I is for Interviews

I for Interviews Interviews can make or break you! It all depends on either you're preparation or your ability to tell a story; or both. Today, Tuesday April 10th I was in London for an interview that can make or break my acheiving my goals in a reasonable time scale. I prepared all my papers and packed my briefcase. I had spent six days working on my presentation and I knew that the papers were the small details that can put the shine to a professional presentation. The time came for an early start to the train station and everything re-checked one more time. My diary and travel details, my pens, Gymboss timer, Kindle, MP3 and a copy of "Tell To Win" by Peter Guber. My partner drove me to the station and off I went, rucksack over my shoulder and ticket details ready for receipt. I have a bit of a phobia about things like automatic ticket stations, where the only human being is "packed tightly" into the machine ready to make all manner of trouble for me. But not on this occasion,everything went well and I waited for the London train deep in thought.There was just time for a sit down, prices at the rail cafe's are notoriously high so just a sit down and one last chance to go over my presentation. Now "dear reader" if you've been concentrating as you read this you would have spotted my first big mistake. I left my partner's car with my rucksack but not my briefcase with my papers in, they were still in the back of the car, all the things that I thought would make the difference were on their way back home. Did I panic?Not exactly, because if my t'ai chi training has taught me anything it is to focus on the moment. There was nothing I could do about it now.I had to think of another plan and the train journey was an ideal opportunity to do that.On the journey two things happened that helped minimize the mistake. I had my Kindle and, at the moment, the book I'm reading is "Think and Grow Rich," so often quoted by marketing experts and worth their praise. I opened the "page" and began reading when, on the next turn of the page I reached the section on "giving service." The book talked about "QQS," "Quality, Quantity and Spirit." This was what I had to focus on now, particularly presenting my business as being in the right spirit, the quality is assured and the quantity is what I needed to control. The other  saviors were "Tell to Win" which emphasised the need for me to sell the story of my benefits not the numbers.