6 Reasons You Are Making Less Than You Should

We've heard a lot about the dreaded wimpy grip. But body language expert Patti Wood, who wrote Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma, says the single most important part of the shake is palm-to-palm contact. This telegraphs that you're open, honest and confident. When you're sitting down to talk money with a would-be boss, don't just stick your fingers out and leave it at that. Dig them down and scoop them up into the other person's hand, making sure your palm exerts pressure against his or her palm. And shake hands for an adequate length of time, Wood says, which means two or three pumps.