3) INFLATE YOUR INTEREST. Dale says: 'Talk in terms of other man's interests.' Of course, this isn't so manageable with an online business. It's easy to apply with a reciprocal face-to-face conversation, but it's another matter entirely via email correspondence.

You have to learn to be an email 'scavenger.' It usually takes several emails before a deal is struck. In this time (providing that you have followed personalization and praise techniques), your reader will probably have opened up a little. You should read all their emails carefully (keep them together in a separate file if necessary) and search for anything that they let slip about themselves - personal details, country of residence, even their preferred style of writing (formal or informal). These details are your marketing weapons. Comment upon or casually drop in a few of these choice details in your replies for added personalization. When used discretely, they can establish and build a bond between you and your potential client.

4) LET THEM HAVE THEIR SAY. Dale says: 'Let other man do a great deal of talking.' Encourage feedback from your reader. Give them a reason to reply and to pass on more of their personal details. This can be done by making a few relevant enquiries. Ensure that you don't ask questions which simply require a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Ask something specific and get them talking. Not only does this help you extract your marketing weapons but it also means that your potential client won't feel as though they've been talked into anything - even if they have.

I think you'll find that these four steps will give you a really unfair advantage over your competition. If you want to learn more, pick up a copy of 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.' It's not too old to teach you a thing or two.

--Know who you want to know. Then figure out how to meet them. This is where you need to have a very clearly defined plan of action. Learn everything about people you want to meet, and then figure out who in your network shares same interests. It is very probable that they will know someone who knows person you want to meet.

--Understand and appreciate your value to people in your network. We all have unique interests, talents, and experiences which can be used to help others. Revel in knowing that you can touch lives of everyone you meet if you are prepared to share your knowledge and resources with them.

--Develop systems to organize your information so it is readily accessible. Whether it¹s a Day-timer, a contact management computer program, a Rolodex, or good ol¹ index cards doesn¹t matter. Use whatever works best for you and allows you to retrieve information quickly so you can pass it along in a timely manner.

--Strategize ways to consistently get your name before people in your network. You want to be at forefront of their thinking so when a potential client presents him/herself to someone you know, that person immediately makes connection and makes referral. This is ultimate goal of networking.

--Give, give, give! Give freely of yourself, never expecting anything in return. Trust that what you put out there will come back to you. It may not come back immediately. It may not come back, directly. It will, however, come back eventually. Just give.