How to Succeed in a Business Meeting

Business meetings, sales calls, pitches to potential clients or buyers -- these are all activities that require a high-octane performance. The best way to perform well is to plan ahead. The easy tips below will help you present your best self in a business meeting:

Wear something that looks great on you: This sounds obvious, but looking good is essential. You need not own a hundred different suits; just invest in one or two quality outfits for business meetings. Quality, not quantity, matters most here. For contemporary business attire, "tight" normally looks better than "loose" -- if you can't decide between a medium or a large-sized button-down business shirt, go with the medium. For lean men, shirts from Zara, Diesel, and Hugo Boss tend to look good. Calvin Klein and Boss are also particularly good for slightly heavier men. For women, go professional with a skirt or slacks. Dark colors tend to have a more serious, business mood -- for both men and women.

Use PowerPoint sparingly: We have a tendency to rely too much on PowerPoint presentations, laser points, fancy handout graphics, booklets, and other presentation "props". Instead, focus on repeating your three core points several times throughout your presentation or meeting. Give others plenty of talking time and co-opt great ideas (or even decent ideas) that a superior proposes during the meeting. Agreeing with and building upon a superior's idea is an easy way to build consensus and support for your own ideas during the meeting.

Remain professional: Don't resort to "hey" and "ya know" and "yeah" -- in a professional business meeting, "yes" and "if you please" and "are you following?" are more suitable. Remain congenial, but serious -- you want your ideas to be taken seriously, don't you?

Slow down your movements: Move slower than you think may be necessary. Don't dart back and forth between subjects, don't slurp down your bottled spring water or coffee quickly. Instead, take slow and meaningful sips. Nod your head slowly. Talk slowly, gesture slowly and with great confidence. Jon Hamm's character on AMC's Mad Men is the perfect example of the slow-talking, confidence-instilling business executive. Watch an episode or two of Mad Men and mimic his demeanor if necessary until it feels natural to you.

Collect relevant contact information: If someone doesn't work at your company, do not assume you will be able to get their contact info later. Even though you may be nervous and ready to bolt by the end of your meeting, make sure you exchange business cards. It is polite to ask if they prefer to be contacted by phone or email; also, if you plan on following up with them, do give the person a time-frame. "I'll be sure to give you a ring next week after we talk it over" is a far better approach than randomly poking the person on Facebook three months after your business meeting.