Top 3 Ways to Leave a Strong First Impression

Top 3 Ways to Leave a Strong First Impression Does your personal brand leave a strong first impression? Whether you are interviewing for a job, meeting potential clients and partners at a networking event, or even  commenting on someone’s blog, how  you use your brand to  say “hello” and engage others will provide the differentiation you need to stand out. The  first impression you make goes a long way towards defining how others perceive you, and remember,  we don’t get a second chance to make a first impression! Here are three ways to leave that strong first impression both online and offline. 1.  Maintain eye  contact In the real world we  need to  look people in the  eye at first meeting and maintain good  eye contact throughout the discussion. Especially at a networking event, once you are engaged in a chat  don’t let your eyes wander towards the person at the other end of the room you really want to be talking with. Keep your focus on the person in front of you until you find a polite way to move on. We maintain eye contact in the virtual world with our professional head shot â€" one that has  a full view of your face, eyes, and smile!  Use  Gravatar  to link your head shot to the  avatar that shows up when you comment on other’s blog. And don’t be an “egg head” on Twitter! Nobody wants to engage with an egg or a silhouette image. 2. Seek first to understand… …rather  than to be  understood! Too often we get caught up with proving our brand  to others by boasting  about  our credentials, experience, ability, and skills. Our personal brands speak for themselves,  so let your brand do  the talking!    When meeting people, be the first to  ask questions and find a common ground. Listen actively to what others have to say by acknowledging their input and responding sincerely. Even in  the virtual world we need to be listeners. Social media channels are a wealth of insight, ideas, and  thought leadership.  Use an  80/20 rule   maximize 80% of your time as a listener and 20% as a talker. By following this rule, the contribution you eventually make will give off an impression of value to your target audience. 3.  Use people’s names and personalize your connections What’s in a name? EVERYTHING!  People like to hear their own names so make an extra effort to use someone’s names in every interaction. After leaving a chat,  thank the other person for their time    â€œIt’s  been great talking with you Peter.”    When  commenting on a blog use the person’s name and recognize their contribution before giving your comment  â€œThank you Peter for this great post.  I really agree with what you said about…  I often feel that…,”. A great way to personalize your request is to avoid the standard canned request when connecting with others on LinkedIn. By making your request personal it will  demonstrate your sincere interest in connecting with that specific person rather than simply increasing the number of connections you have. Do you have any tips to make a first impression?  Please share in your comments.