DATE RICH
A How-to Manual Part III

By DIVAGALS | May 19, 2011 | Food Fashion Style

You’re on your way to finding your soul mate. You’ve got the looks and you’re in the right spot. But how will you come across to your millionair hubby-to-be?

Luxe Gal Maureen Martin, with the help of entertainment correspondent Val Greenberg and etiquette expert Samantha Von Sperling, give you the scoop on how to act when you finally connect.

The Attitude.

Perfect your social graces. Looks will only take you so far. Once you open your mouth make sure not to put your foot in it, and make sure it your breath doesn’t smell like your foot was in it. Always carry mints and pop one occasionally and very discretely! Brush up on your table manners — use pleases and thank yous — and practice a firm handshake. NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J actually hired an etiquette coach for his children to be ready for any social situation. If you don’t know the first thing about social graces, take time to brush up via a Miss Manners book. Don’t try to impress people with who you know or where you have been: no name-dropping. Be a good listener, take mental notes and ask good (but not too personal) questions. Laugh discretely and drink modestly (no more than two glasses of wine at a time), and you’ll come off as a charming and refined woman.

Invest in your financial acumen. Professions related to the world of finance are some of the best-paid in the economy. Bankers, hedge-fund managers, investment consultants, CFOs of multinationals and insurers of the top echelons are believed to be in pay brackets that rival top political rulers. A good way to be noticed by a wealthy single from this profession is to display some financial acumen yourself. Take a course in any of the finance subjects, or brush up your knowledge of accounting and statistics. Be on the lookout at business conferences and seminars where the finance fat cats come together. Better yet, get a job in one of the firms where you are certain to meet top financial brains who have yet to put a ring on it, though you’ll definitely be an independent woman with her own means to bring to the table!

School yourself. Make yourself more interesting by learning a second language. Millionaire businessmen and corporate honchos are always on the lookout for language experts who can serve as verbal interpreters and cultural mediators. If you have a way with languages, try getting a job in multinational companies or well-endowed cultural institutions, and you will definitely get to meet the top guys in the field. The best languages to learn are French, Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. Read a book from the New York Times Best Seller list, that can always serve as a lively topic of discussion.

Remember that celebrities and wealthy people move in elite circles. Be comfortable and make sure you come across as someone with social bearing. If you can hang comfortably in your crush’s circle, it is likely that he will make you part of his world.

Monday: Secret skills to wow your man.

photocredit: Chris Hatcher/PR Photos