1000 Business Lessons Every Businessman Must Know

Chapter 70 Entertainment and Networking: Getting the Business Done at the Wine Table

[-]. Wine field is business field

563. It’s Easier to Make Friends in the Winery
The liquor store is an important place for businessmen to turn customers into friends.

As the saying goes, "No wine can't make a banquet." For businessmen, dinners and wine venues are naturally indispensable for socializing and entertaining.Many people make friends at the wine table. At a banquet, when two people sit together, touch the wine glasses and drink the wine with their necks raised, strangers may become good friends.

A good wine businessman can easily make friends at the wine table. When they meet together, they are always easy to cherish each other. After a few drinks, they will say that they never met each other, and feel that they are very close to each other. up.

There is a saying that "no banquet, no business", the success rate of many businesses on the wine table is much higher than that in the office.Wine can strengthen people's courage and numb people's shyness, and the distance between people will be greatly shortened on the wine table.There are also many people around us who used to be teetotalers and have become masters of the glass after working for more than 10 years.If you insist on not drinking at the banquet, it will arouse the disgust of others, and even think that you are insincere, hypocritical, too thoughtful, and cannot be handed over.

When it comes to drinking, almost everyone has experienced it personally. It is not enough to drink and dare to drink to make friends.Therefore, exploring the "secret" on the wine table will help you communicate successfully.

564. Principles to Pay Attention to When Treating Guests to Meals
When entertaining guests for a meal, pay attention to the five words "Xing", "Ming", "Bian" and "Sincerity".

1. "OK" means the feasibility of the invitation

A certain person opened a restaurant and cut the ribbon for the opening. He insisted on inviting the chairman of a large enterprise to come to pretend to be a facade and to do publicity. Who knew that he couldn't get it for a long time, and after a long delay, he didn't invite him in the end. It was a waste of time.Therefore, the invitation should be done according to one's ability, neither to force others to do what is difficult, nor to do what one cannot do.

2. "Ming" means clear and clear

Before inviting, be sure to clarify the time, place, event content, and invitees of the banquet, so that you can know what to do and make an invitation.It is also necessary to communicate the above matters clearly to the invitee, so that they can accept the invitation, assume the corresponding role, and attend the appointment on time.

3. "Convenience" is to be as considerate as possible for the invited guests

Boss Wang wants to ask Professor Zhang to help him solve a technical problem.Professor Zhang is old and has limited mobility. He originally planned to refuse, but Boss Wang sent a special car to pick him up and take care of him. Professor Zhang was very moved and changed his mind.

4. "Sincerity" means meeting in good faith.

Someone once invited several friends to his house as guests, and the friends believed it was true, but he was perfunctory and turned the door on them.His rude behavior made his friend very angry.After many years, when this matter was mentioned, my friend still brooded.Such an invitation tricks others and loses friends. Wouldn't it be harmful to others and yourself!

565. Be proactive when socializing with each other

If you want to expand your network of friends, there are many benefits to actively accepting invitations from friends.At the banquet, you may have the opportunity to meet many friends of the other party, and the friends of the other party are likely to become your good friends during the drinking process.

"Well, how about a few drinks tonight?"

When a friend calls and invites you, even if you're too drunk to drink anymore, you should be happy to accept the invitation.As long as there are no special circumstances, you should answer the other party: "No problem, I will definitely go!" The speed of your actions can convey your sincerity to your friends.

The beauty of social entertainment is not that it can give you something all at once, but that it can always provide you with more good opportunities that are beneficial to your work and career.

When a friend invites you to his house as a guest, when you accept the invitation, you should ask the other party when it is appropriate to go, and then go to the appointment on time.When a friend says to you: "Come to play at home these few days, how about treating you to dinner?" You should determine the time: "Is it appropriate to bother you next Sunday?" Then visit and behave on the appointed day If you are sincerely happy, then the other party will definitely feel that you trust him from the bottom of your heart.In fact, social success is often a matter of your own thoughts. If you understand the mystery of being invited, your relationship with your friends will develop smoothly, and you will even become a rare bosom friend in your life.

