October, 2004 -- Stuart Newman, Sales Executive, of 3 Leaf Group from Oak Park, MI says he made it his mission to meet key federal government decision makers at a recent government human resources conference in Virginia. Newman, who sells training services that help decrease training costs while increasing learning, including customized libraries of educational audiobooks and videos, started focusing on the federal government only a few months ago and said he made some great headway in his key target agencies by attending the critical HR conference.

"When the woman called to invite me to attend, she said that there were training funds allocated at the end of 2003 set aside to train the federal acquisition workforce to handle procurement more efficiently," said Mr. Newman. The Federal Acquisition Institute (http://www.fai.gov) and the Defense Acquisition University (http://www.dau.mil) put together the Industry Day and invited 120-150 vendors to learn more about how they could get involved with the program.

"I asked the woman who invited me that if I were to attend this conference,  Who should I introduce myself to right away?"  She responded with the FAI Director, Gloria Sochon, and Lyle Eesley from the Center for Contracting at the Defense Acquisition University.

"The first thing I did was arrive 45 minutes before the conference began. I walked up to a group of people and I asked if anyone had seen Gloria yet. One woman stepped up and introduced herself as Gloria."

Stuart introduced himself and handed her his signature giveaway his chocolate business card. "She loved the idea of my chocolate business card. It breaks the ice every time."

He said they spoke briefly and he realized from her body language that she needed some time before her presentation, so he wrapped up the conversation letting her know that they would be speaking soon.

"I then networked around the room letting people know that I wanted to meet Mr. Eesley. When he walked in the room, someone indicated who he was and I approached him also with my chocolate business card. Men or women, the chocolate business card works. We had a detailed conversation and he asked for more information. I immediately presented him with a complete packet of my information and asked for a card."

According to Stuart, Mr. Eesley didn't have a business card on him, but mentioned that he had only a couple in his briefcase. Stuart said, "Well, I know you'll meet a lot of people today, so may I claim one of the business cards now? Mr. Eesley smiled at my persistence and walked right over to his briefcase and gave me his card."

Stuart said he was very happy with the results of his trip to Washington DC because he met his two target contacts BEFORE the event even began. He made a strong first impression and read between the lines when the speakers needed time and space to prepare before their speeches.

However, the story doesn't end there.

He met another vendor before the conference who had some great connections with the Coast Guard. Mr. Newman explained his service, another chocolate business card was handed over, and within a few days an introductory email on Mr. Newman's behalf was on its way to the Coast Guard.

During a break in the conference, he realized the conference trainers themselves could use his services. He approached the show executives and they walked him right into the office, which was conveniently in the same building, for some great introductions on the same day.

As we've covered in past articles, a networking event is a great way to make key introductions, but networking is a contact sport. You cannot attend a conference at the back of the room - listen to the speaker - and then fly back to your hometown. You need to follow Stuart Newman's success story:

1. Establish Key People You Must Meet Before Attending a Conference
2. Arrive Early and Introduce Yourself
3. Make A Great First Impression
4. Back Up Your Intro with A Company Profile or Packet of Info - For Impromptu/Stand up Meetings
5. Work the Room for Additional Contacts
6. Think Outside the Box - Stuart Introduced Himself to the People Responsible for Putting Together the Show For More Business
7. Read Body Language And Wrap It Up - 10 Minutes Per Person Only
8. Follow Up
9. Close Appointments
10. Ask for the Order

If you would like to network with Stuart Newman, you are welcome to call him at 3 Leaf Group, 25900 Greenfield Rd., Oak Park, MI 48237, P: 248-968-8950, email: stuart@3leafgroup.com.

US General Services Administration, Federal Acquisition Institute is located at 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC, 20405. Gloria Sochon, Director. Can be reached at 202-208-4153 and for Federal Acquisition Conference and Expo, you can click on this URL: http://www.fai.gov/face

Defense Acquisition University Phone: 703-805-2436, URL: http://www.dau.mil headquarters are located at 9820 Belvoir Road-Suite 3, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 and has locations in Kettering, OH, Huntsville, AL and San Diego, CA.

Make it your mission, as Stuart did at this Industry Day conference, to meet your key contacts and follow up until you uncover an opportunity. You can do it!