TOM THEAKSTON, HEAD OF LUXURY ON TRADE AT DIAGEO UK - part 1
Thanks to Tony Rimbault, I met one of his loyal customers Tom Theakston. His position at Diageo encourages him to regularly invite partners to lunch or dinner. He explains me his secrets to increase business opportunities.
00:30 On which occasion do you invite clients at 34 Mayfair ?
01:04 What kind of clients do you invite here ?
02:23 Do you have business goals when you invite clients in a restaurant ?
03:02 What kind of conversation do you have during business meals ?
04:02 What kind of questions do you ask so that people talk ?
06:14 What is the most ambitious project you’ve ever made ?
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CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOUR BUSINESS MEAL
« Caprice holdings is one of our trusted partners. When you want to invite people for special occasions, the obvious points are quality and atmosphere to offer the best experience. We invite different types of people to a restaurant. The opportunities are different but the end is always the same : forging a relationship. It’s a relationship-driven industry, where people do business with people. Without this human connection, you will never succeed. It’s not always necessary to spend a lot of money, sometimes it is just to have a coffee or a drink. A dinner or a lunch are great places because you have a lot of somebody’s time and you usually have undivided attention of that person as well. »
FORGING THE RELATIONSHIP TO BE BLANC
« A meeting room provides a formal setting. Whereas if you remove the formality of the office and you go into a sort of a more casual setting, often issues become easier to discuss. The main objective is to develop the relationship to discuss everything. When you know the person well enough, you can be more direct when it comes to talking business. If you meet someone for the first time, you don’t take them to lunch, you will first have a coffee to understand who they are and how to work together. I think a good relationship with a client often turns into friendship. »