CHAPTER 7
Site Selection HOW DO YOU GET THERE FROM HERE?
AS IS TRUE OF INTRODUCTIONS,
the location and conditions of the negotiation facility can have direct bearing on the outcome of meetings. Consequently, both sides must take great care to maximize their position during site selection. This isn’t always solely a question of psychological advantage but also one of cordiality and pride. Very rarely will the host company permit all, or even the majority, of the meetings to take place on neutral turf, since this reflects poorly on their ability to “hold up their end” of the deal. Hosts must host and visitors visit.
Projecting the Proper Image Visitors will be incurring a fair amount of expense just to travel to the site, and it’s a reasonable expectation, even when they are selling, that the host company will provide a comfortable and convenient meeting facility. Visitors may also insist that the meetings take place in a major city that may not contain a host company office. Hosts may then be required to obtain facilities at additional expense. Some companies do “trade outs” with local purveyors or enlist the assistance of government agencies. Whether an acquired facility or a company facility is used, it must reflect the host’s image as much as possible. If specific conference rooms aren’t available, the best office on site should be made over to accommodate the meetings. Don’t use employee dining rooms or a vacant storeroom as a substitute. There’s no point in putting on airs, but make the effort to promote a professional image. Hosts who take the attitude of “why go to such bother for a single meeting?” may find that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Visitors may be called upon to provide the site for at least some of the meetings beyond the introductions. This will often be true when they’re in the selling mode and members of the host team don’t have local offices. In this case, any advantage the visitors get by using neutral turf is offset by the requirements of selling. Hosts will be assessing the quality of the hotel/meeting room as a means to determine the status and detail-mindedness of their potential business associates. Here again, extravagance isn’t necessary, but penny-pinching will send the wrong message.
Convenience, Conditions and Accoutrement Every effort should be made to assure that the meeting facilities are convenient to all parties. Convenience is, of course, relative; a certain degree of communication should take place before the arrival of visitors in-country. The availability of ground transport, airport location, seasonal weather, road
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