It is that time again.  Read this one now, and master your entertainment and gift giving etiquette.

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The holidays are upon us, and it would  be wise for us to review entertainment and gift giving issues as all sales professionals know, or need to know these points.  Proper etiquette in the matters shown below are important.  As a matter of fact, you can display proper sales manners and move to the top of the list as many sales professionals do not employ them consistently.  Whether in business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-personal (B2P), the number of sales professionals that display proper sales etiquette is not where it should be.

Proper sales etiquette comes in many important theaters:

• Business entertainment and business gifts
• Prospecting
• Sales presentations
• Telephone solicitation and use
• Other

This post of Black Sales Journal will cover proper sales etiquette in business entertainment and gift giving. We will cover the other sales etiquette categories in the next month or so.

Entertainment Should be Entertaining!

Business entertainment should have a purpose and be enjoyable, even when the meeting objective is not the most exciting.  Obviously, it gives you time and a way to build relationships, and in sales, relationships are everything.  This area is important as it is ‘your’ moment in the spotlight and as you spend this time focusing on the customer, the last thing you want to do is to strike the wrong cord and turn him or her off.

You may want to take a look at Black Sales Journal 4/4, Business Entertainment – Some Do’s and Don’ts, for some basics on purpose and cautions.    It would serve as a simple refresher to set up many of the points made in this post.

You can be in two different positions with respects to business entertainment, you can be the host, or you can be the guest.  We will touch on these two different levels of status, as they are different.  Regardless of which position that you are in, you are in control of your own actions.

The Host With the Most

As the host you want to be in control of the financial elements and the operation of the meal.  You have to be prepared to exercise control regarding:

• Selecting the venue to match the occasion
• Assuming control of the event
• Setting the financial tone
• Managing the wine and alcohol
• “Managing” the conversations to include all parties

Match the venue to the importane of the occasion in terms of cost and atmosphere.  Good ‘business’ restaurants with favorable pricing are essential to sales professionals, and are usually a good venue, but the occasion should dictate.  Gentleman’s clubs and topless bars are a strict no-no, even if the client suggests it.  You are in control, and your ethics, appetites, and professionalism are at stake here.

Assume control by giving simple signals to the wait staff that you are hosting and expect the tab.  This gives immediate control.  The knowledgeable wait staff recognizes that when a guest orders something that will impact you, they will look to you for a ‘veto’. Remember to tip correctly as it is evidence that you are the professional.

Set the financial tone for the event.  Order first to set the tone.  If you order a sandwich, they will most likely all order a sandwich, yet if you order lobster, you will have a monster tab if the others in your party follow suit.  This means you may need to order a substantial meal even if you have a limited appetite to make sure that the group feels comfortable eating (if you are not hungry), yet that is the responsibility of the host.  Also, be discreet with the tab.  The guest(s) does not need to know the amount of the tab.

Manage the wine and alcohol by reviewing the wine list, ordering the selection, and inspecting the purchase.  If you do not drink, you need to delegate that but give some clear directives on cost, and you approve additional purchases.  Know when to cut it off.

Manage the conversation to include all parties.  From your vantage point as the host, be inclusive in your conversations, and get to know all of your guests

As a Guest

As a guest, you have some simple rules that you should follow which will help you.  These rules are simple, and show good manners:

• Let the host choose the seating
• Order based on what the host orders
• Let the host ‘manage’ the alcohol, appetizers, and the deserts
• Offer to leave the tip
• Say “thank you” when the host pays the bill

Your objective is to be entertained, and these simple points will get you there without going ‘south’ of what the host is doing.

The Art of Giving

Your company probably has a gift giving policy, and you should refer to it for some basic rules.  While the IRS Publication 463 (2010) covering gifts notes your employer or your company receives a deduction for gifts, the $25 deduction that is afforded simply means you should always be careful and discreet in your gift giving.

What is more important is that the gift should be matched to the importance of the relationship.  The government prefers that gifts be ‘nominal’ in value, yet we do know that some relationships deserve more than others.  When you decide to give, the memorable way is to give a well-composed note with the gift that explains the purpose of the gift.  There is a good possibility that the note will be around for a while.

A gift that is ‘out of proportion’ with the relationship will be recognized for that peculiarity, and may not have the desired effect that may be honorable.  An engraved pen is a fine gift, and signifies a business relationship.  It is a great gift for an important business relationship.  A gift of golf balls is a sound and affordable gift for golf lovers, and does not break any rules.  Giving elaborate gifts can give the appearance that you are manipulating the relationship.  Giving a putter is good, giving a ‘set of clubs’ does not look as innocent.

Many organizations require their employees to sign disclosures of all gifts over nominal value once a year.  The firm that is auditing the customer usually requires this.  Keeping in mind that many of the buyers that are courted are financial professionals and very much careful with this requirement.

Summary

When I was a sales manager I had a a responsibility to determine if gifts were appropriate or inappropriate, as well as question and consider approval of some interesting entertainment.  For a valued customer, returning a gift is an uncomfortable process; you would be wise not to put a customer in that position.   By the same token, finding out that you might be funding some of your business entertainment out of your pocket because you violated expense policy can be quite painful as well.

