Sometimes, you need to let people know they are special.

I’m sitting at the Mean Bean Caffeine Lounge in Delaware, Ohio working on my sermon outline for Sunday morning. I’ve been able to get a lot of work done. Well, let me say that I was able to get a lot of work done…

That all changed when a couple of businessmen sat down next to me. One is obviously a salesman. The other is the potential client. The salesman is loud and over-the-top in his pitch. The client seems a bit disinterested. But, I can understand.

About every three minutes, the salesman’s cell phone rings…loudly…with an annoying song (seriously, it’s a Black Eyed Peas songs…and the guy must be 45 years old…there it goes again). Every time it rings, he pauses his presentation, looks at the phone, lets it ring a couple of more times, and then silences. Of course, about every third ring, he answers it, making it sound extremely important.

If I was the client, what this on-going cell phone saga would communicate to me is that I’m simply not that important. If a person sets up a meeting with me, but can’t silence their cell phone for 55 minutes, I would not feel that the person really has time for me or is all that interested in getting my business.

So, when you sit down with your friends, family, business partners, etc…make sure that you let them know they are important. Silence you cell phone…or better yet…leave it in the car.