Red or White? What Wine Can Tell You About Your Business Situation

Are you a wino? Or maybe just appreciate the finer things in life? After spending the last few months in Sonoma wine country, I probably don't know any more about wine now than I did before my trip but I can tell you that I have enjoyed the occasional glass in the evening after a long day on-site with clients. Red or white? I really enjoy both but I've found that my choice could be used as a telling sign of how I feel the day went. Here is what my glass of wine says about me and my day, would you agree?

1. Temperature
• Red is usually served at room temperature and white is typically chilled. Your surroundings may have an impact on your choice as summer time and the hot outdoors warrants a cooler drink but I think it says more about your heart. Am I feeling the strain of the day in which my heart is beating fast? Then I choose a red that matches. Whether flush with love or anger, red appeals to my drive to keep things going and see where it leads me. Do I feel in control and gently relaxing in the calm before the storm? Than white it is and the cool liquid matches my cool and collected attitude.
2. Color
• If you want to hear me talk, I think you will probably get more out of me if I am drinking a red. The white is transparent meaning I am reflecting inward on how things went during the day and I don't feel confused. When I choose a red wine, I feel stimulated by conversation whether I'm the one spilling the beans or am all ears about your latest adventure. Red makes me want to share in a mutual experience which could be to troubleshoot the problems of the day or escape from my hardships and listen to someone else's for a while.
3. Fruit
• There are lots of sophisticated words that can be used to describe how a wine tastes, but I think the fruity flavors are the most distinct. The red usually have hints of plum, cherry, or heavy oak whereas whites have flavors of peaches, lemons, or young flowers. When I feel like the decadent flavors of the reds, I want to enjoy life fully and explore every nook and cranny. When I enjoy the light, puckered or sweet flavors of white, I may feel obliged to dismiss the needless details.

Do these red versus white describe your feelings and composure when drinking wine too? Let me know what you experience emotionally when choosing and drinking a drink to end the day with. And cheers!

The Value of Face Time: 3 Ways to Connect with Your Clients Quickly

I love my job. One reason is getting to be the driving force behind a group's change. You get to know them, you work with them, introduce something new, and turn their old habits into new ones. I think partly why these large changes are so successful is our commitment to the people. And this commitment can only be reached face-to-face. It makes a huge difference to watch their body language, understand their frustrations, and share their smiles of accomplishment. The constant interactions and connections that you make every day while on-site with a client isn't automatic though and if your presence is the one that can make or break the group's change, I have a few tips that can improve your chances of consulting success.

1. Write down everything
• Your clients can not only see your facial expressions, but are also watching your actions. They know if you wrote down their suggestion because they either see you jot in your notebook or just take a mental note. Don't underestimate the power of writing things down. Not only will it help you remember it, but your client will gain confidence in you because they see that their thoughts matter. They know you listened because you wrote down their thoughts. It makes them feel like you care!
2. Ask for local advice
• If you are on site with a client, you probably are out of town and unfamiliar with the area. Ask the locals for their favorite coffee or food spots, best driving routes, and recommendations on tourist locations worth visiting. This will allow them to share their expertise with you and they feel valuable. Don't underestimate the power of letting your client share some personal experiences. Any discussions about extracurricular activities will boost their self confidence to make dealing with the tough business topics easier.
3. Always be approachable
• Sometimes you hover over their shoulder watching what they are doing like a boss. Sometimes you are hunched over with a technical issues at your laptop in the corner. Other times you may be in tense conversations with management over contract costs. In all situations, you must remember that at any time a worker may have a question. They should never have to feel uneasy or hesitant in asking. Therefore, keeping good posture and a neutral expression is important. It may require conscious focus on your part at first but it will make a big difference up and down the chain of command in the long run.

Have you been through an experience in which seeing the other person in-person made all the difference? What was the determining factor that made you walk away afterwards feeling cared for? Was it technical support at Geek Squad versus phone support of Microsoft? Was it having your quarterly review at company headquarters instead of an email? Share what made the real difference!

Welcome to Business Travel : 3 Tips from a New Road Warrior

I've started traveling to client sites on a regular basis which means simultaneous more face time and less face time, one with clients and the other with family. It is an interesting give and take which makes the "work-life balance" definition even more skewed. I love the traveling honestly and can easily switch between "work hard hotel mode" and "lazy at home mode". Others may have more difficulty so here are some of my mental tricks that might help you if you too travel frequently for business.

1. Make home, home only
• I know the first thing you want to do when you get home is relax, but before you do anything else, you should unpack and put away the suitcase. If you leave out the packed clothes and the suitcase, you and your family will see it and be reminded of how often you are gone. You don't want to have one foot out the door when you are home.
2. You are on their time
• In the airport and on the plane, you do not have control over late passengers, the weather, or mechanically delayed flights. The moment I begin the traveling, I go into a zen state in which I practice believing that no matter what happens I don't care and will wait until the traveling is done when I can control my own time again. Remember it is always better to have arrived late than not at all.
3. Savor the alone time
• Hotel rooms can be awkward and quiet, and planes can be stuffy and cramped, but the uncomfortable time you spend in these places is time you are not somewhere else (like with your family). Splurg on the glass of wine, watch that chick flick, take a nap. Do the "me things" in the small spaces you can so when you are home you can dedicate yourself 100% to the people that miss you.

This blog post? Written on my flight home on Southwest. Sharing my thoughts on this blog with you is how I enjoy spending my personal time. I hope it helps give you some insight into how you can mentally relax a bit more when those business trips call you away.