As a home-based entrepreneur, making a good first impression can be the difference between the success of your business or its failure. Without a sales team to pitch to potential clients, it all comes down to you and if you come across as too desperate, that won’t win you any business, which is only going to make you even more desperate the next time out.
Studies have shown that we take just 1/10th of a second to decide if someone is trustworthy or not and 30 seconds to form lasting impressions of intelligence. This means that you don’t have much time to convince potential clients, investors or partners that you and your business are worth their attention and possibly their money, so you need to know how to make that winning first impression.
Here are some top tips that will help you do just that:
Nail the handshake
It’s not just a cliche to say that so much depends on how firm your handshake is, a study by the University of Alabama showed that people with a firm handshake were seen as positive and outgoing.
Smile
Of course, grinning like a fool throughout the conversation will not make you seem like someone anyone will want to work with, but research has shown that people who smile give the impression of being trustworthy and intelligent.
Make eye contact
Again, this has to be natural, so don’t gaze into their eyes in a creepy way, but making eye contact makes you seem intelligent while avoiding it gives the impression of insincerity.
Don’t cross your arms
Keeping your ‘body windows’ open is an important part of having the right body language when you are meeting someone for the first time, so don’t cross your arms, which would make you seem unapproachable.
These are just a few of the tips that On-Stride Financial has collected in this infographic, so if you want to ensure that you are being the best possible advertisement for your home business when you meet new clients, have a look and see which techniques you can try out.
