You may have your own opinions about how to make a good first impression. Making a good first impression involves many different aspects, the most important of which is being personable. Let me define nice and you can make the call on whether you agree or disagree with me. According to the dot com dictionary, affable means pleasant in appearance and personality. Appearance is the first thing someone notices when they first meet you and personality is not far behind. Let me mention these two attributes first and then we’ll dive into the others.
If you’re in sales (which I assume you are if you’re reading this), you need to dress accordingly. Dress for success. You will look good and feel more professional. Also, make sure your body is clean and smells good. Your hair needs to be cut and neatly groomed, your face well groomed (whether you’re a man or a woman with a lot of facial hair), and if the barn needs painting, ladies, by all means paint it!
Before I get into the good stuff, I’m going to back up a bit, when you make an appointment, don’t tell your prospect you’ll be there at a certain time, give them a block of time, that is, between 9 and 9:30 a.m. This will give you a mattress in case you are late. Being late for an appointment will not help you make a good first impression.
Then when you walk into a date, make sure you have a smile on your face. Tell whoever greets you who you are, where you’re from, and who you’re seeing. Then, when you meet with your prospect, keep smiling, look him straight in the eye, give him a firm handshake, introduce yourself, and ask “how are you?” Turn the focus of your meeting on them, which should immediately disarm them. Let the prospect know why you’re there and what’s in it for them. Then ask them questions that will allow you to serve them better. Listen (really listen) to your prospects’ wants and needs so you can then meet and exceed those wants and needs.
According to statistics, first impressions are made in the first 20 seconds, and a bad first impression requires an additional 20 contacts to correct that bad first impression. I don’t know if I fully buy those stats, but you can see how important good first impressions are.
You’ve all heard the expression, practice makes perfect. Personally, I think practice makes permanent. In any case, practice making the first impression. See how you look in the mirror. Ask others what your handshake is like. Practice eye contact and also get a canned (without sounding canned) opening down pat. Know what questions to ask, practice your listening skills, and be empathetic. If being nice is key, empathy is not far behind. Now, go out there and make a good first impression.
