In the world where clients, investors, and businesspersons come together for business, there’s nothing more important than a good first impression to seal the deal. Like it or not, how people feel about you are all based on first impressions, and this can be hard to change once they’re formed. For this reason, getting it right the first time is crucial.

As you’re essentially meeting someone new, leaving a favourable impression requires some finesse and knowledge. Speaking appropriately, presenting your best self, acting professionally and so on, the key here is to present yourself in a way that others will like and appreciate.

While there are no set number of rules to follow, here are some handpicked dos and don’ts that can come in handy for tackling your next meeting with a business prospect.

Dos

Whether you are meeting up with a simple business prospect or a super important client, it is still a social meeting between you and another party. Although each encounter may vary, here are some general rules to follow to land that good first impression.

1. Present yourself well

Just like going on a date, no one appreciates meeting up with someone that doesn’t put effort into presenting their best selves, especially for first-time encounters. As such, strive to present yourself well by dressing appropriately and looking sharp.

Depending on the person you’re meeting, here’s a general rule of thumb for your dress codes:

Meeting high-profile businessmen? Formal attire fits best.
Have an appointment with clients? Semi-formal works well.
Seeing an artist or musician? Casual attire may suffice.

Besides fashion, it’s only fitting that you complete the look with the right smile and body language. This applies to both men and the ladies, so remember to have a warm smile, stand tall, and make eye contact as it will help the other party feel more comfortable and be at ease.

Also, presenting your best self doesn’t end there – you should also leverage the latest digital tech! Since the Internet is king nowadays, your online presence matters just as much too, so do strive to look your best on social media and online platforms.

If that’s done, you can step it up a notch by having a good digital business card in your arsenal, like @card!

With plenty of features to boot, your prospects can easily check out your company’s social media and website through @card and connect with you after the meeting. This is great for first impressions as it paints you in a positive light as a tech-savvy person!

2. Have a good and positive attitude

Nothing kills a first impression faster than an unpleasant attitude, so strive to have a good and positive attitude with everyone you meet. After all, your attitude shows through your actions.

Naturally, you won’t come across someone who is agreeable or fair every time, but having a good attitude will help you combat that and keep the meeting from going sour. In the same vein, strive to be confident as it shows that you are approachable and can be a good person to work with, which are good traits to have in business.

Although positivity and confidence are certainly important, this doesn’t mean that you should forget to be open and authentic. Sure, wanting to project the “perfect image” is understandable, but that doesn’t mean you should pretend to be someone you are not, so try to be your best and truest self. People respect someone who is as honest as they are nice.

3. Have good conversation etiquette

When you meet someone new, appearances form one part of a first impression, and the way you speak forms the other. This makes having good conversation etiquette quite important if you want to be viewed in a good light.

Proper wording choices and pronunciation aside, it’s important to remember that a good conversation revolves around both parties, so look to prevent your conversations from getting one-sided. Even if you are doing most of the talking, you can still be a good listener by taking the time to listen to what the other party has to say.

Moreover, a good conversation is not filled with distractions. Everyone enjoys a smooth-sailing conversation, so pay attention and stay focused on them – keep your phone away, don’t let your mind go adrift, and maintain eye contact. This will show you are focused only on the person you’re talking to, which helps pave the way for a much better relationship.

4. Demonstrate professionalism

A person who acts professional will always triumph over someone who seems like they’d rather be somewhere else. As befits the business world, always look to be professional whenever you’re interacting with someone, especially for first-time encounters.

In practice, acting professionally basically boils down to being a nice and reasonable person to others. Much like how one should treat others well, the facets of professionalism that one should practice include:

Be polite
Be respectful
Be punctual

Furthermore, the business world also calls for good and proper conduct. When meeting a prospect or a client, try to understand their needs first before explaining what solution you have to offer. In the event that you are unsure of something, do make it a point to politely inform your other party that you will discuss the matter with your team. Altogether, this does wonders for your first impression as it demonstrates your competency and professionalism.

Don’ts

When it comes to the don’ts, the rules are similar to how you should avoid behaving like an undesirable person in real life. As a professional, you wouldn’t want to make any avoidable mistakes that might garner disapproval. Here are some to look out for:

1. Act like a nonprofessional

It goes without saying that failing to demonstrate proper and professional behavior in the business world will quickly get you the disapproval or even contempt of many. No matter who you’re dealing with, always try to avoid acting unprofessionally at all costs.

The premise to this is simple – a professional environment has no room for spiteful or bad behavior. As a professional, it’s paramount that you show good manners and mindfulness in what you say:

Don’t sound condescending.
Don’t complain.
Don’t make unfriendly or offensive remarks.

Besides saying the right things, it’s also quite crucial to never interrupt someone when they’re speaking either as this will make them feel that their opinion is unimportant. Likewise, remember to never say something inappropriate or offense either! As long as you can show some civility, you will be well on your way to a more positive first impression.

2. Get distracted

Nothing annoys a person who’s speaking more than a distracted listener. Not only does it show that your attention is drifting away, but it also reflects poorly on your part by giving others the impression that you think they’re unimportant. So, try to avoid getting distracted.

For the most part, keeping your focus on your listener lies in keeping distractions at bay. The easiest place to start is to avoid playing with your phone, but you can also stay focused by:

Keeping your mind off other things.
Listening intently.
Avoiding multitasking.
Confirming what the other party has said.

With the right amount of concentration, you’ll be on your way to much better communication, which leads to better first impressions. Nevertheless, here are some other helpful tips that can help bolster your focus in your future conversations.

3. Keep your phone on

If you have not kept your phone on silent mode, now is the time to reconsider this! A promising meeting can be quickly shot down by an unwanted phone call or text message. So, just like in the cinema, strive to silence your phone in all your meetings whenever possible.

Thing is, receiving an audible notification on your phone can disrupt the flow and atmosphere of your business meeting. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, notifications that can wait till after the meeting include:

Emails
Text messages
Social media platform notifications
Unimportant phone calls

Remember, professional behavior should not have phones as a concern. Out of respect for both your self-image and whoever you are meeting, just silence your phone.

4. Be unprepared

Undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes to make, being unprepared will make a first impression anything but good. A lack of preparation reflects incompetency and becomes apparent rather quickly, so do yourself a favour and always be prepared.

Thankfully, unpreparedness can be tackled by taking the time to prepare properly. As you’ll likely be unfamiliar with the person you’re meeting, doing some research beforehand will help you get a better grasp of who they are. When researching, here are some things to look for:

Their background
Their career / profession
Their company & its background
Personal interests

By having a better feel for who you’re meeting, you will find it a lot easier to navigate a conversation with them and stay on track.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to bring your most important item along either – your name card. No business meeting is complete without it, but if forgetting them is an issue, consider getting an @card instead! With convenient links and QR codes available, you won’t have to worry about forgetting your cards!

Together, all this preparation will do wonders for your first impression as it shows the effort and dedication you put into meeting someone.

At the end of the day, first impressions are a big deal in the field of business. Acting like a professional is the norm here, and those that fall short in acting like one will quickly find themselves at a disadvantage. As impressions can be difficult to change after the first one, it’s certainly in your best interest to get it right the first time, because trust us when we say that you don’t want your first meeting with a client to be your last. Good luck with the meetings!

First Impressions in Business Meetings – The Dos and Don’ts