Don’t Minimize the Importance of First Impressions

First impressions are everything.

Let me repeat that: first impressions are EVERYTHING.

I’ve visited a number of companies over my career. Sometimes it was for a job interview. Other times it was for a strategic meeting.

When I walk into an office, I am amazed at the stark differences among the first impressions a company is displaying to the world.

A recent visit to a larger tech company in Austin left me flabbergasted at the lack of respect.

I walked into the company, approached the front desk, smiled and then was told in short, tense tones: “Sign in, please.”

Without looking up from her computer screen, the bespectacled lady continued: “Who are you here to see?”

Not surprisingly, the interaction was something I’d rather forget, leaving me wondering how this company’s grown so successful when it treats visitors this way.

The other company, a much smaller Austin-based tech firm, introduced a refreshingly different approach. The receptionist greeted me with a smile, asked how she could help me, shared the location of the bathroom and offered me a bottle of water: the perfect solution to a hot walk from my car in the parking lot to the cheery office.

So….what kind of impression is your company reflecting into the marketplace?

You might think you have the best products, the most charming, customer-centric sales team, but you might be neglecting the most important item of value: the first impression.

Until next time,

Dan Naden