Ever notice how some companies offer good snacks in their conference rooms and others are clueless about how to treat guests?

I have a theory about this. Companies that dump a sack of greasy fatty supermarket chocolate chip cookies on a paper plate, probably the same plate re-used from an earlier meeting from the looks of it sometimes, don't care about their clients.

Of course some companies forget to budget for in house entertainment so they send a runner to the supermarket or deli to buy bagels and boxed muffins on the cheap. Makes sense, right?

No way it makes sense to do that. If a company can't afford to feed you a decent snack what makes you think they can service your account? It's suicide to not have good snacks, if you're reading this and you think your wife or husband has a boardroom serving garbage snacks offer a wake-up call, set off some alarm bells before it's too late and they end up loosing another deal.

Make your guests feel like royalty, have fresh and delicious treats for them. Don't overdo it, serve something special and you don't need to pile the plate. Unless of course your client is a jerk, then feed him bagels from the deli by all means.

Your boardroom is where many deals are made, internal decisions are considered and acted upon. Your staff deserves the same respect as your clients, make sure you are showing them that they are appreciated. Think of how little it costs to have a stock of Geek Muffins or the like set for scheduled delivery every two weeks. How easy it is to serve them. How happy each guest is when they are treated with respect.

With best regards,