In addition, after a friend treats you, it is natural for you to say: "Thank you for your hospitality!" This is very necessary.

Sometimes you should also pay for their guests yourself. At this time, you should have such a feeling: even if it costs a little money, it is worthwhile to hear their valuable experience.

No matter what kind of communication, mutual invitation is a basic principle, but if one only knows to be invited to drink regardless of time or occasion, then this kind of person's conduct will appear too low.Always keep this in mind: in order to deepen the relationship, be willing to pay your own pocket.

566. Choosing the Right Object to Treat
Determining the invitee is the first problem that the invitation should solve.The choice of the invited object must be determined according to the purpose of communication.Generally speaking, chess friends should be invited to play chess, dancers should be invited to dance, golf friends should be invited to play ball, relatives and old friends should be invited to housewarming and funerals; ribbon-cutting for opening should be conducive to work development, business contacts, and easy coordination Guest in community relations and journalism...

The object of invitation is naturally someone who can help you, but sometimes you need some other friends to accompany you.If you encounter this kind of situation, you should make careful arrangements, choose the objects to invite, and delineate the scope of invitations according to the nature, needs, and scale of the banquet, etc., and follow the principle of first major and then minor, first close and then alienated. Confirm the invitation list in turn.

In addition, due consideration should be given to the knowledge, age, status, differences in personality, and their relationship with each other, so as to prevent the invitation from someone who is not the right person, destroying the harmonious relationship between the invited objects, and bringing unnecessary inconvenience to your communication. inconvenience and hassle.

567. Choosing the Appropriate Way to Treat Guests

The method of invitation should be analyzed in detail according to the nature and object of communication.Scholars, experts, bosses, etc., are mostly busy with work and time is tight. It is best to meet them in advance so that they can adjust their work and schedule; And invites are generally available at any time; for dignitaries of a certain group, an open invitation, even with the help of the media, can not only reflect impartiality, openness, but also help attract attention, promote publicity, and expand influence; while friends talk in secret. It should be done quietly so as to better avoid the sight of others and ensure the concealment of communication activities.

Ordinary contacts, ordinary relatives and friends, just say hello, make a phone call, and send a message; more important work contacts, business relationships, and public relations affairs must use the corresponding official document format, such as sending letters, sending Invitations, etc., or send a special person to deliver according to certain specifications, and visit the door in person to show attention, solemnity and respect.

In short, the way of invitation varies from case to case and from person to person.

568. Arranging Seats Cannot Be Sloppy
Whether it is domestic or foreign, they are very particular about the seats.So much so that when international conferences are held, they can only take the form of round tables.So, if you're going to be entertaining, be careful with the seating arrangements.

Formal banquets generally need to arrange seats, or only some guests can be seated, and others can only arrange tables or sit freely.

When there are a large number of tables, the number of tables should be arranged. According to the international practice, the height of the table is determined by the distance from the main table. The right is high and the left is low, and the center is high and the periphery is low.

The height of the seat is determined by the distance from the owner's seat, and it also follows the habit of the right side being high and the left being low.Seats are allocated primarily on the basis of protocol order.Therefore, before arranging seats, a list of both the host and the guest should be made in the order of protocol.Of course, flexible handling of special factors should also be considered.If the status of the guest of honor is higher than that of the host, in order to show respect for him, the guest of honor can be placed in the position of the host, the host sits in the position of the guest of honor, and the second host sits on the left side of the guest of honor (of course, it is also possible in regular order).

The arrangement of male and female guests is interspersed according to foreign customs.In our country, it is customary to arrange people according to their positions and identities, so as to facilitate conversation.If there is a wife present, it is usually lined up with the hostess of the banquet.For example: the male guest of honor sits at the upper right of the male host, and his wife sits at the upper right of the hostess.If the wife of the host of the banquet is not present, other women of similar status can be invited to be the second host, and the guest couple can also be arranged on the left and right sides of the host.

Seat arrangement should properly take into account various actual situations, such as: people with roughly the same status, the same major, and the same language can be arranged together;After the seat is arranged, it should be marked on the seat with the seat card.The table number can be indicated on the invitation or notified before entering the table.Large banquets are best guided to avoid confusion.

