Newly Corporate

Whether you’re at a pivotal professional dinner or just out for a beer after a big presentation with a client, the proverbial “cocktail hour” is often your only chance to cement those social ties that can make or break a deal. What should you order? Does it really matter? Can your drink be a tool, a hack into the professional relationship you need? Absolutely, and here are five happy hour hacks to get your drink-infused rainmaking kick started.

1. Know your beverage. Beer guzzling is just as bad as guzzling a martini from a fancy glass. Your drink doesn’t have to be just a form of tasty refreshment or a social elixir, it is a topic for discussion and an ice breaker. Learn a story behind your favorite drink(the tale of the India Pale Ale is one of my favorites), take pride in your beer, don’t whine about your wine, and know whats with your whisky.

2. Drink Local. People appreciate someone who knows about them and their town. Even if you all you know is what you picked up off the Beer Advocate directory or something similar. At the very least you can say “Hey, I heard the <insert beer or wine name> here is good” and start a good conversation about the local flavor (rather than religion or politics).

3. Watch your WPM and BAC. People may like having “that guy” around for entertainment but, it won’t help your case in business if you’re the guy with sky high blood alcohol content or you are speaking too many words per minute for anyone else to get one in edgewise (learn to listen!).

4. Don’t get too comfortable. You may feel that your new business associate is really your long lost brother after the glow of a few tall ones but, things may change the next day in a more formal venue. Be as endearing as you can without being buddy-buddy, at least not on the first date.

5. Keep an eye on the clock. It may have been a serious bonding experience when you and your new classmates stayed out all night at college and then suffered through class together the next day but, it is much less so when you are with clients and superiors. Your clients and your boss, with a few exceptions, want to know you are at home checking email and preparing for the next day at a reasonable time. They will probably be better at detecting a hangover than your college professor too.

Yes, it’s a different game than college, not necessarily boring or less interesting, just different. The stakes are higher, the drinks are different, and the conversation is far more diverse than the rarely-deviated-from college coed standard. Like college though, we all adjust, and soon you’ll be integrating pieces of your personal marketing strategy, the latest business concepts you read about, or new web 2.0 tools right in with icebreaking beer tales.

Picture Credit: acnatta