The Alternative to Coffee Shops for Important Meetings
Have you become used to meeting your clients and/or prospects at a coffee shop or out to lunch?
Perhaps you think you can’t afford an office and meeting at restaurants is a cost effective way to run your business. Take a look at these reason why public places might not be the best place for your important meetings:
Do you feel obligated to make a purchase?
It’s worthwhile to consider the monetary cost of meeting at a coffee shop. If you hold six of your important meetings a week at restaurants and you spend an average of $10.00/meeting (if you purchase your guest’s drink or meal also) you are spending around $240/month, not including driving time to random locations.
What about the cost incurred by the environment?
Privacy is a serious issue these days. Are you asking your client or prospect for personal information?
Did you consider the person you are meeting?
You might be perfectly comfortable holding important meetings in a bustling café but someone else may not. Worse yet, if that’s the case they may not even tell you. Or perhaps you invite someone for coffee but he/she isn’t a coffee drinker.
Is this meeting location a comfortable place to have a conversation and not get interrupted by others?
Is it good for your business when there’s always a chance that a whiny 2-year old could happen to be sitting within “Cheerio-throwing” distance of you?
Is the atmosphere and technology at this meeting place up to par and secure?
You have very little control over what is going on at a public meeting place. Restaurants were not built primarily for important meetings. They don’t have the proper set up for a productive meeting, like conference tables, whiteboards and HDMI hook up. What if you could meet somewhere that was designed specifically for meetings?
There is another option besides meeting at random coffee shops and when you are ready to move to the next level a shared office is an excellent alternative to camping out in a coffee shop.
A shared office provides:
- One address (or more) for you to meet clients and prospects, which will cut down on eating out and driving expenses
- Private areas so you don’t have to worry about keeping your guest’s attention or compromising confidentiality during important meetings
- Essential technology like Wi-Fi, flat screens, & video conferencing that work well and are readily available
- Free coffee and water
- Quiet, individual work spaces
- A kitchen area with a refrigerator, sink, microwave and basic dining needs like paper plates and napkins
- Standard office supplies available for purchase
- A comfortable environment to call YOUR SPACE
- Friendly faces (other clients and the reception staff) who know who you are
Coffee shops and restaurants are great place to have a friendly meeting, but when you are growing your business, having a professional office for your important meetings can make a huge impact on your growth. It sends the message to your clients that you are serious about your business and will give them confidence in working with you. If you have any questions, we are glad to give you tour of our shared office space.
