Sunday newsagency management tip: think before accepting the hospitality of coffee and lunch

I’m not a fan of business lunches and meetings over coffee. I’m more practical in how I like business to be conducted – straight to the point, based on the facts, make decisions and implement.

Some people think this approach is aloof, rude even. Maybe so. However, business efficiency involves efficient communication. I have found the most efficient and honest communication is that which is not sugar-coated with coffee or a meal.

While I accept there can be a place for relaxed discussion between newsagent and supplier, too often in the newsagency channel I see suppliers treating newsagents to hospitality and the decisions made during or as a result of this not as in the interests of the business as they could be.

For the benefit of clear-headed business outcome focused decisions, my management tip today is to say thanks but no thanks to hospitality invitations an that you instead focus 100% on business. Let any decision you make be made on the facts rather than in appreciation of a mean, a nice bottle of wine or the hope of more hospitality.

I keep hearing that business is tough for newsagents and for suppliers. If this is the case we should all walk that tough road and spend less time and money on hospitality and more on building better businesses.

Back when I was a director of the ANF (Australian Newsagents’ Federation) for a year I was critical at a board meeting about the money the directors spent on a bar tab. Most other directors disagreed saying the $400+ bar tab at dinner was justified to facilitate their discussions with each other – doing good work for newsagents. One director privately said to me I was a wowser for complaining – saying newsagents should take all hospitality they can get. I resigned from the board shortly thereafter.

Maybe it is wowser-ish to we should push back on hospitality offers. The point of this post is to say – don’t expect it, don’t seek it out. If business can be done faster and with less cost than with hospitality then do so and expect to see a benefit on your business bottom line.