First Impressions

Greetings from Boston!  I arrived here today for the Women Presidents Organisation (WPO) annual conference which starts on Thursday.  As a facilitator for WPO we have a get together and some training prior to the conference, so its great to catch up with old friends and to make some new acquaintances too.

Arriving in Boston I immediately felt at home here.  The sun was shining, clear skies and the drive along the riverfront was lovely, as I noticed boats on their moorings and people out jogging in the park.  In fact there were rather a lot of sports people around as the Boston Marathon happened this weekend so there was a multitude of coloured tracksuits and sports wear adorning the hotel lobby as I arrived.

All of this pleasant experience has set me in a positive frame of mind to enjoy the next few days and reminded me how important first impressions are in business.  Whilst we may not always feel like smiling or being friendly, your clients will notice how you come across immediately.  They may be thinking - will this business be good to work with, are they efficient and will they be thinking about their customers needs?   So think about the first impressions that people notice about your business.  Does your website convey the look and feel you want it to?  If they call you do they get an answerphone or a friendly voice?  Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and notice what they experience....it may give you a shock!