When creating a good impression pays dividends!

I was at a lunchtime networking meeting the other day and my neighbour, Richard, told me a great story. He has a successful web design business and was bidding recently for a medium sized company's redesign. It was a competitive bid and he was one of a number showing their wares. He was not hopeful, especially as the Managing Director was reputedly a 'toughy' and feared by his employess. The presentation was going to be difficult.

The Managing Director walked into the room, espied Richard and exclaimed "I know you!" It happened that some 18 months earlier Richard had presented for 5 minutes to a local IoD networking meeting. The Managing Director was also a member of the IoD and had seen Richard present. They didn't meet but the Managing Director had a good memory.

Richard was welcomed as a member of the same club, breezed through the presentation and, guess what, he got the business.

The moral of the story is not to join the IoD (unless you want to), rather it is to take the opporunity to 'put yourself about' whenver you can. You never know when a future client may be listening!

Martin Davies
NRG Business Networks