Overwhelmed by the reality that your prospective customer will make their initial first impression of you in less than 30 seconds? Sure. We all worry about this at some point, seasoned by our many experiences of magic and misery, meeting the prospect for the first time. It does not have to be so daunting.
In fact there are four specific things you can do right away to improve your chances of landing a good first impression, especially with women. Take an imaginary walk through from the parking lot to your office—what will your prospect experience? When meeting outside of your office for the first time remember these rules of success, 1) be on time if not early, 2) shake the hand of the person closest to you first, 3) give everyone, including her and anyone else who might be accompanying her, your card, 4) make eye contact and give a sincere smile.
To help you better understand what it takes to truly resonate with women, answer these questions honestly. If you can answer yes to all, then you are off to a good start:
Are you likeable? Do you make a good first impression? Do you come across as warm and genuine? Do you smile enough? Do you know the protocol when meeting women prospects? Do you typically break the ice by finding common ground?
Delia Passi is president of MedeliaCommunications and former Group Publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines. She is a nationally recognized speaker, sales trainer and author of the Winning Strategies for Marketing and Selling to Women, audio book series. For more information visit www.deliapassi.com .
