How to Make a Great First Impression in Business

So you got a new job, or have finally built your own little company. In both cases, you will be having many business meetings, not just internal but actually meeting external business parties, such as potential customers or new suppliers, and you will be meeting them most probably for the very first time. In any case it will be important to know how to make that first and great impression.

Like in your personal life you will want the person to go away from your first meeting, remembering you for longer than it takes them to get out the front door – and especially you want them to remember you in a good sense!

Do not panic. In essence it is rather easy to make a good first impression, if you got the right tools! Here a step by step guide to help you a long in your meetings.

You can be assured that you will not get another chance to make a good impression, if you are running late for a meeting. Even if the person you are meeting plays it down, I guarantee you he or she will keep it in the back of their mind.

When you know you got an important meeting, and you have not established an on-going relationship with the person you are meeting, make sure you are not “just” on time but be there early. This will give you a chance to get accustomed to your surroundings and maybe comment on something interesting about the business you have spotted. The CEO you are meeting might be into rugby and got a dozen signed shirts hanging framed down the corridor of his business. But you wouldn’t have realised if you had to rush passed them, because you were late (instead of having time to ask the secretary what the deal is with the rugby shirts). What a great ice-breaker if you brought it up in the meeting.

Do you still remember when your mother would sit you down and say that it was wrong “to judge a book by its cover”. Well I am sorry mom but that was a pretty bad business advice. The majority of people will definitely judge your looks when you turn up to your important business meeting.

However, thread cautiously you do not want to overdress for the occasion. It will give the person an even better impression of you if he/she feels that you understand their business and etiquette. But I would still ensure you got some kind of regular/adaptable business wear – and ensure your hair does not look like you just fell out of bed.

It might be a daunting experience, you are meeting a person (or more) for the first time, and it is almost like your first date back as a teenager. Sweaty hands, dry mouth, increased heartbeat … you are hoping to just tick all the right boxes so you make it to “second base” (as our American friends would say).

Well you better shake it off and at least try to look confident. Sometimes deception is the best way forward. Make the people around you “believe” you are confident. Be prepared, plan the meeting and try to factor in any questions that might pop up. If you are presenting – keep the presentation simple, do not add any special effects (be confident but not over-confident) to your PowerPoint. Just imagine what an impression you will leave if something goes wrong and you have to spend half the meeting trying to fix a problem that could have been simply avoided.

So, the tip here is: keep it simple, to the point, and professional.

Just to clarify from the start – I am not suggesting you bribe someone! But you will not believe how great an impression you can make if you offer to take someone out for lunch after a meeting or for a coffee. This not just creates a great impression but gives you the opportunity to get to know this new person, on a more personal level, and start building a relationship that hopefully will last beyond the meeting.

However, do not be tacky – and please do not offer them a branded USB. I can assure you they have got a whole drawer full of them.

To ensure that you leave a lasting impression beyond the meeting the last piece of the puzzle got to fit as well. Ensure you got a business card on you. Not just any business card and especially not one that you printed off yourself! Invest in some professional business card printing.

People might argue that the era of business cards is over, and LinkedIn profiles are taking over. I believe they are very wrong. Not just because I am a nostalgic person, and like to have someone’s name and details printed on a little professionally looking rectangular paper. With my memory I would not even remember the person’s name long enough to look him or her up on LinkedIn.

The people you will be meeting, do not just meet you, their calendars will be packed with meetings with strangers. So ensure that your business card reflects the first impression that you want to give to your new business contact. Why? So when he or she goes back to their desk and ponder about who to sign the deal with, whilst looking through all the business cards they got. Let them re-experience that great first impression you made, when looking at your card – and hopefully you should get that crucial phone call (or more likely email nowadays) confirming your success.