Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Business meeting behavior

What to do when your co-worker is basically embarrassing you in front of the client with his bad meeting behavior?
Recently I attended a meeting with a big client. My client and I are working together for past 3 years and we are getting along pretty well and have been working on quite a number of projects but my goal is always to make good impression. I attended a meeting with certain co-worker who didn't know much about the topic. He recently rejoined the company and has been assigned to the project.
The fact that he didn't know much about the topic is not really that painful but his meeting behavior.
Our luggage got lost when we landed and we got money from airline company to buy stuff. It was Sunday and nothing was working but the shops in the airport. He decided it was not worth spending money so he showed up on 1st day of meeting in jeans and t-shirt in which he was flying for previous 20 hours. He openly showed that he was bored at the meeting in front of our clients big shot managers and other parties involved, he was playing with his pen, zipping and unzipping his shoes, sitting in his chair the way you sit at the bar and constantly using hardcore American slang when speaking.
All people attending the meeting were strictly business dressed up and spoke proper English.
After the 1st day meetings he decided to go shopping since our luggage still haven't arrived. On the 2nd day he wore new shirt and jeans/pants. He didn't even bother to iron the shirt and he looked even worse then previous day. In Serbian language we have this saying that he looked like cow was chewing him and spit him out.
During my presentation on the meeting he was again bored to death so he was distracting me with his pencil/shoes/laptop playing. I probably need to mention the "I'm in the bar having beer with my buddies" sitting poses.
The worst thing actually is that client was quite irritated about it.
Yes, there are companies with their casual looks and relaxed meetings but our clients are not one of those. This guy was already working for my company and he just re-joined and he supposed to know these things. If he doesn't, the first impression counts right?

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