There is a secret to this whole business; and it's a secret not because people don't know about it, but because it is so rarely used. Here it is - now don't blink: you must smile at the person when you first meet them. Is that it, I hear you say? Yes - that's it! Easily said, but not necessarily easily-done. Oh come on: surely anyone can manage a smile you may think? But that is not actually the case because it is, in fact, in the very situations that we feel least like smiling that we most need to smile.

Many people would argue that they smile when they feel happy and they frown when they feel sad; and that's the way it works. Well, if that's the case, they are allowing their environment to dictate their success with others because how they behave in meetings - especially first-meetings - determines whether or not they will develop rapport; and hence, whether or not the meeting will be successful.

We may not be able to control the way we feel about things. However, we are able to choose our responses; and smiling, or not, is fundamentally, a response. If you think about all of the important meetings you engage in - both your business and private life - you will recognise that the more important the meeting is, the more tense you are likely to be and, hence, the less likely you will be to smile naturally. Those are the situations in which smiling can make a vital difference. Learning to smile frequently, and habitually, is without doubt, the most underused and under-discussed success strategy.

Now that brings up the question: how do you smile naturally? It is a good question because you don't want an artificial expression. I suggest that you pick a trigger thought that you can use in important situations. A trigger-thought is one that causes you to smile. It can be anything - they, after all, don't know why you are smiling. Perhaps you could imagine the other person wearing a red nose - that usually causes me to smile. That's an example of a trigger thought you could actually use.

In one particular study, it was shown that facial expressions which were artificially induced did actually influence mood. So even an artificial attempt at putting a smile on your face is likely to have a beneficial effect. What a bonus - smiling actually causes people to feel happy! Amazing, I know, but nevertheless, this finding is a result of extensive research into the subject. Put this simple principle to work for you immediately and start smiling your way to success.