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    For those that are in a sales profession that look like a movie star with a great personality and superb first impression this article is not for you. For the other 99 percent… well… please read on.

    Is a first impression critical?

    Yes… but not any more than a second impression. You see I have learned, and practice, the art of second impression. I know that as I meet someone for the first time they have analyzed and summed me up as lacking. It’s just how we’re wired and it starts at birth. According to researchers at the University of Texas, babies like pretty faces better than plain ones. As we grow older this doesn’t change. Advertising has beautiful people peddling wares… on purpose. We all like pretty faces. So… how in the world can the rest of us compete? It’s by achieving a great second impression or as I like to call it i2. Let me share. You see for me it started around 5th grade. That’s when I found out I had a debilitating muscle-skin disease. It quickly became apparent that brains’ was going to have to win over brawn and where I learned my first lesson or first stage of i2. I would focus on learning. In other words I would develop some depth to my personality. I would become interesting and useful. As I hit the dating age I decided that to attract a desirable female I needed “skills”. Dale Carnegie came to the rescue with his book - How to Win Friends & Influence People. This was one of the most influential books in developing my life and later sales skills. It was also where I developed the second stage of i2. I learned that people really like to talk about themselves… a very useful tool. In listening I could gather intelligent data that I could respond to with interesting and useful information. I would go instantly from frumpy guy to “Wow, I like and need this person” and i2 is achieved! The by-products of these stages are tenacity, creativity, confidence, caring, and purpose… among others. Traits that I believe everyone wants in some form or other. I continually work on my presentation. As I get older I realize that I have my work cut out to relate with the younger potential clients. Now I’m faced with a first impression of “looks like my dad”. The good news is i2 applies here as well as long as I am interesting, useful, and listen. While having “pearly whites and perfect hair” does give you a great first impression… I have found that i2 is even more important and why many that rely on just their looks fail. Dress sharp, look your best, is always important and I am not belittling that here. Education, self taught or scholastically, is as critical. Listening is a key element. Put these together and you will be in command and achieve i2 success regardless of what your first impression is.
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