Written by Jamie May
When I was 25 I had a boss ask me to one-on-one Friday drinks.
He said ‘you’re really bad at this’. meaning my telemarketing job.
I replied ‘but I am the only person in the company that hits target every month’. We were in a 30 person Real Estate Investment company.
‘Yes’ he said, ‘but you have to work ten times as hard as everyone else, don’t get me wrong if I could have ten of you I’d conquer the world’.
I thought I was getting fired but he promoted me to Sales manager, then two weeks later to General manager.
My dad always said more people get promoted and fired at Friday drinks than anywhere else. He wasn’t wrong.
More Business Gets Done at the Pub Than People Admit
In the old days of Australian business, serious money moved at the pub. A tradie would finish a job, head to the local at three on a Friday afternoon, and find out who had work coming up. Deals closed, introductions made, handshakes given. Informal, direct and human.
That still happens. The venue might be a wine bar now instead of a public bar, and the conversation happens over craft beer or matcha instead of a schooner, but the dynamic is the same. We are social animals and relationships built outside the office convert differently to ones built inside it.
The Deliberate Version
I was once in consideration for a senior sales role and the CEO couldn’t make a decision. So I said to him: ‘let’s go have a few beers and see if we actually like each other’. I got the job.
That wasn’t luck. It was a deliberate move to shift the conversation to a context where two people could be honest with each other. A formal meeting room has roles. A pub has a conversation.
If you’re trying to open a door with a prospect, close a deal that’s stalling, or simply build a relationship that a formal meeting never quite manages to establish, suggesting a drink is often the right call. It changes the dynamic in your favour if you handle it properly.
The Art of It
In a formal pitch you’re expected to lead, present and be compelling. Walk into a cafe or a bar with that same energy and they’ll be calling for the cheque inside ten minutes.
The informal setting demands a different low gear. The business will come up naturally if there’s genuine mutual interest.
Rule 1. Don’t get drunk. This sounds obvious but it needs saying.
Rule 2. More than a couple of drinks can disqualify you from government contracts, large corporate relationships, and any client with anti-bribery policies.
Rule 3. Stop pitching and start talking.
The Takeaway
Think about a relationship you’re trying to build or a deal that’s been stalling in a formal context. Suggest moving it somewhere informal. A beer, a coffee, a walking meeting. Take your foot off the accelerator and have an actual conversation.
