Ten Ways to Make A Positive Impression
Posted October 10, 2007 in Marketing 12 Comments »
Those of us who are business owners, consultants, marketers and sales people must make good impressions on others if we are to succeed in building our businesses, growing clients, and making the sale.
It begins with the way we look and speak and the ways we communicate our feelings and emotions.
I want to use this space, however, to focus on other ways to make a good impression. Here are my top 10 in no particular order. Please share your ideas with us in your comments, or feel free to disagree or agree and tell us why.
- Do your homework before the meeting. Know as much about the person you are meeting and their business as possible.
- Begin with a few words about them, such as: “Is it true that you love dogs (flying, golf, fishing, etc.)? So do I.” You might learn about your potential customers and clients interests in your research. I usually discover something in common by paying attention to the details when I enter my potential client’s office. Pictures, magazines, and posters can tell us a lot. The key: You have to tell the truth. If you don’t love dogs, don’t say you do. The purpose of this tip is to begin building a relationship based on trust and credibility and common interests, experiences, goals, objectives and knowledge.
- Once the business portion of the meeting begins, ask the potential client or customer how you can help. Make it clear that you don’t sell products (software, widgets, etc.), you sell solutions and great experiences. This question assumes your meeting was set up by the client not you, and he or she has a want or a need they believe you call fill.
- If you called the meeting, make it clear immediately how you think you can help the potential client, and then listen. If you can’t help, say thank you and leave without taking up any more time. Better yet, if you are able to refer them to someone who can help them, do so. This is a great way to build a relationship that will result in referrals, leads and sales. You don’t always have to make the sale to get a sale.
- If you don’t understand something, stop the conversation and ask a relevant and smart question. Pretending you know more than you do is a recipe for indigestion.
- Make no promises you can’t keep. Under-sell and Over-deliver.
- Be 100 percent honest, 100 percent of the time. If you can’t answer a question, say so and tell your potential client you will get back to them within x hours with an answer. And then do so.
- Recognize a “yes” or a “no” when you hear it, and respond appropriately. If you hear a “yes,” say thank you and share the next steps with your client. If you hear a “no“, that may be the end of the meeting.
- Listen, listen and listen. Be kind, generous and yourself.
- Follow-up throughout the delivery process and after the job is done to ensure your client is happy.
Remember: Marketing, sales and branding have more to do with building relationships than than they with products and services.
Lewis
******
Lewis Green is Founder & Chief Communications Officer of L&G Business Solutions, which is a specialized business marketing communications firm, built on values. You can find more free tips at his blog, bizsolutionsplus.
About the author: Lewis Green is Founder & Chief Communications Officer of L&G Business Solutions, which is a specialized business marketing communications firm, built on values. You can find more free tips at his blog, bizsolutionsplus.
-
The end of the year can be a dry time for some freelancers — potential clients are on vacation, hectic…
[Read More...] -
Twitter is quickly becoming the new online powerhouse for networking, and along with that growth comes a significant opportunity for…
[Read More...] -
As I wade through the many blog posts and articles written about freelancing, I notice a very definite trend. While…
[Read More...]
The Unlimited Freelancer is Now Only $19
Unleash the true potential of your business. Get The Unlimited Freelancer and start transforming your freelance business,
now only $19.
Try searching "Getting Clients" or "Productivity"
FreelanceCommunity
Free Resource: Massive Web UI and Button Set
This is a free photoshop set provided by MediaLoot with hundreds of free buttons, boxes, and other useful web elements.5 Fresh and Useful jQuery Plugins Were Born in November 2009
In November 2009, 5 jQuery plugins were born that are new and useful for web designers. Read this post to learn more.How Well Do You Understand CSS Positioning?
The css position property seems easy to grasp, but it works a little differently than it appears on the surface.
Free Report
Sign up for our product discount list to get a free copy of Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Popular Articles
- SEO Techniques All Top Websites Should Use
- When a Client Can't Afford You: Why It's Still Better to Bid High
- How To Stop Scrambling For Clients And Get A Steady Stream Of Paying Gigs
- A Simple Way To Stop Clients From Rejecting Your Proposals
- 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)
12 Comments
Nathan
October 10th, 2007 at 4:21 pmgood advice, I will keep these things in mind
thanks
Shane
October 10th, 2007 at 10:00 pmHonesty is a big one. Lying to your customers is the quickest way to find the door.
I had a consultant ly his butt off to me a couple weeks ago. He didn’t know the answer so he just made something up that I had already verified was untrue.
He lost all credibility and got kicked to the curb.
Lewis Green
October 11th, 2007 at 7:57 amNathan and Shane,
Thank you for reading my post and especially for your comments. I hope the post is helpful.
FireSnake Chicago Website Design
October 11th, 2007 at 10:46 pmAs most small businesses will tell you, most of their business come from referrals and word-of-mouth. The key is definitely about building long-term relationships. Point 1 & 2 can be summarized as “Fortune Favors the Prepared”.
Lewis Green
October 12th, 2007 at 8:16 amFiresnake,
Thank you for your take on the conversation. Good comment.
Michael Martine
October 12th, 2007 at 10:25 amIf I had to pick two that are the most important, I’d say 6 and 8, just because it seems like those two are almost impossible for people to accomplish.
Great tips!
FireSnake Chicago Website Design
October 12th, 2007 at 10:42 amSometimes a “no” can lead to more discussion. You might then find that the underlying reason is because the customer has a slew of needs or perhaps you can offer to educate the customer of the importance of having a service or product – not necessarily your own.
Lewis Green
October 12th, 2007 at 10:42 amMichael,
So true. Sales people waste a tremendous amount of time because they do not listen; therefore, they do not hear “yes” or “no when it is first spoken. Sometimes that causes the “yes” to become a “no”. The reverse seldom happens.
As for under-promising, all too often the opposite happens, harming the business and the brand.
Lewis Green
October 12th, 2007 at 10:43 amFirstsnake,
Excellent suggestion. If you can help the client with a solutions, even if it is not one you can provide, you and your business gain hero status.
Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller
October 12th, 2007 at 4:48 pmGreat post Lewis! One additional question I usually have for entrepreneurs and business-people when we first meet is “Who is your ideal prospect and how can I recognize him/her?”
I know that if I can send a referral their way, I am in a much better position to strengthen our relationship. It’s always fulfilling to recommend and introduce qualified and interested people to each other. It’s a 3-way benefit!
Lewis Green
October 13th, 2007 at 8:36 amDan,
I ask that question, as well, in a slightly different way: Who is your ideal customer and what does he or she look like? Have a great weekend!
Trackbacks