First Impressions

Benjamin Bach is guest blogging for Phil today

I was recently interviewed by Josh Hinds of BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com, and he asked me a very good question: "How do you generally engage a person in conversation upon first meeting them?"

I had to stop and think about this one - Josh wanted to know about the actual mechanics that occur before I speak to someone for the first time.  Since body language is more expressive than the words we use, how we approach someone and carry ourselves the first time we meet them is more important than most people think!

Here is what I said to Josh:

First, I make a conscious effort to note the colour of their eyes. This ensures I am making GREAT eye contact, and makes it easy to genuinely listen to the person (since my attention is trained on them). I try to look at everyone with love in my eyes - not in the romantic sense, but in the way that lets them know you really care about them as a person (read Og Mandino's Greatest Salesman in the World for a better explanation of this).

I stand up straight, make sure my arms aren't crossed, and smile. After that, you just need to follow through on the expectation you've built with your non verbal communication - ask questions that focus on them and allow them to be portrayed in the best light possible, and listen attentively.

Don't sell yourself. Don't offer your services. Don't interrupt their stories to go say hi to someone across the room. For the minute or two you're speaking with them, give them your undivided attention, and make them feel special. They will associate these positive feelings with you, and when they get your [hand written] card a few days later they will remember the charming chat they had with you!

For the full interview, click through to Josh's site.

How do you approach someone you are meeting for the first time?  Let us know in the comments!

Benjamin Bach is a speaker, writer and wealth building Realtor in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.  Benjamin would love to hear from you - please write him at Benjamin AT benjaminbach DOT com. You can find his blog at http://www.KitchenerWaterlooRealEstateInvestments.com

Comments

[Reg Adkins]

Do you alter your approach based on geography and gender?

[Stephen Hopson]

Benjamin:

I agree with everything you said in this post. I think it's applicable to anyone you meet. There's nothing more annoying than having someone with shifty eyes while you're holding a conversation with that person.

I am very conscious of the need to make the other person feel special because I know how it would make me feel. There's nothing more disconcerting than to have a person constantly look around the room as if he/she were looking for something better to do.

Stephen