Area
executive share their favorite ways of wining, dining and entertaining
clients.
By Joyce Romine
Gone are the days of three martini lunches. But entertaining
clients and customers is still considered an important part
of business. Find out what St. Louis area executives consider
the best ways to build better business relationships with their
clients.
Valuing the Time Commodity
Kevin Kerber, branch sales manager for Siemens Information and
Communications Network, realizes it's harder than ever for key
executives to find time to be entertained. So he makes sure
what he offers clients is valuable-not just fun. "Time is a
priceless commodity today," he says. "So I don't like to waste
my time or anyone else's. As a rule of thumb, anything we plan
for clients has to drive business value."
Kerber admits sometimes a golf "liaison" is the best way to
get a chance to talk one-on-one with a client in a relaxed setting-but
not just an ordinary golf game. "We offer something to make
it worth their while, like bringing in a golf pro to give lessons,"
he says.
The goal is to put the client in a different environment so
Kerber can learn more about the client's organization, he says.
"Subtle yet important things come out in a casual setting that
may not in a formal meeting."
More traditional lunches and dinners are part of Kerber's entertainment
repertoire, too-but again, with an added benefit. "Along with
our client, we'll invite other key executives in similar industries
so they can network and exchange information and experiences,"
Kerber says. "We also have executive round tables, bringing
all our customers' executives together."
Some of Kerber's favorite restaurants include J. Bucks, Riddles
Penultimate Cafe and Wine Bar, the Melting Pot and Robata of
Japan. "I like to make the lunch or dinner memorable by taking
them to neat little places they wouldn't usually go," he says.
Putting Out the Welcome Mat
Sarah Bakewell, president of Edward L. Bakewell, a real estate
agency, adds a personal touch to entertaining clients. "If clients
are from out of town, small dinner parties at an agent's home
with the clients and people from the neighborhood they're interested
in is a wonderful way for us to connect," she says. "We'll also
invite people from the community who share interests with the
clients and their spouses."
She says people love the personal touch added through dinner
parties in someone's home. "I enjoy having clients at my house,
because I like to cook. There's also much more intimacy in a
home, rather than a restaurant. It helps people feel more comfortable
in a new city. I also have an interesting lap pool and gardens
that offer people ideas for their new homes."
Bakewell also occasionally hosts dinner parties with all her
clients who have moved to St. Louis from out of town in the
past year. "It's a way for them to meet each other and have
fun together," she says. "It also helps us maintain relationships.
In addition, these gestures make people feel comfortable referring
a friend or family member to us. We go beyond the commission
check to stay in touch with our clients. Our goal is to sell
our clients their first and their last houses through all their
moves up and down."
Ray Pittard, president of Pittard, Pittard & Associates, also
believes inviting clients and their spouses to dinner in his
home is the most effective way of entertaining clients. (Of
course, it doesn't hurt that his wife is a gourmet cook, he
adds.) "It's a very personal, trusting act that most people
in business don't do," he says, "but it helps you and the client
really connect and knocks down the barriers. Clients appreciate
the personal effort and almost always reciprocate by inviting
us to their homes."
Although Pittard says some people view entertaining clients
as a superfluous activity, he believes it's key in business
and gives a competitive edge. In his previous job, Pittard spent
as much as three months at a time overseas. He says entertaining
and socializing is essential in international business to build
trust. As far as he's concerned, that's the rule locally, too.
"There are so many companies clients can choose to do business
with," he says. "So it's important to differentiate yourself
by building confidence and trust, which reduces the risk for
the client."
When the kitchen is closed at home, Pittard takes clients out
to eat. For breakfast meetings, he prefers First Watch. For
lunches, Schneithorst's is a "big-enough-to-be-quiet" place.
And for dinner-which should always include spouses, according
to Pittard-he chooses Cafe Napoli, Charlie Gitto's, or Tornatore's
Ristorante in St. Charles.
Depending on the clients' interests, Pittard also may invite
clients and their spouses to a Cardinal's baseball game or to
play golf or tennis. "My wife and I enjoy tennis and have found
mixed doubles matches are a fun way to get to know clients and
their spouses if they also enjoy playing," Pittard says.
A Splash of Fun
Thrills and cool refreshment are what Tyler Mountain Water offers
clients, says Ted Carnahan, general manager. "Our goal is to
show that we're a company that cares about its customers and
clients," Carnahan says. "So we emphasize family-oriented activities
when we entertain clients."
