Business Networking Tips - The 1st Seven Seconds Make The Best First Impression (edited from: www.ilearn.com)

The Walk

• Stand upright, and hold your head up. This indicates your confidence.
• Don't put your hands in your pockets or hold them behind your back. Why? Because if your hands aren't showing, it sends a subliminal message that you can't be trusted -- that you have something to hide.
• Walk with purpose and enthusiasm. This shows your vigor and confidence. Nobody likes to see someone trudging up to her, head down, eyes averted. You feel like saying, "Jeez, pal, don't strain yourself. Sorry it's such a bother to have to come and talk with me!"
  

The Tune-in Factor

• Make eye contact and hold for at least four seconds. If you don't hold the eye contact, you appear to have "shifty eyes" and therefore appear non-trustworthy.
• Smile. But don't have a smile on your face as you walk up to the person. There's nothing phonier. As you start to shake the person's hand and look into his or her face, let a smile slowly creep across your face. It's as if you are saying to the other person, "Oh, I've had a moment to look at you and I approve. I like you." If you walk up to someone with a bright cheery smile already on your face, the other person feels as if you want something. In fact, you very well may want something. But you'll have a far better chance of getting it if you use the "slow creeping smile" technique. (Please note: It's a slow creeping smile, not a slow creepy smile!)
• Show enthusiasm while greeting the other person. We all like upbeat people. But there is a caveat here: you should appear enthusiastic, not overmedicated. Don't you just hate people who come up to you with the energy level turned up a little too high? What's your first impression of these folks? Probably either that they're phony, or that they've had about a pot too much coffee.

Grooming

• Be impeccably groomed.
• Accessorize carefully. Accessories say a lot about a person. Think for a moment about a person that you know who has one of those watches with all kinds of gizmos on it, the kind that could probably give you the temperature on Mars. Is this person fairly analytical and detail-oriented? I'll bet he (or she) is! Similarly, what do you think about a woman who wears a sleek watch and minimal jewelry, as opposed to a woman who wears a ton of gaudy costume jewelry? You probably perceive the woman with the understated accessories to be more self-confident, more intelligent, and better educated.

Tone

• Maintain a pleasant and non-threatening, yet upbeat tone.
• Your tone should say, "Hello! I'm interested in learning something about you or your company." We'll talk later in this lesson about the actual words to say during an introduction at a networking event. But for now, just remember to watch your tone. Over a third of your first impression is based on it!