These areas of etiquette easily learned but also meet the ‘smell’ test.  If it does not feel right, don’t do it.  Knowledge is important, so know your company’s expense policy, and keep it handy.  Expose yourself to your company’s gift giving policies as well, and avoid errors up-front.

Knowledge is everything.

Your comments are welcome.

Terminations – No one wants to think about it, yet it happens.  It does not end your quest to support your family and to move forward so think about it as what it is… a part of life.  How you handle it will be the key to what happens in your next position.

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Terminations happen in all occupations.  Most of what is said here in this journal applies to more than the sales profession, but the situation of a job not working out transcends sales as an occupation.

Once a termination does happen, your future is not terminated, just the relationship with that employer.  You will be seeking gainful employment in a sales position again, and your level of comfort dealing with the termination of employment from your last employer will certainly be tested, and sometimes spotlighted.

The question is simple:  Should you hide a termination from a prospective Employer?  The Answer is simple: No!

The Truth Will Set You Free

If you have read Black Sales Journal, you will remember one of my favorite suggestions:“Always tell the truth!” The key in this situation is not to focus on it.

Terminations happen and there is nothing pleasing about them.  What you don’t want to do is to relive bitterness and the trauma of a termination while you are in an interview looking for a fresh start.  One simple reason to tell the truth is that it is easier to remember.  The other is that you need to start this new relationship off on the firm footing of the truth.  In the world of sales professionals, many have had terminations for legitimate reasons, even though they endeavored to make it work.  Terminations do happen.

This is the information age and that gives prospective employers an ability to “uncover” you previous work history cheaply and fairly easy.  Note, that finding your history does not mean that a prospective employer would be uncovering the facts and details of what happened such as what your reasons for leaving.  Any hiring manager knows that a sales job followed by a prolonged absence of several months may well denote that a job action took place.

If you have been let go from your previous job because of performance issues, you need to be prepared to discuss reasonable reasons why you parted company.

Your resume needs to match up with any job history investigation that an employer can conduct.  The prospective employer checks this information through a service, such as Equifax, or other services, and certainly with any on-line information that you might post such as LinkedIn.

Consistency eliminates questions and doubts.

What Should You Say?

There are sales jobs (and any other jobs) that just do not work out.  Your objective is to be able to tell the story in a cogent fashion.  There should be no accusations or disparaging remarks, but a clear story of why selling widgets for ABC Company in Columbus, Ohio did not work and resulted in you leaving after fifteen months.

Cover the issue of what the problem was.  Whether that was pricing, marketing support, sales support, a problematic territory, or a product that was inferior.  Do it in a professional manner, and always cite what actions you took to improve your fate.  If you do not have a solid and believable story, it may appear that you just cannot sell.

If you are a sales professional selling widgets and in your last job you were terminated because you did not meet your quota/goals, you need to own up to the fact that you were terminated.  I give below an example:

“I was let go because of not meeting the quarterly sales targets in two consecutive quarter.”  You can then give clarification of the most important issues (an example)… “I had difficulty meeting the goals as we promised delivery dates that were 4 weeks to a month longer than our other competitors.”

Places You Should Never Go!

You never want to go into an interview saying that your previous employer (or any employer you have had) is prejudice or discriminatory, even if you believe it to be true.   This is a sure way not to get a second interview and a possible hire.

The “well” will be poisoned if you make statements that allude to disparate treatment, as a prospective employer will immediately put themselves in the position of the previous employers.  Remember, they do not know you!

Instead, compliment the best aspects of the previous employer as difficult as it may seem.  If it is true a compliment such as: “There is no organization that does training like ABC Corporation”, shows your respect for the company.

.Additionally, there should be no disparaging comments about your previous manager.  You are on fair ground if you cite the fact that you did not have much support, but disparaging comments are out of bounds.

Compensate For the Weak Areas

If you have been terminated for not reaching goals, you will do well to have some support from your former co-workers.  You should get letters of recommendation citing your accomplishments.

We have covered before in Black Sales Journal, that you need to fully be prepared when you go to the interview including customer testimonials and all of your sales numbers.  Don’t share proprietary information which would jeopardize your past employer’s customers or information, but do be prepared to support your effort and accomplishments.  A customer testimonial helps to illustrate your affinity for customers and the sales process but you still may have some work to do to show that you effectively prospect.  Cover all of the bases and give yourself a chance to win.

You should provide good focus on your strong points and accomplishments as well as tout your specialties.  You need to be prepared to talk about your weak points that caused you the termination.  They may not apply to the new job, and thus lose relevance, but something like door-to-door prospecting might still be a part of the job, and you need to be prepared to show how you are going to change things.

Above all, you need to walk or run the road to continuous improvement, and be prepared to enunciate this also.  Your ability to tune-up your sales career (Black Sales Journal 8/15/2011 – Tuning Up Your Sales Career) may have some relevance to a prospective employer, but it is for you.

Thanks for reading, and your comments are always welcome