First Impressions

Published: Tue, 05/10/22

Best Practice # 17: Understands the science of making good first impressions, and uses specific techniques to get the relationship off to a good start.

by Dave Kahle

In a recent seminar, one of the sales people asked if I thought that creating relationships with people wasn’t just a natural ability. You either had it, or you didn’t.

I replied that building relationships with prospects and customers was a competency, just like planning and preparing, asking questions, making a presentation, etc. While it helps if you have some natural ability to start with, there are practices that are proven to promote rapport and relationship, and that the dedicated salesperson learns these practices and develops them into habits.

Anyone can learn to do a better job of building positive business relationships.

That is particularly true in one aspect of building relationships – creating a positive first impression. On many of these issues, there has evolved an understanding of a set of practices that are proven to produce certain results. Not only do we have the wisdom of all those who have gone before us, but we increasingly have research to support some of our observations.

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I just read some research that looked at the behaviors of a salesperson that, from the customer’s point of view, evoked a feeling of trust in them in their first impression. What were they?

The salesperson’s appearance. Your appearance registers first with the prospect. Look professional. Look competent. Look well-groomed. Look successful. Look confident.

Smile. Some of this is not rocket science. Nothing takes the place of the impact that a warm and genuine smile has on the customer. Your mother was right.

The pace of your conversation. Speak quickly, and the customer doesn’t trust you. Speak slowly and articulately, and the pace of your conversation evokes feelings of trust. Have you heard the expression “fast talking salesperson?”

It’s not the purpose of this article to list all the proven practices for making a positive first impression. It is, however, the purpose to make the point that there are proven practices that anyone can learn and master. Anyone can learn to use those practices and become adept at creating positive first impressions.

That’s why the best excel at this. They understand the science of making good first impressions, and use specific techniques to get the relationship off to a good start.

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