The coffee shop is more than a place for friends to meet up. Many entrepreneurs use open spaces meant for lounging and studying to conduct business with potential clients. It may be tempting to exchange the cost of your office space for the price of a latte. Making a coffee shop your new “virtual office,” however, is not in the best interest of your company. Here are four of the greatest pitfalls of holding an important meeting at your local coffee shop.
It does not matter much that you have worked all night long to create the perfect presentation if the internet connection prevents you from showing it to your potential client. Local coffee shops have excellent WiFi nine times out of ten. You, however, might schedule to meet with your client on the day that internet connection is lagging or lacking.
You cannot call your local Starbucks or Coffee Bean and tell them to reserve a table so that you and your client can have a place to sit when you arrive. Regardless of how much you try to schedule your meeting around supposed non-peak times, there is always the possibility of you and your client arriving right in the middle of rush hour. It is incredibly awkward and, quite frankly, a turn-off to ask your client to follow you to the next coffee shop that may or may not be at maximum capacity.
Imagine bragging on a local coffee shop to make a skeptical client comfortable only to arrive at a place where the restroom and other essentials are out of order. Your customer will only remember that he or she had to wait until the meeting was over to use the bathroom.
Whoever is in charge of the advertising at your local coffee shop should also take the reigns for marketing of your company. Imagine if both you and your client agree with such statement. What if he were more enthralled with how the coffee shop markets itself than with the core principles of your company? Your meeting is officially a waste.
There are some things that you can substitute in business, but having suitable office space isn’t one of them. Office Innovations can help you create the perfect atmosphere for your clients. Call us today at (904) 737-0707 for a consultation!
