Eyes Up, Phones Down: The Meeting Habit That You Need to Have

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Distractions are a silent killer of opportunities.

We all have priorities throughout our day, our week, our month. How we deal with them shifts what is the top priority, a top 5 priority, and then the “yeah I’ll get to it” priority.

When you are engaging with a client, they are priority #1. And anything else besides that could start to rock the boat.

Miss a cue, zone out for a minute, or let your mind wander, and you risk losing it all. Your client can have an uncanny ability to sense it. They pull back. The connection fades. Suddenly, you’re just another vendor- easy to ignore, easy to replace.

You might not have done anything, it could have been someone on your team.

If you are in a meeting, be IN the meeting. Outside distractions can be such a temptation to draw your attention.

You could miss a critical project development, an upcoming opportunity, a pricing adjustment, or something else. Being mentally checked in to your meetings will do wonders.

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In a world full of noise, being truly present is rare- and it’s powerful. If you want to stand out, win trust, and close more deals, build stronger relationships, and deepen your credibility with clients, you need to master the art of showing up-mentally, not just physically.

Here’s an effective way you can do it.

Let’s dance.

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First Touch - Share Something Useful

You’ve been there. Distractions are everywhere.

You’re in a meeting, but your mind is somewhere else. Your phone lights up. Slack/Team pings. Emails pile up. You nod along, but you’re not really listening.

Here’s the hard truth: your client knows. They see your eyes drift to your screen. They catch the hesitation in your answers. And in that moment, you lose more than focus on the task at hand.

Here’s the truth: clients can tell when you’re not fully engaged. They notice when your eyes wander, when you’re slow to respond, or when you seem more interested in your screen than their words.

If you’re not paying attention, they start to wonder why they should. There’s always someone else who will give them the focus they deserve. They’re paying you, right?

Virtual Meetings Make It Worse

From the ability to turn off your camera, be on mute, list endless technology excuses, to being able to multitask behind the scenes. Virtual meetings are notorious for allowing people to not pay attention unless they specifically being called out on the call.

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Operating in Dangerous Territory

The most dangerous and unreliable teammate…is the one who is not mentally checked in.

They are physically there, but not actually switched on. Which can become a liability for you, your team, and your organization.

You need them, but they can drop the ball. Something else is prioritizing their minds at the moment. Find out what that is. Either they tell you, or sideline them until they are ready to get back into it.

Your client is not going to care about any of this. They need you switched on and running at 100%. When you’re distracted, you miss important details. When you’re tuned in, you can shift your approach based on what’s happening in the room.

Those who win are the ones who notice the unsaid, catch the subtle cues, and respond in real time. Clients remember the people who made them feel heard.

Improving Your Presence Helps You Win

When I was at Philips, our meetings had “Check-ins/Check-outs.” Senior leadership wanted to make sure that we were dialed in when we were in person. If any outside distractions were going on, address them (i.e., Hey, I’m waiting for a status update on an upcoming opportunity to close, I’m waiting to hear back on getting into grad school, etc.).

When we “Checked-in” we went around the room before any meeting kicked off to see where everyone’s head was at. We wanted to level-set before kicking off. If someone wasn’t focused on the meeting, door was open to not attend, as they would just be taking up space (door was always open to rejoin once any priorities were taken care of).

If it wasn’t urgent and could wait until the end of that specific meeting, the person running the meeting had the room. With a client or an internal meeting. We have the attention of our peers, and we capitalized on the time.

Phones down, laptops only on the matter at hand. The distractions were limited to just those that matter to the client.

Conversations were more streamlined, everything was focused. We know what to do.

When we “Checked-out” we covered everything that needed to be discussed in the meeting, and if there were any gaps that we needed to address. If anyone had an issue, we needed to make sure we covered it.

A focus on the priorities at hand forced us to push the outside noise away and be able to effectively leverage everyone’s time. Simple to do right?

Well…the distractions, other priorities, and excuses move incredibly quickly nowadays…

Be present and make it a habit. Make it your standard. Because presence isn’t just polite- it builds trust and builds your business.

What the Internet Taught Me This Week

From new tools, recent trends, and market updates, here is what has been on my mind.

1. Check out HOW Signal Knockoff got hacked in 20 minutes. Check it out here

2. An MIT Student wrote a high-profile research paper on artificial intelligence, and it has become a very hot topic on the validity of the paper and MIT’s connection to it. Check it out here

3. Nokia block phone is back! The most indestructible phone on the planet is making a comeback. Yes…you heard that right. Check it out here

Everyone is fighting to be seen and heard, so show you know how to truly listen. When you give your client your full attention, you’re not just taking notes-you’re building trust, earning respect, and opening doors that others will never even notice.

Presence isn’t just a courtesy. It’s your competitive advantage. It’s the difference between being remembered and being forgotten. It’s the reason clients open up, share their real challenges, and invite you to solve problems others never even hear about.

So the next time you and your team walk into a room, leave the distractions at the door.

Show up with intention. Listen like it’s your superpower. Because when you’re fully present, you don’t just win meetings-you win relationships, loyalty, and the kind of business that lasts.

Be the person who makes every client feel like the only one in the world. That’s how you leave a mark.

Go out there and crush it this week, and see you next week.

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