Let’s do lunch! 

Well, let’s do lunch the right way.

Too often salespeople think that getting a lunch appointment is the victory, and don’t concentrate on building rapport and the relationship to ultimately make the sale. Big mistake.

Let’s say you get the appointment. Now what do you do? How do you plan? How do you impress? How do you relate? How do you build the relationship? And most important — how do you make the sale? Here are the 20.5 secret recipes for success. 

1. Picking them up is preferable to meeting them there. This gives you extra schmooze time on the way to lunch. And more rapport and sell time on the way back.

2. Eat at the right place. If you have a GREAT place and you are sure they like that type of food, go there — otherwise go to THEIR favorite place. Make sure it’s a place you can talk. 

3. Pay in advance, or slip your credit card to the server at the start and tell him or her to just bring you the processed bill when you signal. Tip 20 percent. Don’t be a tightwad.

4. Say the right things. Keep talk small at first —  about lunch, about their interests, about how they got started. More “them,” less “you.”

5. Impress and impressions. Don’t fuss about anything. Be polite even if the service sucks and the food is bad.

6. Manners and mannerisms. Remember all the things your mother taught you and pounded into you. Make her proud. Turn your cell phone OFF. Don’t talk with your mouth full. 

7. Greet others, but make it brief. If you see someone you know, be sure to say hi and introduce the person as “my new customer” or “my friend.”

8. Talk business when they bring it up. When do you start “talking business?” When they do, not before.

9. Ask thought-provoking questions about them. Ask who they are trying to do business with (maybe you can make a connection). 

10. Keep the talk POSITIVE. Besides teaching you manners, your mother said, “If you have nothing nice to say about someone, say nothing.” Do not violate this rule no matter what.

11. Be funny but don’t tell jokes. Jokes are the worst and lowest form of humor. Especially if they are in poor taste. 

12. The more they talk, the more they will like you. Ask about travel, eating out, vacation, sports. Notice I DIDN’T say “tell about.”

13. Find the link. Use your time at lunch to discover what you have in common. Things that will bring you to a closer mutual belief system. Closer to a sale.

14. Be yourself, unless you’re a slob. If you have to fake it at lunch, the rest of the relationship will have to follow the falsehood. 

15. Friendly beats professional. You’re having lunch with a potential or existing business friend. Be friendly.

16. Understated is better than bragging. You don’t have to say how great you are, you have to prove it.

17.  Don’t show off — be impressive. Understate your accomplishments. Give the prospect a chance to shine. Make them ask about you.

18. Stick to the objective. If you’re there to make a sale, bring a contract and a pen. If you’re there to get to the next step in the sales cycle, make a firm appointment.

19. Make the next appointment FIRM, no matter what. Even if you pencil a time and place to be confirmed later, make the next date FIRM.

20. Want another lunch? Offer to bring a prospect for THEM to the next lunch — 100 percent guarantee of a date.

20.5 Send a personal follow-up. Take a selfie with you and the prospect, and send an Ace of Sales email (aceofsales.com) as you’re leaving. 

Well, there you have it. The recipe for lunch success. All you have to add is you and a prospect. You only have one chance — make it a biggie!