21 Ways to Make a Great First Impression
Firstly, is making a great first impression of that much importance? Surely we are judged on what we do (the usefulness and value of the service we provide and the problems we solve)? Yes, that’s how we’re ultimately judged, but we have to be invited to perform our service before we even get a change to show how good we are.
Creating a great first impression is the first step in our sales process. Like it or not, people often judge us on that first impression. So, if we want to serve more people, let’s play the game and do our upmost to make a great first impression.
Making a great first impression is all about being attractive. So how attractive are you?
We’re attracted to things like enthusiasm, ideas, energy, confidence, certainty, positivity, politeness, tidiness, organization, alertness, promise-keepers, generosity, people who smile, people who are gracious, who are polite, people who care, people who care about us, people who want the best for us, people who look healthy, people who are smart, people who are considerate, etc. Get the idea?
So here’s a start - 21 ways to make a great first impression:
1. Appearance – clean, tidy, appropriately smart
2. Appearance – alert, clear-eyed, upright
3. Welcoming, smiling, interested
4. Voice and the first words to leave our mouth
5. On-time
6. Finding something in common
7. Giving a genuine compliment
8. Help them in someway
9. Be interested – ask questions
10. Be prepared – do some research
11. Remember and use their name
12. Write notes
13. Clean and tidy car
14. Office – clean, tidy, organized, comfortable
15. Reception & receptionist – friendly, welcoming, helpful, expecting you, knows your name, clean, tidy, plants, up-to-date & varied magazines, file of testimonials, etc.
16. Coffee and tea – a selection of posh stuff
17. Letter – quality paper, error-free, focused on recipient
18. Website – clean, clear, key information readily available, focuses on recipient, speaks into their problem, aims to educate
19. Brochures etc – ditto
20. LinkedIn & Facebook profile - ditto
21. Company we keep – do we associate with successful, generous, optimistic people?
22. Phone – answered by a person who introduces themselves, is cheerful, helpful
…and always go the extra mile!
I work with people who want to improve their bottom-line results; who need to be more focused, to feel more in control, to have a more committed team and to know they're making progress and moving…
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