First Impressions

Conveying an Important Business Message The H.R. (Human Resources) profession will tell you that many interviewers decide whether or not the candidate is right within the first 60 seconds. The other 59 minutes are used to confirm their initial impressions, which are regularly sustained. The first moments are critical to the start of a business relationship. There are some obvious basics: smile eye contact firm handshake Make them laugh or show interest quickly. This will ensure that your listener does not mentally (or physically!) leave within the first 2 minutes.

"What kind of first impressions do you make?", asks Will Kintish Article 6 of 10 in the Lead Generation Techniques Series Go Back

How long does it take you to forget their name after their introduction? 15 minutes? 5 minutes? 1 minute?

The answer is normally less than 2 seconds, simply because most people:

• don't even hear or register the other person's name in the first place, and
• are too embarrassed to say "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, will you please repeat it?" We all love our names so when someone else shows interest, it can only be good for the foundation of a new relationship.

Networking does not work when consultants do not create the right impression from the start.

Consider your own approach:

When you go to networking events, do you:

Think nervously about yourself?

Make a good first impression by listening to the other person?

Once you've made a good first impression by listening well, you should present yourself in an interesting and attention-grabbing way:

having a compelling message

(c) 2005 Will Kintish