[ossig] [OT] Re: Job Posting: Linux System Support

[melingm at gmail.com]

On Tuesday 23 January 2007 19:49, Yeak Nai Siew wrote:

> I went to see customers. After talking a while, they excuse
> themselves. They went to smoke in the staircase and talking nonsense!

Smoking has, in my experience, 90% of the time, bridge the gap and 
vendor-client awkwardness. In fact, it has become a good ice-breaker 
especially if the client also smoke. So you can get a great deal of info 
about the current project, the client's future directions, (or the fact that 
the client's MD have a thing for your cute smile or whichever deems 
newsworthy), etc, in that 5 minute smoke break. So whenever the client 
smokes, I will follow.

If on the other hand, you have a staff who doesn't go out to service
clients, surely it is a waste of company time if they go the stairs
and smoke and talk company politics.

--mel