In addition to offering Cardinal baseball game tickets, Tyler
Mountain Water has given customers a family pack of Six Flags
season passes. They also reward their good customers with a
surprise delivery of free bottled water. "This allows us to
thank our loyal customers as well as build product loyalty,"
Carnahan says.
The Sporting Life
With more sporting venues to choose from than ever, Keith Hazelwood,
partner at Hazelwood and Weber, LLC, finds there's something
for every client. "Sporting events offer a very social atmosphere
in which to do business," he says. He has entertained in a luxury
suite at the Family Arena in St. Charles for the River Otters
hockey games and the Sting basketball games, and in a tent suite
at the Rascals baseball games. Sporting events at Busch Stadium
and the Savvis Center have served as business entertainment
venues for Hazelwood as well.
For a different twist on entertaining, Hazelwood invites clients
to attend professional speaker series or other speaking engagements.
"Then we may build a dinner around the speaker," he says.
Vicki Whitney, professional services manager at Manpower Professional,
caters to two sets of clients: contractors and the companies
they work for. To entertain these clients and thank them for
their business, she frequently offers clients prime seats at
baseball games and hockey games and may send them small, personal
recognition items, Whitney says.
"Clients especially enjoy the new venue of rink-side seats for
Rascals baseball games at the Family Arena," Whitney says. "Our
business evolves around developing one-on-one relationships.
By entertaining our corporate clients in an environment outside
the office, we can do this and understand their plans for the
coming year so we can better meet their needs."
For contractors, Whitney says personal yet useful items are
very appreciated. "We think of the individuals and what they
need to make their jobs easier," she says. "For example, we
give our computer technicians a computer tool kit with built
in flashlights that they just love."
Special deliveries of cookies, doughnuts, balloons and flowers
are also part of Manpower's entertainment package for clients.
"We don't stop entertaining just because the work stops," Whitney
says. "Our goal is to make sure our contractors and the companies
we work with feel appreciated.
Personalizing entertainment to the clients' interests is the
ideal way Dick Schenk, vice president of corporate marketing
communications at Unigraphics Solutions, likes to entertain.
"We tailor the entertainment to a venue a client appreciates,
whether it's golf, baseball, auto racing or dining," Schenk
says. "It's not about closing a deal, it's about building a
relationship. The time away from the office allows us to get
to know the client more personally and increases the level of
familiarity and trust. We've found it's definitely a differentiator
for clients."
Schenk says a favorite destination for entertaining has become
Gateway International Raceway in Madison County, Ill. "The time
spent there or at a baseball game gives us a chance to talk
one-on-one without office interruptions."
Good Times + Good Meals = Good Deals
Sporting events are generally not a draw for the technical-oriented
clients of Computerized Medical Systems, quips Doug Sprague,
the company's president and CEO. "They're not sports fans generally,
aside from golf, plus most of our clients, who are technical
consultants from out of town, need to spend intense time in
the office while they're here," he says.
Instead Sprague hosts dinners and lunches for the "techies"
at favorite places like Bristols and Dierdorf and Harts. "This
allows everyone to let his hair down a little and bond in a
more casual setting," Sprague says.
Fine dining also is the way to the heart of Nadine Boon's clients.
She is economic development director for the city of St. Charles.
"Our goal is to encourage businesses to locate in St. Charles
so we'll usually entertain them at local establishments like
Trailheads Brewery or events at the Family Arena," Boon says.
"Occasionally, we take them to a Cardinals or a Blues game to
show them more of the area."
Karen Branding, chairman, president and CEO of Busch Creative,
says time is the most valuable currency to clients so it's important
to have alternatives to lengthy golf games to entertain clients.
Lunches, dinners and even happy hours have proven to be a worthwhile
investment in establishing trust and creating a chemistry with
clients, Branding says.
"It's important to tailor entertainment to what's right for
the business relationship," she says. "We host happy hours at
fun, hip restaurants that our clients really enjoy. These events
allow our clients to meet our whole creative team and see the
breadth of talent we offer. In addition, our team gets to know
the clients on different levels, so we can understand their
needs better."
Joyce Romine is a St. Louis-based writer and owner of Streamline
Communications.
