How to Make a Good First Impression

We sometimes get only one chance to make an impression on someone either in our personal or business life. Therefore it is important to remember some basic things to do that will assure us of making the best impression possible. The following are ten of the most common things people can do to make the best first impression possible.

1. Appear Neat And Dress Appropriately.

Being neat in our appearance is something we can do regardless of whether we are trying to make a good impression on someone or not. In a *first meeting* situation for business, to show up in jeans, tennis shoes and with uncombed hair would be a big mistake. If the situation is social, dressing casual is fine depending on where you are meeting, but being well groomed is always going to make a good impression.

2. Maintain Good Eye Contact.

From the first time you meet the person unlit you part, maintain good direct eye contact with them. This usually indicates to people that you are listening to them, interested in them, and friendly. You need not stare or glare at them. Simply focus on them and their immediate direction the majority of the time. When talking, look at them also, since your new acquaintance wants to be sure you are talking to him/her and not the floor. It also will give you an idea of how the person is receiving what you are saying to them if you are looking at them.

3. Shake Their Hand At The Beginning And When Parting.

Whether it is a business meeting or a social occasion, most people appreciate or expect a friendly handshake. The best kind are firm (no need to prove your strength) and 3-5 seconds long. Pumping up and down or jerking their arm about is not needed nor usually welcomed. A *limp rag* handshake is not recommended unless you have good reason to believe shaking the person's hand any harder would injure them. Look at them in the eye when shaking their hand.

4. SMILE! :-)

A smile goes a long way in making a first impression. When you shake hands with the person, smile as you introduce yourself or say hello. Even if the other person does not smile, you can, and it will be remembered by the other person. As you talk or listen to the person speak, smile off and on to show your interest, amusement, or just to show you are being friendly.

5. Listen More Than You Talk.

Unless you are asked for your life story (in which case give a very abbreviated version) let the other person do most of the talking as you listen. Listening to your new acquaintance will give you information to refer to later, and it will give your new friend the impression you are genuinely interested in them, their business, etc. If you are asked questions, feel free to talk. If you are really bored, avoid 3-5 word sentence replies to your companion's questions. Pretend at least to be interested. You won't/don't necessarily ever have to talk with this person again.

6. Relax And Be Yourself.

Who else would you be? Well, sometimes people try to act differently than they normally would to impress or show off to a new acquaintance. Putting on facades and *airs* is not recommended, as a discerning person will sense it and it will have a negative affect on how they view you. Just be yourself and relax and *go with the flow* of conversation.

7. Ask Them About *Their* Business And Personal Life.

Show that you have an active interest in the other person's professional and personal life. When an appropriate time comes, ask them to tell you about their family and their business if they have not already done so. People love to talk about themselves. They usually feel flattered and respected when others, especially people who have never met them, show real interest in their business and their personal life. It also shows that you are not self-centered when you do not spend alot of time talking about yourself and *your* life.

8. Don't *Name Drop* Or Brag.

Very few people you will meet for the first time will be favorably impressed if you start telling them you know Donald Trump, Don Johnson, or the CEO of Widgits, Inc. They want to get to know you and have you get to know them. Experienced and secure business people are not impressed by who you know as much as what you know. If someone asks you if you know *so and so*, then it's appropriate to tell them the truth. Unless they do, it sounds like you are very insecure and trying to really *impress them*. Bragging about your financial, business or social coups or feats is likewise in bad taste and not recommended. Just keep it simple and factual and be yourself.

9. Don't Eat Or *Drink* Too Much.

If your first meeting is at a function or place where food and alcohol are served, it is wise to eat and drink in moderation. This is especial true of drinking alcohol! You want to be able to listen well and remember what is said, and speak well for yourself. There is probably nothing that leaves a worse first impression on a business or social date than for their new *acquaintance* to get intoxicated and to say or do things that are embarrassing, rude, crude, or all three. Use good self control and eat as your new friend does, and drink only in social moderation or not at all. What is done one night under the influence of alcoholic merriment might be regretted for hundreds of nights in clear headed sobriety!

10. Part With A Smile, A Handshake And A Sincere Comment Or Compliment.

Regardless of how you felt the evening went it is simply common courtesy to shake hands when the evening is over, offer a smile and some sort of friendly comment or compliment. If it was a social evening and you had a great time, offer a sincere compliment and let them know you'd like to meet again. If it was a business meeting, offer a smile and a sincere comment around how it was nice to meet them, get to know them, learn about their business etc. You may never have to see the person again, but they may know people who they will tell about their meeting with you who you *will* work with or need to meet down the road. It always pays to be kind and polite even if you were not treated that way or did not enjoy the time you spent with someone.

