Your First Impression may be too late…

January 24, 2013

Guest Post By: Tony Lenhart

Buzzzzzz…New Email!  You received an introduction to a potential client from a business partner – EXCELLENT!  How do you proceed?  The actions you take before, during, and after the meeting need to be handled delicately to leave the best, and lasting first impression.  They say you only get one of those.  Nonsense – you get three.  And half the action happens when you’re not even face-to-face (I have the %’s written down somewhere… I promise in the end it adds up to 100% of the overall 1st impression). Some ideas on what you can do and what it shows:   

BEFORE your meeting – 1st impression:

  1. Reply promptly and offer a phone call to schedule a time to meet.  Emailing back/forth/back/forth an be painful and tedious for both of you.
  2. Be professional & personable – polish up your LinkedIn profile and promote it via your email signature.  Add your interests, social causes, and organizations you’re involved in and review theirs.  Some of my best clients and business partners came from meeting where we talked as much pleasure as we did business.
  3. Show respect for time – if you scheduled an appointment more than a week out, send a simple email the night before to confirm:  Subject: Wednesday 3pm – “Bob – good evening.  Look forward to seeing you at your office tomorrow afternoon.”

DURING your meeting – 2nd impression:

  1. Be confident – greeting 101 here: firm handshake, smile, and look them in the eyes.  Enough said.
  2. Don’t be an eager beaver and shove your business card in their face; you can exchange toward the end.
  3. Genuinely Engage – By having done your homework and asking the right questions, find the common thread.  Keepthe focus on them, but don’t be afraid to share your experiences.

AFTER your meeting – 3rd impression:

  1. Follow-through – within 24 hours send your new acquaintance an email recapping the meeting and laying out next steps.  Include a timeframe in which you will call them unless you hear back first.
  2. Connect with them on LinkedIn & personalize the message – “Great meeting you today.  I look forward to being a resource for you down the road.  Until then, let’s link!”
  3. Be grateful – send the person that introduced you a separate note thanking them for keeping you in mind.
All these actions show professionalism and respect – for yourself, your prospect, and the person that referred you.  Being mindful of these steps will put you in the best position to earn their business in the long-run and keep more referrals coming.  Go forth and impress!

 

 

Tony works every day to unite people and businesses with the connections, resources and expertise they need to achieve and exceed their personal and professional goals.  See how on his LinkedIn profile or here.

Posted in Branding & Communication, Networking and tagged , ,