[-]. Accompany the guests to have a good meal

569. How to Accompany a Client for Lunch
"It's just lunch, nothing special!" someone might think.But please don't underestimate this point, if you don't do it well, you will make a fool of yourself.

As for whether you want wine for lunch or what kind of wine you want, you should ask for the other party's opinion.If some customers have important work in the afternoon, but you put the wine on the wine table or toast the other party repeatedly, the other party will be very embarrassed.Drink it, it will seriously affect the work in the afternoon; don't drink it, you have toasted him again and again, if you don't drink something, you feel that you are too rude, so you have to take the risk and drink reluctantly, and in this case, he is I can't be happy anyway.Therefore, the result can only be that you spend more money and the other party feels embarrassed.

Near the office buildings in big cities, the restaurants are very crowded during lunch time. Some decent restaurants have several wine tables lined up in a long queue. At this time, it is very difficult to reserve a table.But if you don't book a table, the people who come together may be scattered on several wine tables, and there is no way to talk while eating.Therefore, when you want to entertain some important customers, you must book a room in advance.In short, if you want to invite customers to lunch, you must choose an elegant, quiet and atmosphere-oriented place.

570. How to Accompany a Client for Dinner
What to eat is also based on the customer, solicit the other party's opinion.If the customer’s order happens to be the dish you like, that would be ideal; but if the other party’s appetite is different from yours, as long as you don’t particularly dislike it, it’s best to feel wronged for a while.

Then send the menu to him and ask him to order, especially if there are more than one customer. Although this method is very simple, in fact, many people cannot do it.

In addition, when customers come to visit the company and dine near the company, some people take the other party to the restaurant that the company often uses to entertain customers and put them on a table, regardless of what the other party likes or dislikes, they can eat It is also very bad to decide what to eat or what not to eat, anyway, on behalf of the guests.You should abandon this kind of entertaining method in vain. Before preparing dinner, try to listen to the other party's opinions, find out whether the other party can drink, what kind of wine he likes to drink, how much alcohol he drinks, whether he has entertainment after dinner and what he likes to play. mean wait.After the above situation is clarified, go to choose a dining place.

People who like to drink tend to lose control when they see alcohol, so pay special attention.Some people want to drink more, so they try their best to let the other party drink too. The person accompanying the guest should follow the guest's wishes, but some people continue to persuade the other party to drink without knowing what to do. Turning the empty wine bottle on the table upside down and pouring the last drop into one's own glass, saying "what a pity" all the time, this kind of vulgar behavior is really unreasonable.

571. Don't Forget Demeanor
It is very important to keep the guests at the wine table from feeling unpleasant.And those who babble with their mouths full will only make people lose their appetites.Some people who have been strictly educated in etiquette dislike those who don't stick to trifles, and they think that uncivility at the wine table will make them feel unpleasant.So, you should keep this in mind and don't make the other person feel this way.

When you have something in your mouth and need to answer the other person's question, it doesn't matter even if you pause a little bit, chew the thing in your mouth carefully before speaking.What if you need to answer right away and it would be rude to answer late?In fact, the method is very simple, as long as you move the things in your mouth to one side with your tongue, you can pronounce them correctly.

We all know that it is impolite to make a "gurgling" sound while drinking tea or soup, or to make a "splashing" sound with a spoon and fork, so you must pay special attention.

572. Choose a Topic Before You Speak

Be more careful at the wine table, and don't ask the other party some serious questions that you have to put down the tableware in your hand to answer, and don't ask the other party some questions that require a long speech or take a long time to answer.In addition, some unhygienic topics or topics that are prone to inappropriate associations should be avoided.

In order to make the wine table have a happy atmosphere, please try to choose some light-hearted, harmless and simple topics.

There are people who, while entertaining clients for a meal, go on and on about business matters all the time, while eating or drinking.When the other party is about to put food in his mouth or want to change the topic, he immediately turns the topic to work-related matters and is complacent. In this way, he has made a strategic mistake.

