You are at a networking event or business meeting and an attractive person walks into the room. You feel your pulse quicken and something start to move in the middle of your body. Don’t worry, it’s not your lunch that goes back up. You’re feeling the vibe, the “I want to bag you” vibe.

It’s hard to turn a business contact into an appointment. You set very business-like circumstances and could ruin a potential joint venture, partnership or alliance if you make a wrong move. A contract may not be signed if you ask for a date and the person is simply not interested.

To avoid ruining a business relationship with an ill-timed request for something wild, follow these six winning tips for turning a business contact into a date.

1. Hear clues about your marital status.. When you’re at a networking event or sitting in a meeting, the person you’re chatting with will always give you clues as to whether they’re married, in a relationship, or single. Often the person will say “My wife and I…” or “My husband thinks…”. You could avoid the embarrassment if you take the time to listen to these not-so-subtle clues.

2. Explain your intention to meet without sounding like an athlete or jockette. At a networking event or business meeting, you should always have your professional hat on. Don’t say, “I think you’re hot. Let’s go out for a drink.” Instead, tell the person that you find them interesting and that you’d like to talk more at another time. By saying the word “interesting,” the person will see your request as harmless, as it could mean that you want to learn more about their business.

3. Suggest meeting for coffee.. Ask for the business card and explain that you would like to follow up. Then host a meeting over a low-pressure drink. Don’t schedule your first meeting over lunch or dinner. Due to the time it takes to consume a hot plate of food, if the person turns out to be boring, you will be wasting precious time. On top of that, getting together over lunch or dinner can get expensive, especially if the person has a healthy appetite. Opt for coffee because when you finish your cup of coffee, you can decide to end the meeting there or make an appointment for a future meeting.
4. Keep your paws out. When they first meet over coffee, they still have no idea if their feelings of attraction will be reciprocated. Avoid getting sensitive after the handshake. Instead, keep everything professional and treat the person like a business contact.

5. Ease your way to personal questions. Remember, you are still trying to figure out if the person is attracted to you. Keep your questions professional, opting to ask about business goals rather than sexual conquests. A general rule of thumb is to ask 1 personal question for every 3 professionals. If you’ve asked the person about their business goals for the current year, who their target audience is, and whether they will expand, you now have permission to ask a personal question. Your personal questions should revolve around these topics:
   • where he or she grew up
   • What’s your favorite movie?
   • What kind of music does he or she listen to?
   • What is the nationality of your parents?
   • What books are you currently reading?
   • What is your favorite place in the world?
6. Ask for the date. After following steps 1-5, if you feel the vibe, ask for what you want: a real date. If the person says, “Yes,” you’ve scored big. It means your gal-dar or guy-dar is on the go. If the person says “No,” take the rejection in stride. Just tell the person that you misunderstood their feelings and put your professional hat back on. Shake hands and tell the person it was nice to meet. Then go home and cry.

Just because you put the person up at a networking event or business meeting doesn’t mean you turn off your attraction radar and become a eunuch or a monk. Instead, follow the tips above and you’ll have more success converting your business contact into a date, and less chance of being rejected for crossing the line.