• by Ari Rosenberg , Op-Ed Contributor, January 5, 2005

One of my former mentors had the healthiest approach to selling media. Returning from a meeting well coifed he once shared, "Hair grows on company time so it gets cut on company time."

He also explained to me how presenting at a client meeting in front of your bosses is something to seek out not fear or avoid, because it is an ideal opportunity for you to excel.

The most significant lesson he taught me however, is the final one listed below of the five things media sales reps could refocus on as they embark on a new year.

1. Nothing is more important than client contact Proposals are always due, internal meetings are always scheduled, and you will always have e-mails to answer. But when you have a client on the phone or out for lunch, nothing else should even exist. Clients can sense when your mind is elsewhere and this is a mistake rarely recovered from.

2. Being late for a meeting is never an option Two reps calling on me 15 years ago were 25 minutes late. When they finally showed up, they greeted me with a fake smile, and said in unison: "Sorry we're late, but we brought muffins."

No excuse in the world will ever undo the harm you have done to yourself by being late. Plan to be in the reception area a full half hour early. There will be plenty of things that will occur to kill this cushion of time, I promise you.

3. The hardest thing about sales is showing up Along the same line, the most stress you will ever endure is driving through the parking lot trying to find Building A in Red West (for those who have called on Microsoft). The stress quintuples when you have your boss in the car.

Here are a couple of easy steps to help you out.

One: do a test run if possible a week prior to the event when meeting with a new client (your bosses want you out of the office anyway). Two: know exactly on which floor your client resides. Sweat tends to run off your face faster when you and your boss are riding an elevator to various floors, asking random people where the marketing department is. Three: plan to leave a full 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to leave for a meeting (so when you leave 15 minutes earlier than you had originally planned you are still ahead of the game).

Finally, if traveling with a boss, insist they meet you at a specific time and place to depart. Running late with a boss in the car is the fastest way for you to lose confidence in yourself (you can literally forget how to drive in that situation).

4. Be yourself, but steal from others One of my former bosses would always say, "hey let's grab a burger and talk about it" to his staff and his clients if he wanted to discuss an issue further at a later date. It did not mean he loved burgers, but rather, he wanted to take some time to talk through an issue in a relaxed environment.

I now do the same thing, but I substitute coffee for burger. The most wonderful thing about our business is the people you get to learn from. So steal as much as you can from those you respect, but to steal a cheesy line from "American Idol's" Paula Abdul, "make it your own."

5. Clients do not remember what was said in a meeting, but they do remember how they felt. Never lose site of this. All of the audience numbers, circulation figures, and new editorial sections are forgotten the minute you leave the room. However, what clients do easily recall is how they felt about you. Were you trustworthy? Were you dependable? Were you prepared? Were you funny? Did you truly listen? Did you need a haircut?