Get a Klu Lunch with Marketing Melodie and Mobiltivity

I love to eat lunch with key members of my team. ?Last week,?I connected my Mobile Marketing Expert (Ricky Huynh, Marketing Manager of Mobiletivity, Inc.) to my Social Media Marketing Expert, (Melodie Tao who runs Marketing Melodie) over a great sushi lunch. I have multiple marketing professionals on my team because each of them keeps me accountable to “finding and informing the target market” about my?services.

This post, though, isn?t about marketing or accountability (more on that later), it?s about the power of eating?meals with your business partners, colleagues, prospects, and family. I easily could have connected Ricky and Melodie through email, but I chose to schedule a time we could all meet and eat together. The ideas we shared and things we all learned from each other were valuable for all of our businesses. This level of deep connection wouldn?t have been possible?over an email introduction.

I know many of you are busy and on the go, which means breakfast is a coffee in your car and/or you eat lunch at your desk while you write emails. However, I want to challenge you to eat?at least two?meals a week with a colleague, business partner or client. It might sound consuming, but as I proved to myself during my marketing lunch last week, it?s a habit that will improve your business relationships and accountability with others.

Going back to Keith Ferrazzi?s ?Never Eat Alone? mindset, here are 4 easy ideas I?ve come up with for you to never eat alone. These ideas also help eliminate common excuses I hear about not being able enjoy a proper meal with others.

Get Lunch Delivered– Working through lunch is all too common these days. Often times, lunch hours are filled with webinars, strategy meetings, and other tasks that require you to physically be in the office. If you know you?re going to have a day where work requires you to stay in the office, grab a few coworkers together and place a lunch delivery order, then eat together once the lunch arrives. This takes little time out of your day because you don?t have to physically go out and buy the lunch, however you still get a distinct lunch break to refuel your body, rather than eating at your desk alone.

Happy Hour– Planning a business happy hour is a great reason to finish up your regular work duties an hour early, but no need to feel guilty about taking an hour off of work because you can view happy hour as a continuation of your work day. You?re networking, building rapport and exchanging ideas over great priced appetizers and perhaps some beverages. Find a list of local happy hour?go-tos so it’s easy to invite someone to join you for a bit after work. ?I have fallen IN LOVE with $1 Oysters at Spike Africa downtown on Friday’s from 3:30-6:30?just sayin’!

Eat Family Dinner with Jeff KlubeckFamily Meals- Family meals at my house are mostly about PRAISING my wife’s cooking?but they also allow us to share our successes, challenges and bond. ?I actually love when Mary Ann and I want to share our professional/work days with each other and our (wise beyond their years) kids will interrupt us to focus on THEIR days! ?Our?conversations about homework, class projects, band, choir, girl scouts, travel baseball, cool education apps, must-see movies coming out soon (hint, Star Wars)?or how we are volunteering in our communities and even dialing up Grandma to put her on speaker phone and set her down next to the mashed potatoes?it ALL?helps me feel balanced with my business, beliefs and motivation. I?m lucky to have a wife and 3 wonderful kids to enjoy family meals with. We have busy schedules so sometimes family meals don’t happen in the evenings, but they might be lunch after soccer games?on the weekend, or breakfast on Sundays when the kids don?t have as many activities planned. Family meals can also be with roommates or close friends. It?s a time to connect with those who support and love you. If you?re not already in the habit of having family meals, make it part of your?routine at least once a week.

Start the day off with a Power Breakfast– My last tip is to combat the biggest excuse I hear from people about not being able to share meals, and that is is that they don?t have time to take a long lunch or leave work early for happy hour. With my Power Breakfast concept, you just have to wake up an hour earlier and you won?t have to worry about missing work during your regular hours. You will kick off your day with inspiration! Plan a power breakfast with someone you are usually too busy to connect with during the day. Or, join me for my Power Breakfast, every Fridays this fall at the University Club! Remember, a power breakfast with me means a gourmet meal, beautiful view, free coaching and you get my undivided attention for just $10! I’ve been able to enjoy a solo Power Breakfast the last couple weeks but have a few booked in November that I’m looking forward to.

eat Jeff Klubeck Power Breakfast

I look forward to breaking bread with?more of you very soon!