3 reasons to meet at a neutral location
Have to meet somewhere.
When you start a business, your office is mostly not your biggest concern. Or you might have realized after the pandemic, that the quality of work isn’t really on par with the amount of time spent in the office, or having an office at all.
According to the data from a recent large-scale survey conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, 39.7% of respondents said they were more productive at home than they were working at company property, while 45% said it was about the same.
It is all true until your first – or next – big negotiation is right around the corner.
Picking the perfect negotiation environment can be extremely important. Everyone is familiar with the “Location, Location, Location” phrase in real estate, but the right negotiation atmosphere can be just as crucial when it comes to closing deals. Your choice of location has a significant impact on what happens next and how things turn out in the end. The negotiation you have in front of you needs to be carefully studied.
Your place or mine? Neither.
A neutral location is frequently thought of as a way for the two parties to come to an agreement. No one will profit or lose from a meeting held on their own turf. However, you can still tip the scales in your favor if you know what a serviced office can provide and are not afraid to exploit. Here’s how to do it.
- Preparation
One must enter a negotiation with a clear and unburdened mind. And spending too much – or too less – time with preparation can both have unwanted consequences.
Having a business negotiation at our office might seem the beneficial choice for us, but there could be many counterarguments made. For example, thoroughly preparing for a meeting will always be less likely at our place, because there will always be people distracting us, colleagues asking for help, clients demanding our attention, and so on. But with a serviced office, all we need to do is tell them the date and time, and all the rest is taken care of.
The receptionist will know what to do, they are seasoned greeters, and they’ve been making great first impressions for many years now.
The furniture, lighting, technical requirements, and catering will all be handled to best achieve a smooth and pleasant negotiation environment.
- Focus
When stakes are high, you can not be distracted.
In our own office, we are more vulnerable to being interrupted while trying to negotiate. Even when we ask to be left alone, our availability on the premises encourages intrusions from phone calls, secretaries, and coworkers. The same goes for your partner if you’re having the meeting at their office.
And let’s not mention those awkward mishaps, when something went wrong with the booking of the meeting rooms and there is an overlap resulting in frustrated clients and colleagues.
But if you’re having the meeting at a neutral location, you’re both on safe ground, and your peace is guaranteed, it’s like there is an invisible ‘do not disturb’ sign hanging on your door.
- Making a first impression last
In a negotiation, you will want to come off at least as an equal partner right from the beginning. That means that you are more than able to handle and accommodate the needs of your peers.
Facilities at your own place will always be limited to a certain degree. As your company grows, or as the continuous meetings and negotiations will involve more and more people, you will need different venues and different environments.
To put it simply: you will need flexibility and custom-tailored solutions. If you work with a serviced office, you will be dealing with people who have been in the business of fulfilling office and meeting services for many years and have proven themselves time and time again.
Whether it’s just a few people getting together to lay the foundations of future cooperation, a sizeable event for congresses, or high-stakes negotiations, we can provide the place to make it happen. And when your business goes worldwide, teleconferencing is also something we are more than familiar with.
