As a salesman I've found amazing similarites between picking up women and pitching a business to a Venture Capitalist.  In VC language, you need to be prepared for an elevator pitch – a 60 second monologue on why they should care about your business.  With women you actually have less time – maybe 15 seconds – so you need to make them count.

Let’s break this up into something that us business guys can understand. This advice is equally effective in any sales cycle but it is more fun to think about as it relates to the fairer sex.  Keep in mind that these points build upon one another.

1)   Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Do you ever see that awesome girl with the fat, stupid guy who works as a toll booth collector?  Yeah, me neither.  Give your self an honest assessment – are you a 6 out of 10?  No problem, you can go up or down 2 points.  Go any lower and your friends will make fun of you, go any higher, and the object of your desire will.  Please take ALL things into consideration when you rate yourself – make sure that the ones that are clearly apparent are weighted higher.  Your height, good looks, broad shoulders, your nice car, etc.. are worth more.  The fact that you are willing to see "Sex And The City" and you call your mother on Mother’s day weigh less.

2)  Identify your market.

It’s easy to say I want to meet a hot girl, who is really smart, but you need to be a little more diligent (I’m serious).  Are you looking for a good time? A girlfriend? A mother to your children? In business, no product is released without first identifying your target market. Once you identify yours, you need to...

3)  Ensure that your strengths/weaknesses and your target market are aligned.

This is more then just aiming at the right ‘level’.  This is about ensuring that what you bring to the table (and what you don’t) falls into the desires of your target market. A great salesman always likes to say that he can sell ice to an Eskimo. Well let’s add to that.  A good salesman can sell ice to an Eskimo, ONCE.  The next time the Eskimo is going to be pissed off. Why not sell something the Eskimo actually wants?  Another way to say it – why make your job more difficult by selling something that the other party doesn't want or need?

4)  Location, location, location.

People say this about restaurants, but it's also true about finding women. Assuming you have 1-3 understood and identified; if you are a 24 year old Adonis who wants to find a wife, DON’T try to pick up girls at a club.  You might have success if you're looking for a good time, but you'll be disappointed by the type of girl you find (no disrespect to club-girls – we all love you).  Conversely, if you aren't all that good looking/cool but have a great personality, stay away from clubs where your ‘inner-beauty’ can’t exactly shine.

5) Focus.

Let’s stay with the club location. If you're looking for a wife, don’t hit on the girl dancing on the table (I am not suggesting that girls who dance on a table at a club won’t get married – BUT they PROBABLY aren't thinking of finding their husband that night).  It’s okay NOT to hit on every girl you see.  A friend once said to me that his goal was to hit on a 100 girls a night because 1 would say yes.  People, this is NOT email marketing or banner adds on Facebook.  This is human interaction – speak to people who'll actually enjoy speaking to you.

6)  Rejection is irrelevant.

My first job out of college was selling office supplies in NYC.  I picked a building, went to the top, and worked my way down.  You know those signs that say "No Soliciting" outside of commercial buildings – that was to keep me out.  A good day for me was a 100 doors, 5 hellos, 1 order and 3 business cards.  The first week my spirit was crushed – by the 3rd, it didn't phase me and by the 3rd month I looked forward to ‘rejection’ because it was just another opportunity to sell. DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND – I am not suggesting you defocus (see #5) what I am suggesting is that a girl you approach is NOT rejecting YOU, she is saying no to your pitch. Refine the pitch (look into the 4 P’s of marketing) and try again.

The flip side of this is that ‘selling’ yourself to a woman is much harder (and for some scarier) then pitching to a client.  At the end of the day if you are comfortable with yourself and understand the process of speaking to random women, not only will you meet some great girls, but if used properly, you will be better at your job.  And of course, when you are better at your job and more successful, you will then move up from a 6 to an 8.  A virtuous cycle.