Client Meeting Etiquette?

Question

Ok, so today I met with a hotel operator supplier. As I met him for the first time, we exchanged business cards and shook hands. The whole time we were discussing plans and negotiations, he addresses me by my first name, blah blah blah. Fast forward to the end of the meeting, we give our pleasantries again and shook hands. Then, he says "It was nice meeting you..." At this point, he reaches over to his pocket, raises my business card to his eye level, looks at it and then looks back at me, "..Tammy." How uncool was that?! Uncomfortable and unprofessional, don't you agree?

Answer 1

It was his way of attempting to demonstrate his status over you. To unnerve him and his ego, I hope you did not flinch a bit and just returned his gaze pleasantly. When working with men in the business world, you'll find all sorts of little games they play like this one. It is to remind us that we may be smart women, but they hold all the cards.

To that, i say, bull crap.

Answer 2

Client Meeting Etiquette

Answer 3

There could be several reasons he did this. Perhaps he didn't remember if he had gotten your card and checked because he was going to ask for it again...awkward pause, of course, but nothing malicious in it.

I'll tell you a good one. I used to work for an ad agency, where everybody had a name plate that contained their first initial and their last name. My first name starts with an S, but it is pronounced "Sh---".

Some bigwig from the New York office pops in and acts like he knows everybody by heart. While making the rounds, he glanced at my name plate before coming into my office with my supervisor and shakes my hand, saying, "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Sssssssssssss....."

I was so mystified as to why he was hissing at me like a snake that I didn't realize he expected me to fill in my name for him!

Horrible social awkwardness, but neither one of us was trying to be unprofessional or make the other person uncomfortable.

Try to give this fellow the benefit of the doubt and see what happens the next time you meet.

Answer 4

Definitely a faux paux. He should have just smiled apologetically and confessed that he had forgotten your name. But how much does it all matter to you? Will you stake your account on this guy? Personally I would rather work with someone else, but if he is the only one . . . well give him another chance.