Three Tricks to Take Face Time From Awkward to Zoftique.

About mid afternoon, my brother in law pulled out his cell
phone and then his pad computer and announced, “It’s time for some face time.”



I thought, “Do I have to?”




Today there are a myriad of ways to use technology to see
who we’re having a conversation with. The results run the gamut from awkward to
zoftique.



You can use:


  • An app on your Smart Phone
  • An app on your Pad Computer
  • Your Laptop or Desktop computer via Skype or meeting
    software.

But you have to have a camera and microphone on the device.

Consider these things before you opt to call or
receive a  “Face Time”
call. No matter what device you are reading this on,
I want you to just turn around and look at what is behind you. Go ahead, I’ll
wait.


  1. Would you be comfortable with an unannounced visitor
    seeing that?
  2. Does the view of you and your surroundings convince
    people of your expertise?
  3. Will the prospect have a better impression of you?
  4. Will they remember you or your background images?
  5. Most importantly, does the background meet their
    expectations about you?


Face Time used to
mean an in-person meeting.
You knew it was going to happen. You dressed for
it. You got ready for it, reviewing information and honing your observations
and questions.



Today, you could be
face to face in a heartbeat. Here’s how to be ready:



  1. Plan for these calls. If you know
    it is going to happen you can be ready. If you plan for it you can better
    control what is going on around you. You won’t wind up talking from the
    back of cab on our way to a costume party which is where we connected with
    my nephew.
  2. Be aware of the background. In
    your office take the look suggested above. In the field, try to find a
    quiet place with a neutral background and a low probability of people
    wandering through it.
  3. Look at yourself before you answer
    and make sure to disconnect.
    Too often people that work from home simply forget where they are and the
    fact they are in their pajamas (or less). Then, too you can stay online
    with some technologies and not know it. Just disconnect if someone forgets
    to do so. You probably don’t want to know what you might see or overhear.



As Humphrey Bogart
would say, “Here’s lookin’ at you kid.”




Jerry Fletcher
speaks:
www.NetworkingNinja.com


Learn more about his
Marketing viewpoint
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