Social Etiquette

When I started dealing with clients, I always face the problem with the social etiquette, especially when it comes to meal time.

I know when I am a supplier, it is better for me to buy the client a meal. But some customer may not like it, so to avoid the whole misunderstanding all together, just avoid meeting customer before meal time.

But the problem comes, when I am dealing with consultants. I am the client, the consultant is helping us to solve the project on site, shall I buy them a dinner instead?

I have also faced a difficult situation -- my client, is an engineering purchaser, his customer is my enduser. Meanwhile, my company's contractor is close to the enduser, as they have been working on the job site.

So, when I went to the enduser's site, the enduser asked the contractor and my client out for a meal. The contractor asked me to tag along.

Under this circumstances, who should pay the bill? With my logic, it would be me. But the gang is huge! And I don't know most of them.

In the end, I skipped the dinner with them.

So, back to the story, I am going out for a dinner with the consultants in 10 minutes time. I guess I shall pay the bill tonight, what do you think?

There is another thing I should learn, which is the art of paying the bills. Cause I am dealing mostly with men, i.e. when there are business meals, I am most likely to be the only female on the table. It sometimes embarrassed the men on the table, to have female paying the bills for them... sigh... so hard to learn the social etiquette...