How to Make the Most of Those First 30 Seconds

Did you just meet the most important person in your career/business? Tongue tied and not sure what to do about it? With advance planning and creative thinking you can be confident you will know how to handle this situation should the opportunity present itself.

We all have had the juncture when we run into someone that we have really wanted to meet. Those who are prepared for the occasion will find themselves a step ahead on the career ladder or at the front of the line for business opportunities. Consider this, we all are bombarded with information; we meet dozens of new people with regularity. Ask yourself who do you remember and why?

Even in 60 seconds you can make an impression. The key is to make that impression a lasting one or one that will trigger instant recognition. How do you do that? Practice, practice, practice.

The most important step is having a pitch and then practicing it over, and over, and over. You need to be comfortable with your words. You are conveying a powerful message and you need to sound sincere and convincing. Above all, you need to look the part (if you find that you smirk at your own words then others will too. If this is the case, no one is going to be sold on why they should remember you.)

Start by boiling down your core message.

Who are you? What do you do? Why do I need to know you? What will make me remember you? Now that you have answered these questions read the results back to yourself. Is your message compelling, memorable, or is it just plain uninteresting and dull?

It's easy to change your message so don't panic. What is it that you do best? What is your strength in your job? Do you make people money? Do you keep your company's X out of the fire? Has you best suggestion been implemented? Have you just invented a new product? The list goes on and on. Utilize words that make people want to ask a question, drive them to ask you to contact them, or compels them to ask for your business card.

Now let's prepare to tell someone what you do best.

Here are some examples:

My name is X. I'm a top-notch accountant. I save my client companies X dollars every year. When I meet your team, I can improve your bottom line. Let me share some examples of my work. When can we meet?

My name is X. My new product invention catapulted my company to #1 in the category. I'm so creative that I can come up with a new invention/product in record time. I would be happy to share some of my creative secrets with your team. When can we meet?

My name is X. My marketing skills are superlative. My nickname is the marketing maven. I can brainstorm with your team with examples on how we can transform your marketing efforts. Who should I speak with?

Notice the action verbs improve, catapulted, brainstorm, and transform. These are words that create an image and leave a lasting impression. Think about words that express a call to action. Words that leave the person you are meeting knowing they want to follow up.

Keep on working at your message toward distilling down the core elements. The simpler your message, the better it will be received.

Be sure and ask for a meeting or the appropriate contact name. Make an effort to get a commitment for follow up. Do not just hand them your business card and smile. Use these tips to solidify your first impression in the first 30 seconds of meeting someone. Your career might depend on it.

JoAnn Hines' specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It's easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider's secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates.

It is time to get started "Packaging Yourself."

Email me the Chief People Packager @ pkgcoach@aol.com

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Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg Telegraph.co.uk Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Reuters Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Washington Post International Herald Tribune - MarketWatch - CNNMoney.com - Bizjournals.com all 1,783 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal BBC News US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist The Associated Press US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - Voice of America - Financial Times - The Miami Herald all 1,714 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg Voice of America G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue New York Times In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes The Miami Herald CNNMoney.com - The Associated Press - Boston Globe - FN Arena News all 890 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times CBS News McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times - 41 minutes ago Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies Washington Post John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Los Angeles Times Reuters - DetNews.com - Austin American-Statesman - The Miami Herald all 304 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 19 minutes ago By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Chicago Tribune Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Forbes Bizjournals.com - GenomeWeb News (subscription) - WJFW-TV - WISN.com all 51 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times Los Angeles Times Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows New York Times - 2 hours ago By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GRIFF PALMER Some longtime Republican strongholds in New York are becoming increasingly Democratic, a striking change driven by demographic shifts, intense voter registration drives by Democrats and allied groups and sagging ... Campus registration drives in full swing KARE Ott, Hook face off for open county office St. Joseph News-Press The News-Press - Winston-Salem Journal - Tampabay.com - Beaufort Gazette all 739 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:20:33 GMT Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis - People's Daily Online Telegraph.co.uk Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis People's Daily Online - 1 hour ago US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Los Angeles Times Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Washington Post Birmingham Star - Wall Street Journal - CNN - Bloomberg all 1,302 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT Make Money With Affiliate Data Feeds Amazon Associate Software

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