Why do some Business managers reach the profit goal more often than others? They do it because they keep their performance pointed
in that direction - direction of profit earning. They never lose sight of the goal - to complete the year with a gain.

This manual Gives suggestions that should enable an owner-manager to zero on profit making. It points out that you must stay
informed, make timely decisions, and take action. In effect you need to control the activities of your company rather than being
controlled by them.

Topnotch Functionality in golf, shootingfishing demands knowledge, practice, and endurance.

Likewise in Small businesses, year-end profit arrives to the owner-manager who tries for topnotch performance. You achieve profit
making goals by knowing your performance, by practicing the art of making timely, balanced judgments and by controlling the
company's actions.

Adapt the Tips in this guide to your circumstance. They ought to allow you to call the shots to keep your company headed in the
ideal direction - toward profit making.

First Rule of Profit Making: Know Your Business. The Time-honored truth"Knowledge is power" is especially pertinent to the
owner-manager of a small business. To keep your business pointed toward gain you need to keep yourself well informed about it. You
have to be aware of how the organization is doing before you may enhance its performance. You have to understand its weak points
before you can correct them. Some of the information you need you pick up from day-to-day personal observation, but documents
should be your main source of information about profits, costs, and sales.

Know Your Profit. The profit and loss statement (or earnings Statement) prepared regularly each month or every quarter by your
accountant is one of the most essential indicators of your business's value and wellbeing. You should make sure that this
announcement contains all of the facts you need for evaluating your profit. This statement must pinpoint each earnings and cost
area. By way of example, it should demonstrate the gain and loss for each of your products and product lines as well as the profit
and loss for your whole operation.

It is a great Thought to have your own profit and loss statement prepared that it shows every single item for the current period,
for the same period last year, and for the present year-to-date. For example, a P&L announcement for the month of November would
reveal income and expenses for the current month, for November this past year, and prices for the eleven months of this present
year. Many businesses publish their annual reports with a few previous decades therefore stockholders can compare earnings.

Comparison is The trick to utilizing your P&L announcement. If your accountant isn't already furnishing figures that you can
compare, you need to discuss the possibility of getting them supplied.

Financial Ratios out of your balance sheet also allow you to understand whether your profit is what it should be. As an instance,
the ratio of net worth (return on investment ratio) shows what the company earned on the equity capital invested.

Know Your Costs. An owner-manager ought to know costs in detail. Then, you can compare your cost figures as a proportion of sales
(operating ratio). Be sure your costs are itemized so you can put your fingers on those that appear to be climbing or falling
according to your expertise and the price figures of your own industry. When costs are itemized, you can spot the offender once
the overall figure is higher than what you had budgeted. Take advertising costs for example. You can grab the offender should you
break out your advertising expenses by product lines and by websites. Additionally, a thorough check of inquiry yields from
advertising will help avoid unproductive books.

In understanding your Prices, keep in mind that the formulation for profit is: Profit equals Sales minus Costs.

Know Your Product Markup. Be sure That the pricing of your goods supplies a markup adequate to the kind of profit you expect to
attain. You have to keep constantly educated on pricing since you need to adjust for rising costs and at the exact same time keep
costs competitive. Knowledge on your markup also can help you to run close outs with your eyes open. Continuing to make a product
that just a few customers desire is a powerful merchandising tool only once you use it on purpose - for example, to hold or
attract buyers to other high markup solutions. Do not be afraid to drop a loser from your line.

Garbage-In, Garbage-Out. An Owner-manager should not fudge the records. The acronym GIGO that the computer business uses is
accurate with manually kept records in addition to with machine-processed ones. If an owner-manager allows"garbage" to go into the
records, the reports will include"garbage." Reports need not be extensive but they need to be accurate.

Search For Trends. Try to not look at one month's sales or Profit picture alone. The figures on your operating statements are
significant only when you set the image in the ideal framework - which is, take a look in the characters in the context of what's
happened and what's very likely to take place. In that fashion, you grab a downward trend before it gets out of control.

You should also Concern yourself with all the figures behind the dollars - for example, the number Of units offered or the number
of orders. Insist on cost-per-unit statistics. The Fluctuation of this cost-per-unit can be more meaningful than just looking In
the dollar figures . Another idea would be to exhibit these comparative Figures on charts so that significant trends can be viewed
readily.

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