"4 Body Language Secrets To Remember In Networking For Clients"

Body language can be extremely powerful when it comes to networking
<http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/networking/index.html> and
building relationships with others. Within the first seven seconds of
meeting you, people check you out visually. Could you be unknowingly
undermining your networking efforts through your body language
<http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/37810> ? If you are meeting with
new prospects/clients or planning to host an event, you'd better make
sure you are not discouraging people from approaching you with your body
language. Here are four key factors to keep in mind: 1. Eye contact.
Some of the most powerful and successful professional leaders in the
world are known for the impressions they make during face-to-face
meetings. Their gaze never wavers from the eyes of the person they are
speaking with, making them feel as if they are the most important person
in the room. With a little practice, anyone can do this. Are you
making good eye contact throughout the conversation? Or are you looking
behind the person to see who else is in the room? 2. Arm movement. If
you are speaking to someone and your arms are in a position that gives
even a subliminal hint that you're not interested, you're not going
to give off a positive impression. What are your arms doing? Are they
folded, signifying boredom, or tucked behind your back, indicating
interest? 3. Your stance. Make an effort to stand in a manner that is
open and welcoming, rather than blocking people out of your
conversation. Are you leaning on something, as if bored or tired? Are
you unable to shake hands because you're juggling a plateful of food?
Incidentally, never load your plate so much as to repel people!
Remember: you are there to attract not repel! Aah! Never eat with your
hands in such functions( how the hell are you then going to shake
hands?). 4. Facial expressions. Maintaining an interested facial
expression goes hand in hand with maintaining eye contact. Are you
smiling, or holding back a yawn? Are you showing interest? What does
your face say? It should go without saying that yawning while someone
is talking to you is a best way to shut them down immediately, yet I
have seen this happen more times than I can count while observing
conversations at networking events. Remember that much of your future
networking success rides on how you come across in that first encounter.
You want people to perceive you as alert, interested, knowledgeable and
trustworthy. Try these two actions in the next few weeks to help
ensure that you are making positive and powerful first impressions:
1. Look in the mirror before leaving the house and ask yourself:
"What message am I sending to people meeting me for the first time? What
opinions will they have of me before I even open my mouth?"
2. Become more aware of your body language by getting feedback. What
are you saying without speaking a word? Before you host your own event,
take a trusted friend with you to a networking function and ask them to
give you honest, direct feedback on your body language. Provide them
with a small checklist of the four factors discussed above and be
prepared for their honest insights.
A little thinking can go a long way to helping you present yourself in
the best way possible and thereby increasing your client base. Base
Article by Ivan Misner. CA Grooming: "4 Body Language Secrets To
Remember In Networking For Clients"