It is extremely important that people have a good first
impression of you. Either you make a good impression or
you will suffer for it! It is going to effect how your
contact views you for the rest of that conversation.
It can effect how fast a friendship starts, or how
fast business relationships get going. You have got
to make a good first impression!

What is a "first impression"? Simply it is the first
thoughts a person has toward you after seeing you or
listening to what you have to say. These are made during
the first five seconds and then the first few minutes
of a conversation. It has been said that a speaker
has 5 minutes to convince the audience that he/she
has something good to say. How you act, dress, and
talk are all going to effect "the first
impression". A customer's first impression of a
salesmen will have an impact on whether the customer
buys. The first impression a manager has of you will
effect whether you are hired. How you act in the first
moments of meeting your new neighbor will sharply effect
his/her view of you. Yes, you need to make a good first
impression! It can stop a sale, or it can help you make
an instant friend!

How do you make a good impression? Here is one way which
is guaranteed to work. Do this and people will have
excellent first thoughts about you! This is the key:

When you meet someone (friend or new contact), greet
them on the phone, or pass them on the street, act
ENTHUSED to meet them!

Give them a "winning" smile.

Cheerfully greet them with "hello (name)". Let your voice
show that you are glad to see them!

Act like you are greeting a best friend who has been gone
for awhile.

If you walk into a group, greet or acknowledge every person.
Look them in the eye. Either verbally greet them or at least
make eye contact and acknowledge every single person.

Greet your friends, contacts, and family the same way.

When someone calls, say a professional "hello". When you
find out who is calling, act glad to hear their voice.

What if you DO NOT feel like it? Who cares! ACT enthusiastic
to meet them and you will BE enthusiastic to meet them.
They will feel important and will be glad to see YOU. You will
make an excellent first impression. This technique alone
will work wonders for you! You will stand out from the crowd.
Customers will want to come back. When a customer sees that you
are glad to have them buy from you, they will want to come back
and buy MORE from YOU.

You have probably realized that puppies make friends very
easily. When they greet a person they smile, wag their tail
and are absolutely happy to see you. They want to be your
friend. The result is that you in turn want to pet the puppy,
and be the puppies friend. This same principal works with you
social contacts. Be glad to see them and they will usually be
glad to see you. You will make a good impression and they will
like you. This is just one technique for making a good first
impression. Apply it and it will work!

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

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