The last decade of my life has been spent more or less “on the road”. The companies I have worked for, and most recently the one I own, have taken me to every corner of this country and most places in between; and I have accumulated more Marriott points than I’ve had vacation time to redeem. Once upon a time, some of these Marriotts even knew me by first name…

These innumerable business trips have yielded experiences ranging from my very first sea food instigated gout attack in 1999 (god bless Boston lobster) to watching the snow “fall” horizontally in Fargo, ND.

What I’ve learned is that regardless of where you are in the world you have two basic requirements:

• Food
• Directions

One thing that I’ve come to appreciate when traveling to see a prospect, customer, partner, etc. is when they email me their Visitor Packet. This usually includes directions from the airport to their office, a listing of local hotels and restaurants. Some even include local attractions incase you choose to stay the weekend or take in local sights.

It is truly hard to articulate in words the positive impression you can have on your prospects, customers or vendors if you provide them with a personalized visitor guide to your city prior to their arrival.

If you really want to make an impression on that special person, find out their favorite cuisine and the best place in town for it. Cough up the 15 bucks for the local Zagat Guide, highlight your personal choices and present it to your customer or prospect when they arrive at your office. This small gesture will leave a lasting impression that lends itself to building a long term relationship…

-Chris

-part of the 60 ideas in 60 days series-