Are You Making The First Impression Count?

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Anyone who follows the NFL knows who Tom Brady is; but I’m sure a large number of us don’t know what his 40-yard dash time or vertical jump height was at the 2000 NFL Combine.

**Spoiler Alert**

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They were bad.

Here’s a brief article that provides a glimpse of how he was perceived before entering the NFL.


“Poor Build, Skinny, 
lacks great physical stature and strength, lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush, lacks a really strong arm, can’t drive the ball downfield…”

– Thomas Duffy (Bleacherreport.com)

 

In the end, he was selected as the 199th player out of 254 in the NFL draft that year. Even though he was picked late at 199thoverall, he was still picked. Most picks that far down the draft only feature for a handful of minutes throughout their entire career, but Brady made every chance count, and created his own success regardless of what was said about him.

The same can be applied in business; where you have to take on every lead as if it’s your first, and the very last one you’ll have. And it’s not easy – a lot of the time, we only get one chance to make a strong first impression. According to Business Insider, that first impression is created in just seven seconds.

 

7 seconds.

 

Contexts vary, but you get the idea: there isn’t much time to capture a prospect’s attention and to demonstrate to them that you’re ‘the right guy’. Your key initial qualities matter. Show it with clear drive and dedication; proven commitment never goes out of style.

Demonstrate this to your investors in your own way by creating a brand around your business. Try asking yourself these questions before meeting up with a client:

 

“When this meeting is over, what are 2-3 things I need my client to know about who we are?”

 

“How do I want them to feel after leaving this meeting?”

 

A genuine brand can help simplify the process and keep clients biting for that one extra second needed to close.

 

Second impressions don’t come by as often as we’d like them to.

 

By Darragh Hill

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