Ground down by coffee
Dear BIZ
I’ve set up a social media platform, Maiden-Voyage.com, to connect professional female business travellers who are on their own in far-flung places.
It gives them the chance to meet up with other women for dinner or coffee.
We also have a team of ambassadors that members can connect with to get the lowdown on, say, a new city, and get ideas on things to do during down time.
There’s also a directory of female-friendly hotels. We offer training sessions for companies on traveller safety with a special focus on the issues women face, such as local laws and dress codes in different cultures.
I get a lot of introductions from well-meaning people but endless coffee meetings take up valuable and limited time.
My question is, how can I curb these without offending or appearing ungrateful? Carolyn Pearson, by email
BIZ
It’s quite acceptable to be honest and say you are unable to meet every person you come across face to face. Try using email as a first means to make contact with any leads you are given, and encourage those offering introductions to get people to email you.
Get potential contacts to then send across background details and proposals of how you could work together, again, via email.
That way you can sift out those who you think will be really worth meeting in person and those who may not be right for your business.
You should also try using technology such as video calls so you can get the feel for someone in person, without any timeconsuming travelling that will take away big chunks of your time.