This article provides guidance for when a coffee meeting can make sense, how to get it scheduled and how to approach the actual meeting with a wide range of meeting attendees.
Having a business meeting over a cup of coffee is an inexpensive way to have an informal meeting with an industry partner, potential client or other professional relationships. Also, 9/10, coffee shop coffee will be better than the coffee at anyone’s office.
Why coffee business meeting vs. meeting in an office?
Meeting outside an office often feels more relaxed than meeting with someone at their office. If you are the person who stands to gain more from the scheduled meeting, coffee chats are a way for you to show gratitude for the person whom you are meeting by buying them a cup of joe or beverage of their choice.
Examples where a coffee meeting could make sense
- You work in business development or in a sales capacity and regularly network with industry partners to share leads and network.
- You are a business professional meeting with a potential new client for your business.
- You’re a job seeker and are networking with professionals in the industry, or even at specific companies, where you would like to work.
- An informational interview.
- You’re attending a conference and want to forge new connections with fellow attendees outside of the formal meetings.
- You want to have a casual meeting with a colleague or manager, away from the office, perhaps to discuss career path options.
Scheduling the Coffee Meeting
If you are the one inviting another person to a coffee meeting, take charge on picking the location vs. asking them for suggestions. If you are networking with an industry colleague where the transfer of knowledge will likely be equal, you can pick a location that is in-between your two offices or homes, if you work remotely. Send an email invitation and include the address. If you are meeting with a potential new client or, seeking career advice of another professional, pick a spot that is closest to their location. I also like to confirm that the proposed location is in fact convenient for the other person and if they offer an alternate suggestion, go with it.
Who Pays?
If you are the one who has asked for the meeting, best practices call for paying for everyone’s coffee. Get there early, secure a table and when your guest arrives, go to the order counter together.
- If they order first: Share that “This is on me” or “I’ve got this” before placing your own order. Be authoritative with no hemming and hawing on your part.
- If you order first: When the order taker asks if you want anything else, gesture to your guest and say, “What can I get you?”
- Side note: There may be rare cases where your guest can’t accept a “gift” of any kind including a cup of coffee. This can be the case with government employees for example. If that is the case, be respectful of their need to pay OR, even better avoid meeting at place where any type of transaction will occur. A virtual meeting or meeting in an office may make more sense for someone not able to accept any sort of gift.
Virtual Coffee Meetings
If you and your fellow meeting attendee(s) will be meeting remotely and, the planned meeting is in the morning, you have a few options if you are the meeting organizer:
1) In the invitation, encourage participants to come to the meeting with their favorite morning drink in hand. BYO if you will. Use the first couple minutes to share what everyone is drinking.
2) If it is appropriate for the situation, send any invitees, a couple days in advance, $5 egift cards to a widely available coffee shop or the invitees local coffee shop. While they may not cash in on the gift card for that exact meeting time, it is a thoughtful gesture and a way for the meeting invitee to think of you at a later time. Virtual coffee meetings can be a fun way to get to know new employees who recently joined your company or team as well.
Be Confident in Asking for a Meeting
I know it can feel uncomfortable asking someone to meet you for coffee when you know you are the one who will benefit most from the meeting. Don’t let this deter you from making the ask as I have found that most people are generally open to helping other people. When I was trying to break into a new industry, I would research people who went to my college, lived in the same city and worked in the industry that I wanted to join. Nearly every person I contacted agreed to meet and I think they appreciated the way in which I found a common connection between us and, used it! I only asked for 30 minutes and made sure to start and end the meeting promptly on time. As I have become more of a seasoned industry professional, I too will meet with people who have done their homework and reach out to tap into my knowledge or network
Virtual Coffee Breaks
While remote work has an infinite number of benefits, preserving company culture among remote teams has its challenges. A great way to improve meaningful connections among remove team members is to schedule a virtual coffee break every now and then between a person you manage, your own manager or a colleague. These can be group meetings as well.
How to Get the Conversation Started
I find that a few minutes of genuine small talk are the best way to break the ice if you are meeting someone or the first time or, don’t necessarily know them very well. It can be a nice way to establish any common ground that you may have. If the person you are meeting mentions that he spent a big chunk of the weekend at the pool with his family, feel free to share what you did to stay cool or entertain your kids (if applicable). If you are well acquainted with the person you are meeting, small talk typically happens very organically. Just be mindful of everyone’s time and get to business as soon as you can! A professional connection can turn into a personal connection, and you don’t want to chat your time away talking about kids or summer break plans.
Examples of good conversation starters include:
- How was your weekend?
- How is your week going so far?
- How long have you been in your current role at X company?
- Where is home for you?
Do your Homework
If you are meeting with someone where the balance of knowledge discussed in the conversation is more to your benefit than theirs, do your homework ahead of time so that you come to the meeting prepared with questions. Review their LinkedIn profile, company website, company social media feeds and any other helpful sources. This goes a long way in communicating a couple things:
- 1) You have done your research and therefore aren’t looking for the meeting attendee to provide you with all the answers.
- 2) You would like to focus on strategic questions where the answers are not available via web research.
- 3) You are able to able to make the best use of everyone’s time and potentially end the meeting early.
Launching into the Meeting
If you are meeting with an industry partner where the intent is to share leads, either one of you can go first. Depending on your level of familiarly with one another, you may need to clarify areas of focus first, so that you are exchanging leads that are a good fit. For example, if you only focus on the higher education and healthcare markets, share that in the first place and ask the other person about their areas of focus. If the other person starts speaking first, practice active listening and avoid distractions such as looking at your phone or your surroundings. The only downside of meeting in a coffee shop can be increased distractions. Feel free to interject with any questions or comments and to take notes with a pen and paper or laptop. When it is your turn to share, focus on any leads that have not been discussed.
Be Crystal Clear with Your Intent for the Meeting
If you are meeting with a busy person who is graciously doing you a favor by providing career advice or sharing information that will help you or your company on an upcoming sales pursuit, make your intentions or “asks” super clear at the beginning of the meeting. Even if you already did this via email, LinkedIn or phone when setting up the meetings, state them again. Often people are running from one meeting to another and need to be reminded of the context of a meeting.
Coffee meetings are a great opportunity to get out of the office, enjoy a tasty beverage and build your professional network.
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