My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Back to Tactics
Dinner and Drinks
Get people relaxed and disarmed before reading them
Why It Works
People's authentic selves emerge when they're relaxed and not in formal business mode
Prerequisites
Established initial relationshipCasual social settingNo immediate business pressure
How to Execute
1
Suggest casual dinner/drinks
2
Talk about non-business topics initially
3
Observe their real personality and values
4
Bank insights for business context
When It Fails
When people remain guarded or when you're too obvious about analyzing them
Real Example
“Before finalizing a partnership, take potential partners to dinner to see how they treat service staff and handle casual conversation.”