#9 - Effective Communication - First Impressions

Saturday, March 14th 2009 @ 5:38 PM

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Odhran O'Brien, a past member of Clondalkin Toastmasters gives us his views and experience in creating the right first impressions when meeting people.

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A few months after having joined Toastmasters I decided to pack in my old job & set up business on my own.  I’d just turned 30 & thought that if I wasn’t going to do it then, I probably never would.  The advantage I had with my choice of business was the fact that I had minimal start up costs.  At the same time, if I was to make a success of the business I had to be able to go out & sell the concept.

I sold advertising on behalf of local rugby clubs.  It was a simple idea whereby I would target local business & sell advertising space within the club.  The club would benefit with a cut of the revenue that I generated.

Any sales person will tell you that the most difficult sale is the “cold” sale.  The customer has never heard of you, they are not expecting you, if they had their choice they probably wouldn’t even entertain you.  These people were my customers!

We’ve all heard of the phrase, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Very quickly I realised just how true this is.  I would call into local car dealers, pharmacies, solicitors, newsagents & look to talk to the owners of these businesses.  Whether it was dealing with receptionists, assistants or the owners themselves I had maybe 15 or 20 seconds with each person to create the right impression.  I could honestly say that within this amount of time, talking with the owner / decision maker I could make a well educated guess as to whether or not I was going to get a sale out of that person.

The key points I picked up were the following:

• It takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time.

• In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed.

• With every new encounter, you are evaluated and yet another person’s impression of you is formed. These first impression can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo, making those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone for the all the relationships that follows.

 

My strategy for maximizing my chance of a sale were as follows;

• If you are calm and confident, so the other person will feel more at ease, and so have a solid foundation for making that first impression a good one.

• The person you are meeting for the first time does not know you and your appearance is usually the first clue he or she has to go on.  Dress appropriately.

• “Smile and the world smiles too.”  So there’s nothing like a smile to create a good first impression. A warm and confident smile will put both you and the other person at ease. So smiling is a winner when it comes to great first impressions.

• Use your body language to project appropriate confidence and self-assurance. Stand tall, smile (of course), make eye contact, greet with a firm handshake. All of this will help you project confidence and encourage both you and the other person feel better at ease.

• Small Talk Goes a Long Way… - there’s always going to be a bit of verbal give & take.  If I pick up on any common ground I’d elaborate on it.  For instance the person I’m dealing with may tell me that they a few things to do before they’re shooting off to play golf with some friends.  I use this information to perhaps ask what clubs they’re a member of.  This tends towards the other person relaxing & opening up.

• Your attitude shows through in everything you do. Project a positive attitude, even in the face of criticism or in the case of nervousness. Strive to learn from your meeting and to contribute appropriately, maintaining an upbeat manner and a smile.

• It goes without saying that good manners and polite, attentive and courteous behavior help make a good first impression. In fact, anything less can ruin the one chance you have at making that first impression. So be on your best behavior!

This may seem like a lot to fit in, in just 20 seconds of conversation.  Yet it’s remarkable how much of this the other person picks up on in such a short period of time.  My feeling is that we spend a more time than we think “selling” ourselves, making the right impression.  Whether we’re giving an important presentation in work, being introduced to people on a night out or in one of the roles that Toastmasters offers at a club meeting, the first impression is important.