First impressions…always available, never able to recreate. At least for the same audience.
What’s the impression you make to your different audiences? Whether online or off; within your peer groups; your customer meetings or your personal interactions. Do you really put the time/energy into making it memorable (in a good way). Or do you rely on the same ‘ole same ‘ole, because it works pretty well.
Well, whichever option you use, it has a result. My challenge to you is to reflect on those results. Are you getting what you want, or are you settling for what you receive?
Questions to ask:
- Start simple…think about the last time you asked for something from a person you met for the first time. Did you get what you wanted, or did you get what you needed? Why?
- Perceive the last initial customer interaction you had. Did you get what you wanted, or did you get what you expected? Are they the same, or are they different?
- Reflect on the new peer you met the other day. Did you give him/her something he/she needed? Did you receive something from that person? If you had another shot, would you do it differently?
Unfortunately, it seems that we’re so busy multi-tasking (read my previous post) that we get a lot done, but we’re not doing things as well as we could. Including making effective first impressions.
So, with that person you meet later today or the content you post online for a new audience or the request you make from the restaurant server at dinner…think through what you seek, how you want to present yourself and how you can do it best!
