Cafés turn into chic boardrooms
If you are a cog in the wheels of the business world, you are probably familiar with the “Let’s do lunch” mantra, which means that you are setting up a business meeting over lunch. That chant has changed a little of late. Nowadays, with one or even two coffee shops at every corner, the ‘lunch’ suggestion has changed to “Let’s do coffee” to signify a meeting of minds. Young working professionals are now using coffee houses for official meetings and to clinch important deals.
The biggest advantage of these meetings is that they are cost-effective. Anmol Sharma, CEO of Copal Technology asserts, “Peep into a coffee shop and you’ll find a sea of professionals ranging from sales people to pharmaceutical representatives meeting clients over a cup of coffee. These cafes provide a pleasant atmosphere and such meetings are a great way to cut down on fuel spent during expensive commutes. There are many more self-employed people these days, who don’t want to bear the expense of running an office.”
Lizy Jordan, a Mumbai-based corporate coach who prefers working from coffee shops, observes, “When you’re getting started, coffee shops are a great place to kick off meetings with clients. A comfortable vibe, wi-fi on tap and some superb coffee are all essential ingredients to boost open-minded business moves.”
Suresh Kumar, a marketing head with Pamtel Solutions, advises planning before heading out. He cautions, “It is important to be prepared for such meetings. The thumb rule is to keep them short. Don’t exceed more than an hour. And go equipped with everything you may need. Take a notepad and pen along with you, make sure you have your laptop ready, and be prepared to print out any paperwork you may want your client to have, like for instance an invoice, contract or project outline.”
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