The Art of the Business Lunch

I’m very happy to be participating in a virtual book tour by publishing today’s guest post on Brandcurve written by Robin Jay the author of The Art of the Business Lunch, Building Relationships Between 12 and 2.  In her book, Robin teaches readers how to make the most of each business lunch and leverage the opportunities business lunches provide.  Without further ado, following is Robin’s story in her own words.

It was never my dream to build my brand as “The Queen of the Business Lunch,” but it came about as I wrote my first book and was looking for a way to distinguish myself as a business relationship expert in my marketing materials. My book is titled “The Art of the Business Lunch ~ Building Relationships Between 12 and 2” (Career Press), and it’s now in ten languages worldwide. In the book, I share tips and techniques for building profitable business relationships by introducing a social aspect into those relationships, as well as how to navigate networking luncheons and even how to ace a job interview luncheon. It’s the culmination of what I learned during nearly twenty years of taking clients to lunch and catering to them, making them feel special, and helping them to do their jobs more effectively. My clients started calling me the queen of the business lunch when they called me to book a lunch only to find that I was already booked three weeks out. Do we ever really get to choose our nicknames?

When my book was sold in Italian this year, I became “La Regina del Pranzo d’Affaire.”  That’s got pizzazz! I wish I knew what it was in the other eight languages, but unless I learn Arabic, Greek, Estonian or Polish, I will never know.
 
I knew a nickname would help to build my brand. After all, what great athletes stand out? The ones with great nicknames, like Broadway Joe, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Dr. J, The Yankee Clipper, Pistol Pete, Shoeless Joe, and so on. Entertainers can rest on their laurels once they can get away with using just one name, such as Cher, Bette, Sammy, Dean or Frank. Could there ever be another Mariah? Even the Beatles, when mentioned together, could get away with first names: John, Paul, George and Ringo. Ahhh, Ringo – aka “The luckiest drummer in the world,” thanks to Pete Best. That’s a nickname he must resent!
 
No one ever calls me “Queen” (Ms. Latifah might get that, but not me). And my tiara is getting dusty in my closet. But association presidents who introduce me to speak at their luncheons love to present “The Queen of the Business Lunch.” I wonder if it will stick with me through the years, as I write more books on different subjects. I just know that I’m glad I had the foresight to put it into my press materials. It’s an extremely competitive world out there and it’s incredibly helpful to have anything that helps to distinguish myself and contribute to my brand. And it’s always fun to be royalty.

Image source: Robin Jay