#shmoozing

Me: Yes, once. It was right here.

President: Oh really, in this spot?

In both the personal and professional world, deals are made every day. A relationship. A marriage. A merger. A loan. A record label signing the latest band. Take any one of these unions and you’ll soon see that at their core they share the same goals: mutual benefit.

All deals require getting into bed (either literally or metaphorically). All partnerships require some degree of compromise. Some business partnerships, like some relationships, are created without mutual consent—one company comes in and simply buys out another and now the remaining employees must work extra hard to keep the “marriage” afloat. 

However, the majority of both creative and business partnerships are born out of an attraction between two individuals or companies, the pairing of which will ideally result in both parties mutually benefiting financially. And as with any start-up relationship, the courting ritual plays itself out in a series of dates where the two parties test the waters to see if the relationship will work. Dinners. Boardroom meetings. Golf retreats. If it looks like a partnership that will stick, the two businesses sign contracts (i.e. get married) and start making money (i.e. mutual benefit).

Now let’s say a company wants to build a relationship with a billionaire investor. This company needs the money and it knows that a deal with the investor will result in substantial profit. Is it that different than a young guy who has his sights set on the girl of his dreams? Not really. And just like our young romantic who’s one in a long line of prospective suitors, the representative for our company needs to bring his or her “A” game and standout or else he or she will undoubtedly get lost in the shuffle. A little seduction is required. The question arises: how does he get he get the girl without resorting to mere deceit and trickery?

The answer: it’s all in the details. Show the investor you’re paying attention to all the pertinent information that passes through your radar. A successful investor hears nothing but pitches all day long. He or she is looking for that extra “umph” factor, and that “umph” might not be coming from the business pitch, rather the person pitching it. He or she is looking for someone with a motivated grasp on the world and an acute attention to detail because someone with those assets assuredly has good business sense too.

Flattery can get you everywhere, they say, and it might be true. Sincerity is equally as important, however, because blatant schmoozing will come off as such. It’s in the details and the passion with which you handle those details that can make or break any relationship. If you’re trying to get that investor into (metaphorical) bed, telling him or her that you can offer the opportunity of a lifetime is equivalent to telling your date that her eyes are pretty and then checking your iPhone to see who’s posting random pictures on your Facebook wall.

But telling that investor they’ll love your product because it caters to a demographic near and dear to his or her heart shows you've done your homework and that you truly believe in like causes. After all, having things in common is the foundation of any enduring relationship. Humans want to know that the people they’re bonding with are actually listening.

So when you take this investor out to dinner you should be remembering the little things. What are your investor’s favorite movies? What are his or her favorite social media outlets? Maybe the he or she has a favorite salad and he or she always gets it a certain way. Maybe he or she loves horseback riding and has a daughter in grade school. Heck, maybe he or she likes nothing more than a glass of 12-year scotch at the end of the day.