When It Comes To First Impressions, Being Likeable Is Key

You may have your own opinions on how to make a good first impression. Making a good first impression involves many different aspects, the most important of which is being likable. 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’ll look good and feel more professional. Also, make sure that your body is clean and smells good. Your hair should be cut and neatly styled, 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 that you’ll be there at a certain time, give them a block of time, ie between 9 and 9:30 am This will give you a mattress in case you are late. Being late for an appointment won’t help you make a good first impression.

Then when you walk in on 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 your prospect, keep smiling, look them square in the eye, give them 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 are there and what is in it for them. Then ask them questions that will allow you to serve them better. Listen (really listen) to the wants and needs of your prospects so that 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 have all heard the expression, practice makes perfect. I personally believe that practice makes permanent. In any case, practice making the first impression. Look how you look in the mirror. Ask others what your handshake is like. Practice eye contact and also get a canned opening (without making it sound canned) down to business. 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.