168 N 6 S TEPS TO F REE P UBLICITY S TRATEGIC S ELF -I NTRODUCTIONS Speaking with strangers does sometimes lead to spectacular re- sults. John Kremer tells a story about one author traveling by plane who talked to her seatmate about the guidebook she'd written for handicapped travelers. The seatmate was none other than Abigail Van Buren, and after "Dear Abby" mentioned the guidebook in her syndicated column, more than two mail sacks full of orders for the guidebook materialized. I'm sure the author was glad she hadn't spent the flight with her nose buried in a novel. But whether or not you make the first move, it's essential to have handy a quick, comprehensive, and comprehensible way of introduc- ing yourself. How can people help spread the word about you if you say just your name or the fact that you live in Kalamazoo or work in computers? Steve Schiffman does it this way: "I'm president of DEI Management, a sales training firm in New York City. We do a lot of business with companies like IBM and Pitney Bowes." Schiffman says