The Art of the Business Lunch; Building Relationships Between 12 And 2, by Robin Jay

Posted by Dan Janal, Your Fearless PR Leader | April 2nd, 2008

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Anyone in sales or ANY relationship-based business, whether you’re an interior designer, franchise owner, manager, etc.

Q: What is the book about?
A: When you introduce a social aspect into your business relationships, it works to bond you with your clients, elevating the relationship to a higher, more intimate level. The book stresses the importance of building solid relationships, then shares how to do that productively. Sharing a meal is a great way to get to know someone and become friendly—people prefer to do business with people they like.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: After hosting more than 3,000 client lunches, I saw my sales increase by more than 2,000%, Because I appreciated the value of lunch done right, I was often booked out for lunch up to three or four weeks in advance. My clients started calling me “The Queen of the Business Lunch.”

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: While there are many books on the topic of building strong business relationships, my book is the first one that shares the importance of breaking bread with clients as a means of building more productive relationships. Plus, my book covers the nuts-and-bolts of how to accomplish one’s lunchtime goals. Everything in the book also applies to breakfasts, dinners and networking events; there are chapters that cover networking events, the job interview business lunch (a growing trend) and do’s and don’ts: from being prepared for casual conversation to whether or not it’s okay to drink alcohol in front of clients.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: It has been sold in TEN languages worldwide. It seems EVERYONE wants to know how to do a business lunch the RIGHT way!

Business Etiquette 101 - 30 Absolutely, Never Evers for Business, Dining & First Impressions. by Gretchen Neels

Posted by Dan Janal, Your Fearless PR Leader | November 6th, 2007

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Anyone who wants some direct, pointed advice on navigating the unwritten rules of corporate culture. It is especially relevant to new professionals (Millennial generation).

Q: What is the book about?
A: It is a tiny, 6 page booklet with 30 points of advice, or “Never, evers” that will keep you out of trouble in the workplace. An example: Absolutely, never ever arrive late to a meeting - doing so sends the message that you don’t respect others’ time.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: After being in the professional services recruiting game for a number of years, I saw many qualified candidates not get job offers because their soft-skills were so undeveloped. The ability to communicate and present oneself in the best light is crucial to success and far too underrated in college and graduate school.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: I decided on a very short and direct format to get my message across. It’s not new information, necessarily, but it’s delivered in a novel way that is being very well received by young professionals.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?

A: Yes, I’ve written a companion, Business Etiquette 102 - 30 Certainly, Always Guidelines For Interviewing, Networking & Meetings.

Also, schools are very positive about these booklets - I’ve sold them to Babson College and MIT School of Engineering in the last few weeks.