I’m of the firm belief that winning new client business is just like striking out on the town and starting to date someone new. When I’m starting to date someone new I bring 4 qualities to the table with me: passion, genuine interest, humor and communication. It’s these same qualities that I bring when meeting new clients. I’m not one to dress up in a three piece suit and try to be someone I’m not. I’m a khakis or blue jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. However, I make sure not to leave home with out my 4 qualities. I would go as far as to say that they are more important then my BlackBerry, presentation deck or resume. I’ve certainly won a few clients without any of those things.

Passion
You can’t fake passion. Either you’ve it or you don’t. I’ve seen people try to fake it and it looks off… you can see right through them. There are a few things I’m passionate about in this world and they are digital marketing, and video games to name but a few. When I worked at an agency I brought my passion with me each and every day. Passion was like my calling card. Whether it was sharing my digital knowledge with the account team or teaching about blogs and search to everyone across the entire company. I think people use to miss my weekly e-mails about new digital trends & ideas when I went on vacation. Passion much like yawning is contagious. When you spread it around the environment, everyone (a new client or date) wants to work and be close with you. Never under estimate the power that passion can bring to the table.

Genuine Interest
Taking an interest and finding out what is important and matters to the people you are involved with is what genuine interest is all about. If you have a genuine interest in the client or date, conversation will flow naturally. The person will feel comfortable talking with you and confident you have intentions that go beyond the quick one night stand. Just keep the focus on them and the rest of the meeting will take care of themselves.

Humor
A great ice breaker I’ve found growing up has been my observational humor. No matter what situation I’m in, it’s helped me connect with people and break the ice. Humor is a great way to show that you are comfortable in the situation and it helps relax the other people you are with. However, I’ve learned that not everyone is funny and this should only really be left to those that have the ability to make other laugh. Maybe you are a better story teller or do a great magic trick, any of these would be a great way to break the ice between people.

Communication
The biggest key to communication is eye contact and active listening. It helps in showing that you are listening to the other person who’s talking. Also, I’ve found that letting the person finish what they are saying and not thinking of your answer as they are talking goes a long way to truly hearing what they say. This is the difference between active listening and just listening:

…the foundation of effective communication.  Active listening intentionally focuses on who you are listening to, whether in a group or one-on-one, in order to understand what he or she is saying. As the listener, you should then be able to repeat back in your own words what they have said to their satisfaction.  This does not mean you agree with, but rather understand, what they are saying.

If you can bring your active listening skills to any gathering then this will go a long way in your favor. It’s one of my skills I’ve been working on over the last 12 months in all aspects of my life.

Conclusion
If you truly bring passion, genuine interest, humor and communication to anything you do in life then this will shine through. Remember to be yourself and get as comfortable and relaxed as you can. At the end of the day you want people to like you for you and not someone else.

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