First Impressions Mean Everything, Especially If You're In Sales

How do you get your prospects and customers toFor example:
see you as a credible, trustworthy, and professionalDon't begin your sales call the way your competitors
sales representative during your first sales call?do.
First, a quick story to help make the point.Don't talk too much.
Have you ever seen an ice sculptor at work?Don't ask closed-ended sales questions.
Imagine this scene and setting.Don't say you can save them time and money.
You're going to a breakfast buffet on a cruise ship. AsDon't show up without written sales call objectives.
you stand in line you notice a man with a white beretDon't lower your price without asking for something in
and chef's apron hovering over two huge blocks ofreturn.
ice. As you move forward through the mountains ofDon't ask, "How soon do you need it?"
food on the buffet line you see the sculptor chippingDon't keep blabbering until your prospect gets fidgety
away at the ice.and says, "Your time is up."
You and your spouse find a table not too far awayDon't forget to send a handwritten thank you note.
from the ice sculpture.To sum it up to you should avoid doing what your
When he's finished, you're amazed to see what hascompetition is doing.
been sculpted from the two large blocks of ice.First impressions are precious!
It was a hippopotamus.You can make your first impression, with all new sales
You couldn't help but hear what someone asked as heprospects and customers, count by being better and
approached the ice sculptor.different.
"That's beautiful - how did you ever do that?"If you want to project that you're credible, trustworthy,
The sculptor responded, "It was easy, I simply chippedand professional you have to act the part and play the
away everything that didn't look like a hippopotamus."role.
Now back to the original question. The answer is forYou gotta look good and sound good - and that's a
you to chip away at everything that doesn't make yousimple truth!
credible, trustworthy, and professional.