(FORTUNE Small Business) – It's an important meeting with a new client. The handshake: firm. The exchange of cards: swift. The opening line: "So, what's your sign?" Could yesterday's bad pickup line be tomorrow's sales strategy? Tom Mitchell hopes so. In May, Mitchell, a former VP of Nortel Networks, lawyer, and U.S. Marine, channeled his passion for astrology into Jupiter Returns, a consultant group offering books, seminars, and retreats--all about using the stars to understand clients and hire employees. Based in--where else?--San Francisco, Mitchell advises that when meeting with Virgo clients, it's best to be neatly groomed, play to their conservative nature, and keep pitches linear and practical. Confirming that his own head is in the stars, Mitchell made sure Jupiter Returns' salespeople are Aries, chosen for their energy, confidence, and fearlessness in the face of rejection. Astrology, Mitchell admits, has an image problem. In his quest to be the "Microsoft of astrology," he stays away from predicting the future and doesn't mince words about daily newspaper horoscopes: "It's a scam." Is the Age of Aquarius upon small business? Our forecast: cloudy. --Julie Sloane