It's a bit too early to name our price (revealing the cards too soon?). It would be good however to have an annex which documents key evaluations from financial institutions, independent analysts, and our perception of the worth of the company. As a general strategy, we need to have this ready, but we don't need to "overload" management with all sort of issues in the first meeting/contact. They need to be comfortable with our existence and first encounter. We could introduce just a few ideas, in passing, just to give management some hint.

Let's get a foot in the door first, then we'll start talking. As the Gambler says "there'll be time enough for countin'...".

Here is an interesting/funny? story: In the East, people would start having tea first, talking about the family, spouse, the children, schooling (your universities, whether you know such and such? knowing sons or daughters of the hosts at the same school would be perfect), and world politics (be careful, not to be too quick in offerring opinions which may be too controversial...they are probing you). Then near the end of the meeting, the hosts would ask "what you are here for?", and if they like you (means your ideas) then they would invite you back for a follow-up meeting, tomorrow?

So, if a big guy walking in a meeting room at 1pm with an opening remark that he wants an agreement wrapped up by 4pm this afternoon, since he has a plane to catch would receive polite smiles (and lots of head nodding... and lots of "yes, yes, and yes of course", from the hosts, but without any invitation to come back (ever) at the end of the meeting.

I guess, this could be true elsewhere too, including the West.

goldhunter