Are you prepared for business travel? Don’t miss these tips!
As a small business owner, you may never get the opportunity to travel abroad on a business trip, and the fact is that you may never have to. However, if you do, then it is of the utmost importance that you look good and feel prepared when you meet any potential clients or suppliers. To help with any future trips, and to improve on those you have made, here are a few tips about how a business person should approach travel planning.
Give Yourself Time
If you spend your trip rushing around, then you will become more and more stressed, and this will affect your general demeanor and concentration levels. If you want to be at the top of your game, you want as little stress as possible. Know what time your transportation leaves and be early for it, arrive at your destination a day early, and relax into your new surroundings. If you are relaxed you will make a better impression and function better.
Accommodation
If you choose your accommodation wisely you can be as comfortable as you are at home, and this will reduce any anxieties you may have about the meetings ahead (here is a great search engine for hotels). Your accommodation should be as close to your meeting place as possible, but if you have more than one, find a central location, easily accessible to transportation. The minimum you will need is a comfortable bed, a relaxing bath, Internet, and, if your trip is for several days, make sure there is a laundry service.
Know Where You Are
People function better in familiar surroundings, so if you arrive early, take a stroll around the area and enjoy the sites. The least you should do is buy a street map, but there are many applications for your phone that will help you navigate around a new city and find things of interest too.
Keep in Touch
Remember that this is not a vacation, so make sure you are able to keep in touch with your business and clients. You should be able to check your emails and be informed about developments on your website. If you are going to be in a different country, you may need to have your phone unlocked to reduce communication charges (check these guys out), and you should also look into how you are going to satisfy your Internet requirements on the go.
Look Great
You will want to make an impression during your meeting, so make sure you look and feel great. Go to bed early and get a great night’s sleep (click here for sleep advice), and get up early enough to give yourself time to have a bath or shower, eat a good breakfast, put on a well-tailored suit you are proud to own, and look in the mirror to check yourself over. If you look and feel great, you will have an aura of confidence that will infect those that you meet; and that is incredibly important.
Be Prepared
Have everything you need at hand. Files and facts and figures are all now portable, so make sure you have copies on your laptop or tablet. Know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it, and practice any pitch or speech you want to make. Being prepared shows professionalism, and that is what any potential business partner wants.
Following these tips will make your first (or next) business trip go smoothly and trouble free. Who knows, you may even enjoy it.
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