Page 14 - SMILE January 2019

EXPERTISE
2019 – The year of the relationship

First impressions count
Most professional relationships won’t

get past first base if you make a bad first

impression. Get your connections off to a winning
start by arriving early, being calm and giving off a

relaxed and confident persona (even if you feel

nervous as heck inside!). Being well prepared is a

good way to achieve this. Being concise and clear
in your messaging instantly creates feelings of

authenticity and reliability. And although it won’t

instantly get you through the door it certainly gets
you off on the right foot and gives you a solid

foundation to build upon.

Get personal

As you meet people you will naturally find that you have better chemistry with some than others. That’s just life – we tend to

connect better with those who are similar to are our own values and beliefs. Put your energy into building relationships with these people.
It will be easier and ultimately, more enjoyable. A great way to do this is to arrange a 1:1 meeting, or as we prefer to call them in

Opendoorz, insight meetings. Insight meetings do exactly what they say, help you both gain a greater insight into each other’s businesses,

values, products, services and ambitions. They help you understand how to support each other with really
focused introductions. The great beauty of a well-executed insight is that both parties come away knowing