How Salespeople Make Great First Impressions
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink he informs us that we make surprisingly accurate assessments in the first few seconds of meeting someone new. It’s called “thin-slicing” and we all do it whether we realize it or not.
Just think back to the last time you met someone new. After a few minutes of speaking, do you remember thinking to yourself whether you would get along with him or her in the long run?
Deciding whether or not we like someone, like all decisions, is made emotionally and then rationalized with logic. In other words, it’s an emotional, gut reaction that we later attach rational “reasons” to.
That’s why if you need to influence or persuade others, you must master some basic skills like likeability in order to make a good first impression and appeal to the individual’s thin slicing mechanism.
A Real Life Example
How long did it take you to decide how good your professor was in college? A class? A semester?
The psychologist Nalini Ambady once gave students three 10-second video clips of a teacher with the sound turned off. Surprisingly, they had no difficulty at all coming up with a rating of the teacher’s effectiveness. Even more astounding was the fact that their assessments were identical to the evaluations the professor received from students after the entire semester.
The people you meet for the first time, including prospects and new customers, size you up very quickly. How do you think you rate?
How to Make Great First Impressions
Want to secure the best first impression possible? Here are two very simple behaviors that you can harness to trigger likeability.
- Smile
When you first meet someone, smile. A smile is the most powerful type of body language. A smile says “I like you,” and people tend to reciprocate that powerful emotion. In addition, it puts you in a great mental state. It says you are confident, glad to be here, and that you’re very welcoming to others.
- Address the Prospect Directly
When addressing someone you just met, use his or her first name. It personalizes everything. It says that they are important enough for you to make it a point to remember and call them by name.
But beware, use the name they give you, don’t shorten it to a nickname or make Tim “Timmy”. If someone introduces himself as “Richard,” that means he wants to be called Richard, not Rick, Rich or Dick.
Yes, these are two very simple things, but they are things you know work because you’ve used them before.
If you don’t consistently practice these behaviors, why not? Just smile a genuine smile and address people by their given name and you will be liked. It’s a minimal amount of effort on your part for a potentially big reward down the line.
Don’t discount being liked; it’s one of the principles that moves emotion and helps you persuade prospects.