Food for Thought on Business Lunches
United States International University periodically distributes public relations blurbs offering advice from its faculty. Never was a subject more timely than the one recently tackled by Dr. William Lacey: “Here’s the Way to Dish Up Profits at Business Lunches.”
Lacey, a USIU associate professor of business management who swears he has never had lunch with Uvaldo Martinez, gives the following tips on effective wining and dining:
- Tailor the meal specifically to fit the tastes of the guest.
- Offer plenty to eat even if the guest does not want a full meal.
- Strive for a unique lunch, because, “A blatant ‘let me take you to lunch’ is no enticement.”
- Never take a guest somewhere he won’t feel comfortable (like a restaurant swarming with reporters checking credit card receipts?).
Lacey says a business lunch is “more than a good-will gesture . . . it’s an effective sales technique.” But at the same time, he warns that some people, particularly the younger set, don’t like business lunches, a trend that probably is on the upswing these days in San Diego, at least at City Hall.
As an alternative, Lacey suggests Martinez and others who aren’t doing lunch as frequently “get some tennis shoes,” and commiserate during athletic activity.
Anne Slavicek, of the USIU public relations department, hedged when asked if Martinez might be called in as a guest lecturer on the subject. “Well, you never know,” she answered with a laugh.
Achieving a Prophecy
But it takes more than a gourmet lunch to get ahead in this world.
Dorit Susan Ilani was in town last weekend to conduct a three-day seminar for the UC San Diego Extension program titled “The Psychology of High Achievers.” Ilani is an instructor of psychology at UC Irvine and, we are assured by Sharon Taylor of UCSD, “a high achiever herself.”
High achievers, Ilani says, have “a combination of self-image, mental attitude and the right cognitive processes.” Or, to put it more simply, she adds, “People who have more money, make more. People who have less, make less.” Heavy.
But then, Ilani pointed out that high achievers differ from the rest of us, who “see failure as a self-fulfilling prophecy.” It would be pointless to offer us more lucrative jobs, she says, because, “If you make $15,000 and you get a $100,000 job offer, you may not take it because it’s not like you to make $100,000.”
Tall Job at Beach
Several months ago, the San Diego City Council allocated $15,000 to buy a live, 65-foot Christmas tree to grace the beach at the foot of Newport Avenue. Ocean Beach community leaders had suggested this would be more economical than purchasing a massive tree every year for their Yuletide parade and festival. And everyone agrees the tree will be a welcome year-round addition to the area’s revitalized shopping district.
The only problem is that nobody has been able to locate a live tree tall enough to be a suitable centerpiece for the annual OB Christmas celebration. “There just isn’t one around that is close enough to get here in time for Christmas,” laments Mike Akey, of the Ocean Beach Merchants Assn. “So I guess we’ll go with a dead one again this year, and hope to get a live tree in time for next Christmas.”
Anybody out there with a 65-foot tree suitable for the Christmas season is welcome to step forward, however. And the $15,000 offer still stands.
