Have you ever wondered what is appropriate when it comes to the proper holiday give when it comes to your valued customer.  It is that time again.  Read this one now, and master your entertainment and gift giving etiquette. Think ahead and do it right this time!

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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 importance 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

Are You 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.

Write me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.

Success can sometimes be vexing if you are a sales professional. As success and increased income for many sales professionals increases so do the rivals and detractors in the workplace.  Yes, the very things that we all wish for can turn into a terrible wedge and fuel attitudes from slight jealousy to flat out envy.  When this happens, the competition becomes less than productive, and relationships strained.

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You are making appointments, keeping them and closing deals.  You string together a series of ‘wins’ that is admirable.  It is all going right.  You receive notoriety for your new accounts and your success is getting you management attention as well as a ‘swelling’ income.

Because it is time, and the money is there, you buy a new foreign luxury sedan, and then the barbs begin.  Your income starts to show your success as you buy some new clothes and join an exclusive club.  “Making it rain” is getting you notoriety along with the accompanying benefits of being the number one sales professional in the unit.

Your fellow sales professionals, and others become critical of you for a variety of reasons.  It is even rumored that your manager, who is of the opposite sex, is interested in you.  You are accused of ‘stealing’ prospects, and you become an island.

It Happens In Different Degrees

It does happen, to different degrees.  I am not suggesting that you suspect it, as much as I am saying that sensitivities abound.

Sales units are not teams, whether they are called by that term or not.  The other individuals in your unit can range from becoming slightly perturbed to something bordering on resentment and hate when you generate success and they are not having the success that they want. Having these types of ‘enemies’ happens as sales professionals, and others sense a disparity in the resources that are doled out, or remaining.  Resources could be something as simple as face-time with the boss down to territories, prospect leads, and a variety of other benefits.

The ‘top dog’ becomes a target for jealousy, innuendo, and sniping.  This is a fact of life.  I will make a few suggestions that will help deal with this.

The Golden Rule

What I am going to say may not be golden, but if you treat it as such, your results will certainly be worth more.  Work on a simple set of principals at all times, not when you find the elusive success.  You will find that they should be practices as opposed to something that you do when you do find it:

• Practice being discreet – no one needs to know your income, or even how much you made on the last sale.
• Be humble – at work, recognize that being humble is a sign that you recognize you did not do it alone.
• Give credit and recognition to others – be honest and open about the impact of others in your success.  If you did it all alone, you don’t have to broadcast it, they will already know.
• Help others – Remember the objective of mentoring, and if you cannot be a mentor, offer assistance where needed.
• Continue the routine – If you are doing all of the above and finding success, continue the routine, and ignore the criticism.  If you are true to the above and doing your best, you don’t need to give anyone the power to deter you.

No one needs to see you dance on top of your desk when they are not having any results.  You can be happy and respectful of others in difficult times without sacrificing your success and gain.

We all have worked with sales professionals who whooped and hollered, and bragged and boasted when they scored a sale.  They even handed out cigars as if they had a new offspring after a new sale.  What they really did was to mock the fact that success can be fleeting.  Those around these misguided individuals are left to draw an interpretation that they are boorish, or that they had never had success before.  To coin a football quote “…act like you have been in the end-zone before.”

There is no reason to not celebrate, just do it discreetly.  You can celebrate with your manager, or with your family or both, as all are beneficiaries.

One Last Word

You may not care about these ‘enemies’, yet you should.  One could end up your manager, or your manager’s manager one day.  This could be important stuff.

A Chinese military strategist, Sun-Tzu (Circa 400BC) said “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” (You probably thought it was Michael Carleone from the Godfather II fame who came up with it).  I say this only to indicate that you should engage everyone, even those that feel you have aggrieved you.

There are lessons to be learned here.  You can learn from everyone, and you can help everyone as well.  Offering assistance at your specialty (sales) even though it is not common is disarming.

Master the relationship!

Your comments are appreciated. You can reach me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.