A word of advice for the service industry ...

Don't be so snobby!

I'm planning an event for my company - about 200 people, evening reception at a fancy venue.

I'm calling around to get information from the various caterers in the area.  Once I have all this information, then I will decide who to ask to cater the event.

I'm calling and representing a large company - one that is very well known in the area.  It's not like I'm just a random person walking in off the street.

The questions I'm asking:

1. Are you available to cater this event?
2. Would you be able to work within my budget?

One of the caterers on my list responded with:

We don't discuss business like this over the phone.  I can email you our menu with prices if you'd like, and we can meet in person to discuss the event next week.

Umm ... what?

I'm calling because I don't have time to go to every catering business in the area to get one-on-one meetings.  I'm calling to see if I want to work with you!  Not to set up a face-to-face!

Needless to say, I crossed them off the list before I even hung up.