October 10, 2010 Making a Strong Impression
What impression are you making?
Starla West makes a good impression. When I first met Starla, she was fairly new on the Indianapolis networking scene. I hadn’t seen nor heard of her before, but from my first moments in her presence, I knew she was competent, confident, and someone I wanted to work with and get to know better. Thus, it didn’t surprise me in the least to learn that Starla is an executive image consultant. Ah, so that explains it, I thought. She knows how to give a great first impression.
However, over the next several months, I ran into Starla time and time again. No matter what the venue, or what type of meeting we attended, Starla continued to impress me with her professionalism, positivity, and expertise. Her genuineness, authenticity, and warm demeanor came shining through every interaction. And eventually I realized, every impression – second, third, and all of the rest – was a great one. And it wasn’t just on the surface. It is because she is so comfortable in her own skin, and confident in her skills, that I had such confidence in her.
So who better to teach others to do the same? By being her own perfect model of what she does, Starla is rapidly becoming one of the top experts in her field, and with good reason. She exemplifies what good business etiquette and personal brand management should look like… and she inspires others to want to do the same.
Why should this matter to you? First, whether you are deliberate about it or not, you are always making an impression. And equally as important as the first impression, your second and ongoing impressions are what your business is built on. The example Starla sets caused my confidence and faith in her to grow as my interactions increased. She continued to build more and more credibility. Contrast this to my current bank, which for their sake shall remain nameless. My initial impression of my bank was great. They seemed friendly, customer-service driven, and had some great services and product offerings. I loved my previous bank, so wanted to find one with a personal touch, and this bank seemed to have it. They promised personal service, ease of use, and great benefits. I expected nothing less than the same great experience or better than what I’d had at my previous bank. My first impression was exceptional.
Then, I actually started to bank with them. I found each transaction to be difficult at best. First, they promised use of alternate locations, but when I tried one, they acted as if they knew nothing of it. Frustrated, I drove out of my way to find a place I could make a deposit. Once there, I was given quite a bit of run around for a fairly basic transaction. I was floored. Why wasn’t this easy? Many of my questions were those I’d assume they’d gotten on a fairly regular basis. The representative did not seem to care that I was inconvenienced.
Thinking maybe it was a unique situation, I tried again. And again. And every time, I came away frustrated and dissatisfied. I feel as if they’ve pulled a bait and switch on me. I’d rather know going in what I was really dealing with, rather than have a false first impression. Now, you guessed it, they’ve not only lost a potential raving fan, they’ve lost a customer. And plenty of my friends have heard of my frustrations. That’s the thing about human nature, we are much more likely to share our bad experiences than our good ones.
So, ask yourself – which impression do you want to give? The increasingly positive one that Starla and her company exude, or the increasingly negative one that creates a need for damage control? Are you deliberate about the impression you are giving, at all times? If not, save yourself time, money, and heartache, and give Starla a call. Your customers will thank you!
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- Posted under management coaching, Strengths, Uncategorized, Workplace Communication