If it is a pre-appointed wine table to eat and talk, or if the other party takes the initiative to talk, this is of course a different matter.But other than that, it is better to talk about the taste of Lai or local customs and other topics. All in all, the topics on the wine table should be mainly chatting.

The reason why work is not discussed at the wine table is to make friends and improve interpersonal relationships, which will inevitably lead to success in future transactions.Talking about work from beginning to end at the wine table is usually the behavior of people who are unable to work.The impression left on the other party is either boring or likes to boast. Few people like to deal with this kind of person.Therefore, if you want to cooperate, there is no hope at all.

573. You Can Accompany Hospitality Even Without Drinking Alcohol

Although it is said that drinking is also practiced, there are indeed people who cannot drink a drop of alcohol due to physical fitness or other reasons.If such a person meets a drunkard, he will die.Although it is not impossible to drink juice and pour wine into the glasses of guests, if you meet someone who pours you wine again and again, you may have to drink a little reluctantly.

It is worth noting that among some businessmen who do not drink alcohol, many of them are masters of accompanying guests at banquets.During the long-term training, they have learned a lot of tricks to accompany the guests in the process of serving wine enthusiastically for the guests. The trick is "because I don't know how to drink, so I can only serve the guests wholeheartedly."

Some people pour some tea into their wine glasses and drink it little by little as if drinking wine, which will also make the atmosphere very lively, and some people will pretend to be drunk and tell some interesting words to make everyone laugh.All in all, there are many ways, as long as you can think of it, you can use it.

574. People who drink lightly should not be brave
There are many people who can drink but don't drink much, and this kind of people who can drink but don't drink much are the most difficult to deal with at the banquet.Because he can't simply serve the guests like a person who can't drink a drop of wine. On the other hand, he can't toast with the guests who drink a lot.If the above-mentioned businessman meets a customer who has a drinking capacity similar to his own, it will be easy to deal with, but if he is unlucky to meet a customer with a heavy drinking capacity, he will suffer.

People who drink less often don’t drink well. When the other party pours wine for you at the beginning of the banquet, you just keep drinking one cup after another. When the other party really wants to have a few drinks with you face to face, You're almost dead drunk.

Businessmen with a small amount of alcohol should not only try to control their alcohol consumption, but also use their brains to figure out ways to persuade them to drink.The more clever the method of toasting, persuading and pouring wine, the happier the other party will drink.

Before drinking with the guests who drink a lot, it is best to eat more fatty food at the bottom, so as to protect the stomach wall and prevent the absorption of alcohol.In the way of drinking, drink less at first, and then gradually increase the amount of alcohol, so that you have time to adapt.

575. You Can’t Treat One Thickly Than the Other at the Banquet

At the banquet, it is necessary to distinguish the priorities, the light and the heavy, and it is impossible to be even.But a smart person never ignores the "general" when ensuring the "key point".For example, three people came to meet you, you haven't seen them for a long time, and one of them is the one you are eager to seek help for, how do you deal with it?Whether to catch one person and ignore the rest; or to take care of them one by one, exchange warm greetings, and then explain the situation to others to ensure the key points. This is a skill.

The relationship with people is often not a simple relationship between me and you, it is often a relationship between me and him, a triangle, four corners, or even five or six corners.

When the guests come to your banquet in a happy mood, they don't want to eat or drink, but to express their heartfelt friendship and friendship through this social form.As long as the host can treat every guest with an equal attitude, it is not difficult to achieve "everyone is happy" at the family banquet table.And if one is "hot" and "cold" is the other, the "cold" people will of course be unhappy, and the "hot" people will not feel good, because in fact, the few "hot" people are pushed to the "hot" people intentionally or unintentionally. The opposite of those who are "cold" will also be "unhappy" in their hearts.It is said that the invention of the round table is precisely to make the attendees have neither the honor of the south nor the inferiority of the north, and the word "equality" is implied in it.Wouldn't it be ridiculous to artificially create various acts of inequality while sitting at a round table that symbolizes equality?

(End of this chapter)