Make a Superb First Impression

Make a Superb First Impression
 by: Arlen Busenitz

It is extremely important that people have a good first impression of you. Either you make a good impression or you will suffer for it! It is going to affect how your contact views you for the rest of that conversation. It can affect how fast a friendship starts, or how fast business relationships get going. You have got to make a good first impression!

What is a “first impression”? Simply it is the first thoughts a person has toward you after seeing you or listening to what you have to say. These are made during the first five seconds and then the first few minutes of a conversation. It has been said that a speaker has 5 minutes to convince the audience that he/she has something good to say. How you act, dress, and talk are all going to affect “the first impression”. A customer’s first impression of a salesmen will have an impact on whether the customer buys. The first impression a manager has of you will affect whether you are hired. How you act in the first moments of meeting your new neighbor will sharply affect his/her view of you. Yes, you need to make a good first impression! It can stop a sale, or it can help you make an instant friend!

How do you make a good impression? Here is one way which is guaranteed to work. Do this and people will have excellent first thoughts about you! This is the key:

When you meet someone (friend or new contact), greet them on the phone, or pass them on the street, act ENTHUSED to meet them!

· Give them a “winning” smile.

· Cheerfully greet them with “hello (name)”. Let your voice show that you are glad to see them!

· Act like you are greeting a best friend who has been gone for awhile.

· If you walk into a group, greet or acknowledge every person. Look them in the eye. Either verbally greet them or at least make eye contact and acknowledge every single person.

· Greet your friends, contacts, and family the same way.

· When someone calls, say a professional “hello”. When you find out who is calling, act glad to hear their voice.

What if you DO NOT feel like it? Who cares! ACT enthusiastic to meet them and you will BE enthusiastic to meet them. They will feel important and will be glad to see YOU. You will make an excellent first impression. This technique alone will work wonders for you! You will stand out from the crowd. Customers will want to come back. When a customer sees that you are glad to have them buy from you, they will want to come back and buy MORE from YOU.

You have probably realized that puppies make friends very easily. When they greet a person they smile, wag their tail and are absolutely happy to see you. They want to be your friend. The result is that you in turn want to pet the puppy, and be the puppies friend. This same principal works with you social contacts. Be glad to see them and they will usually be glad to see you. You will make a good impression and they will like you. This is just one technique for making a good first impression. Apply it and it will work! Find more articles at http://www.Magic-People-Skills.com.

This article was posted on January 16, 2002

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