Bad lunch behavior can help lose clients.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

If you lose your temper with the waiter at your next business lunch, you also may lose a prospective client, a survey suggests. According to The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service that provides marketing, advertising, creative, and Web professionals on a project basis, hall of advertising and marketing executives consulted said being impolite to the wait staff is the single biggest blunder a professional can make during a lunch meeting. Showing up late ranked second (36%).

"Displaying poor manners when interacting with the wait staff--or anyone--during a business meeting will prompt prospective clients and business partners to question whether they and their staff members will be treated the same," points out Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group. "Showing up late is a similar sign of disrespect. The key to a successful lunch meeting is making people feel comfortable. Behaving graciously throughout the meal will go a long way toward forming a positive working relationship" She offers the following tips for ensuring a smooth client lunch:

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