, bad food, clumsy servers, and even fire alarms going off are situations that present a unique opportunity for us to react…and how we choose to react reveals our character. Being prepared for anything and remembering to stay calm and cool is the key to conducting a successful business lunch."
As for the current economy and expense account cutbacks, Jay warns companies not to cut too much. "I understand the need to modify expense accounts. This is not the time for people to socialize with clients using a blank check. But it's a terrible mistake to eliminate expense accounts altogether. It's not just a bad idea for business, but it's bad for the economy. We all have the power to stimulate the economy while we grow our business by taking clients and prospects out to lunch.."
Jay was recently interviewed by the BBC about their executive team's expense accounts. The BBC executives had to reveal their expense account reports to the public. They were coming under fire for some of the charges and the public was left wondering whether these expenses were justified or if having an expense account was merely an excuse to order a lavish lunch with fine wine. You can listen to the lively interview by clicking on the link on this page.
The bottom line, according to Jay, is that business professionals should continue to stimulate their business and the economy by taking clients out to lunch and doing things right. For more tips on how to conduct a successful business lunch or to purchase a copy of Jay's book, visit her site as listed on this page.
Robin Jay
President
TwoBirds, Inc.
Henderson, NV
702-460-1420
