Every savvy business owner should always be looking for ways to build their brand and draw in more customers and connections, and there are many ways you can go about this. From partnering with local businesses to investing in social media marketing, you’ve got dozens of options to build your brand.
But what about when it comes to giving customers the best possible first impression and really wowing them before you even get to the point of making a deal? That first impression can make all the difference, and here are some smart tips and tricks to make it a memorable one, in all the right ways.
Small Talk
If you’re talking with a client or customer, it’s perfectly clear that the ultimate goal of the discussion is to seal a deal or make a sale. You know that, and so do your customers.
However, there’s still no harm in engaging in a little small talk before you start. This can be a great way to show customers that you value them as individuals and that you don’t just see them as buyers or statistics.
Chatting a little about a customer’s job, home town, or just mentioning the weather can be a light way to break the ice and demonstrate that you’re a polite and respectful person.
Go Above and Beyond
Most customers expect more or less the same basic experience when dealing with a new company. They’ve seen it all before and already know what you’re going to say, what questions you’ll ask, and how you’ll try to win them over.
Or, at least, they think they know it all. You can subvert their expectations and surprise them with your actions. Dare to be different.
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Greet your customers with a prepared welcome package, offer them snacks and drinks during your first meeting, surprise them with unexpected bonuses and discounts to catch their attention, and go above and beyond the call of duty to meet their needs.
Kindness and Politeness Go a Long Way
Another top tip for those who want to impress new customers is to make sure you treat them with exceptional politeness. Basically, you should act like your customer is your boss, because, in many ways, they are.
It’s important for every business to remember that customers are ultimately the ones who pay their wages and keep them afloat, and every customer deserves to be treated with the respect and importance their position deserves.
You can read many college papers on the matter, discussing the customer-business relationship in detail and examining how companies who treat their customers well get rewarded in the long run.
Dress Well and Set the Scene
When trying to make a good first impression on a date or at a business meeting, you wouldn’t usually turn up with messy hair or creased clothes, would you? The same logic applies when greeting new customers too.
A professional who turns up in a professional outfit, with neat hair, tidy clothes, and a proper look, will definitely give off a much better image than someone who turns up looking like they just rushed out of bed.
The same can be said of your office or workspace too; make sure it’s neat, tidy, and aesthetically pleasing. Offices can quickly fall into disarray throughout the working day, but if you’ve got clients and customers coming in, take the time to dress the place up a little, or set aside a separate meeting room to greet your guests in style.
Have the Right Attitude
Your general attitude and approach to meeting clients can say a lot about you and really contributes a great deal to building up their first impression of you too. So try to work on it and head into all new meetings and greetings with a positive, focused outlook.
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Greet new customers with a smile and a handshake, look happy to see them, keep eye contact, and give off a confident, relaxed persona that they can relate to and start to trust, right from the very first moment.
All of this will help customers to see that you’re the sort of person they can engage with and do business with, without any worries.
Final Word
Ultimately, when meeting prospective customers and clients, the first impression is your ‘make or break’ moment, so don’t let it slip away. Grab it with both hands, doing all you can to impress, please, and prove to your customers that they can trust you.