BE DISTINCTIVE
Know what makes you different from others and highlight this quality.

Suggestion: Carry your eBook Reader with you to all meetings. Have your notes as an eBook! You’ll be known as someone prepared.

BE FULLY PRESENT
What an important place to be. How many times have you been talking to someone who is pre-occupied? How does this make you feel? You will remember that person but the memory will not be a good one! Be remembered for being fully present and accounted for. When people know you are fully listening they know you care and they feel respected and cherished.

Suggestion: Turn your PDA on silent mode. Do not let a phone interrupt your listening to another.

ASK THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTIONS
This can be a little scary. Just randomly asking thought-provoking questions can be dangerous. Your questions should not be controversial or ones that provoke strong emotions unless this is your end goal. Ask the kind of thought-provoking questions that build conversation without building walls.

Suggestion: Keep a list of thought-provoking questions in the notes section of your PDA. You will always be prepared!

TAKE A GENUINE INTEREST IN OTHER PEOPLE
This step is difficult for many. We are so selfish by nature. We like talking about ourselves, what we like, what we do not like, what we think, what we believe. This only shows interest in ourselves. Taking a genuine interest in other people means dying to yourself. Seeing others as more important. When someone knows you care, you will be remembered quickly and easily.

Suggestion:

REINFORCE YOUR KEYWORDS
Keywords are words they build and encourage. Words that edifies. Begin by knowing what words build and encourage you. Learning to articulate words is key. Know what words mean. Look them up if there is any doubt!

Suggestion: Download a dictionary and thesaurus onto your PDA. This way you will always be able to know the right things to say with the right words!

CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROUP CONVERSATION
Be a team players. There is always one person in a group that contributes nothing. No comment, no refreshments and no hints to who they are. They are in reality the wallpaper. If you want to be remember then contribute. Even if your contribution to a group conversation is a word of acknowledgment ~ Hey, I like what you said!

Suggestion: Using your PDA send a text message to yourself about a point you want to highlight sometime during the conversation. The text message will give you the courage and reminder to contribute!

GIVE THEM A “TAKE-AWAY”
You need to make sure that you are not only ‘taking’ from the group. Offer a suggestion, empty the trash or do something more professional like sending them an article you just read. I was at a meeting the other week. Had conversations with several different people. Only one of my conversations gave me a ‘take-away’ and the take-away was received the very next day! Who will I remember? I can tell you easily ~ the one who gave me a ‘take-away’ because I have actually already forgotten the conversations I had with the other two!

Suggestion: Using your PDA send an email or link while your are talking to the person or just afterwards. You will not forget if you do it when your thinking about it!

BE BRIEF
In a networking environment or meeting you need to be brief. Respecting the time of another person is very important. Everyone has been sitting and listening so everyone will need to make calls, go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. This is where you USP comes in handy! Should you want to more in-depth conversation schedule a time. This will give both of you a feeling of comfort and anticipation.

Suggestion: Using your PDA place the appointment into you calendar so there is no chance of forgetting the date and time you agreed upon.

OFFER A QUID PRO QUO
When someone offers you something then you should reciprocate. You do not have to do anything but offer to help them next time ~ ‘Wow, thanks for the lead. I will keep my ears open for people that you could service.’

Suggestion: Using your PDA place a note under his contact information with the type of people that he could service or sell to. Each time the contact pops up you are reminded and chances are you will be able to send others his way!

FOLLOW UP
Do follow up immediately! Do not wait 24 hours. Today with email and PDA’s we do not have to wait to send a glad to meet you, will call you or thanks for the lead email. Follow up strengthens your image and they will know they can trust in your word.

Suggestion: Using your PDA follow up right after you finish the meeting. When they get back to the office an email or message will be waiting for them!

GIVE PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY EXPECT
This takes the Girl Scout camping motto into the adult world. Not only should you be leave the campsite as you found it BUT better than you found it! This goes with everything else. This little bit extra can be in the form of correspondences like thank you’s, confirmations, recaps of the meeting or just a funny attachment they would like.

Suggestion: Using your eBook Reader learn how to create eBooks that you can share! Send the minutes of the meeting or a camp recipe in PDF format. Make it look like you spent some time on it and it will be kept as an eBook and not just an attachment!