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Making a Good Impression
You have only seven seconds. That’s how long it takes to make a first impression.If it’s a bad impression, you have your work cut out for you.
It takes seven seconds or less to give someone a bad impression and seven
meetings to dispel it.
Bad manner can lose clients.
Minding your manners has a big payoff. If you make a positive first impression, you get a halo effect. That means if you do something that hurts your image laterin the relationship; the client will likely forgive you.
Now I would like to share the following tips for making you an angel in the clients’eyes.
Eye to Eye
Depth of experience and wise portfolio management don’t count for much incrafting a great image (although it’s hard to be confident if you’re bluffingknowledge). As much as 93% of the impact of face-to-face communication is yourtone of voice and body language, people don’t trust you no matter what you know.
The Preparation
l If you’re having a bad day, call a friend before a client meeting andtalk about it. That helps restore energy to have a positive meeting.
l Right before greeting a client, turn up your internal energy level, but“only a quarter of an inch”
l Smile and maintain eye contact. Looking away gives the message you’re lying.
l Stand up straight. Slouching gives the message that you really don’t want to be with a person
l Shake hands “palm to palm.” Men often avoid giving a full hand to a woman.
l Address by surname unless the client has told you otherwise.
l Show “friendly reserve,” You want to be approachable, but seriousand conservative.
The Clothing
l A business jacket. “A jacket is crucial for both men and women. As
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soon as we take it off, we lose credibility.
l Clean, scuff-free shoes.
l A flat shirt collar. Men should be able to get two fingers between thecollar and neck.
l Pantyhose for women, even with sandals
l No sleeveless tops and short skirts. The more skin a woman shows,the more credibility she loses.
l A clean, unmarked briefcase.
The Meeting
l Hold all phone calls during a meeting. Interruptions make clients feelunimportant.
l Eliminate nervous habits, such as playing with a pen or twisting apaper clip. That says you may not really know what you say you know.
l When you visit a client at their home or office, don't put your briefcase or papers on their desk unless you ask first. Don't extend themeeting beyond the time agreed upon. Don't make yourself morecomfortable than your host.
The Conversation
l Clarify what you hear the client saying. Paraphrase the client’s
answers.
l Keep a list of open-ended questions handy, but be sure not to ask probing questions early in the conversation.
l Use nonverbal prompts to keep the client talking.
l Don’t interrupt
l Speak confidently. Don’t put questions at the end of your sentences,such as “We had a good meeting, didn’t we? Don’t use sentences with: Ithink, I hope, I feel. This will make you sound weak.
l Don’t repeat yourself. It gives the message you’re not prepared.
l Avoid self-trivializing your responses. Don’t say something like,“Why did I do that, I’m so stupid” during the conversation.
l If you make a true mistake, apologize only once.
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l Take a public speaking course or head a committee that offers aforum to develop your in-person speaking style. Practice makes perfect,so by making speeches often, you develop your self confidence.
The Social Situation:
l Treat a client with kid gloves. “Don’t introduce a client by saying,”This is my best client or this is my best friend: It tells other clients thatthey’re less important.
l Don’t break eye contact to look for someone else in the room you wantto talk to next
l Use the “plus-minus-plus” strategy to end a conversation and moveon to someone else, “You might say ,”I’m happy to have a chance to talk to you about XYZ.” That’s the plus. Then, “I have to meet a few otherpeople this evening.” That’s the minus. Finally, “Can we talk more over
lunch?” That’s the plus.”
On the Phone:
The minute your client can't see you, the tone of your voice conveys 80% of yourimage. Smiling, when talking on the phone is a technique often used to receivecalls. This will change the tone of your voice and can often make the difference forexample, between winning or loosing a sale.
Make the Preparation:
l Make sure the person answering your phone says, “May I tell so-and-
so who's calling?” not, “Who's calling?” The second response implies thatcalls are being screened and that the client may not be important to you.
l Respond to every call within 24 hours, even if it's to have yourassistant say you're out of town.
l Set a mirror on your desk to remind you to smile during calls.
l Take out a client's file before you return a call, so you don't have toput the client on hold to look up information.
l Use a speakerphone only if continuing a conversation while you dosomething directly related to the call, and then only after you've askedpermission.
l Use cellular phones only as an emergency tool to notify someone you're running late or to do something on deadline.
l Prepare your emotional state. Visualize the person you're talking to.Put a photo of the person on your desk during the conversation or even
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of a family member to remind you to be gracious,
The Conversation
l Stand up. It adds more energy.
l Know why you're calling. Don't waste time with a lot of schmoozing,. Ask at the beginning if the client has a few minutes to talk. Get to know which clients like to chit-chat.”
l Don't type on the computer while talking.
l Soften statements. Don't say, ‘I need your Social Security number’.Explain what you need to gather information for, then ask if they couldgive their Social Security number.”
l Realize you don't know your true voice tone. People never hearthemselves as others do. Most people don't like their voice and createfunny habits, such as speaking too softly or too loudly.”
l Tape your voice both reading a script and in actual conversation andgive it to three friends for feedback
l Attack “verbal viruses,” These are the habitual use of non-words suchas “um,” “like,” “you know,” “well,” “OK” and “sort of.” To overcome,pause and take a breath. You can pause as long as five seconds without alistener noticing. Focusing on breathing will help get you to the nextthought without the fear of silence between words. It takes about three weeks to cure a verbal virus
l Slow down. Don't say more than three sentences without asking aquestion. Be alert to match your pace to the person with whom you'retalking.
In E-mails
Poor spelling, grammar and bad jokes in written communications can seriously damage your professional image because the offenses stay in front of a client. Yetmany people treat e-mail messages as verbal communication.
l Ask a client first if you can send information via e-mail. “Older peopleoften have a secretary retrieve their e-mail because they don't know how, so you need to be careful not to send sensitive material.
l E-mail should never be an early contact with a client. Avoid mass-mailing e-mails. If you do, make sure to blind copy e-mail addresses.
l Include a salutation and an ending on e-mails. It sounds abrupt toomit them. Make sure the salutation matches the close. If you address
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someone by their surname, sign the letter by your surname.
l Always address a client by his or her surname unless the client tells you otherwise, even if the client calls you by your first name. Don't usefirst names unless you've done it in person first.
l Avoid sentences that start with “I” try to start with “You” instead.Start a letter with a specific reference to something the client said or didin the last communication. It shows you've been listening.
l Have an automatic e-mail reply that lets clients know why you can'treply immediately.
l Never send an e-mail until you check it for grammatical mistakes andtone. Don't use all caps; it comes across as shouting. Don't usepunctuation faces or jokes. They're often misunderstood.
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Document Owner: Marc Chen DATE \@ "M/d/yyyy" 5/17/2007