{"id":25644,"date":"2017-01-03T22:20:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T02:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=25644"},"modified":"2017-01-03T22:20:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T02:20:18","slug":"be-a-great-business-leader-make-a-good-first-impression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2017\/be-a-great-business-leader-make-a-good-first-impression\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Be a Great Business Leader? Make a Good First Impression"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making a great first impression will help you in many walks of life. Friendships, dating, artistry – and business is no exception. If you\u2019re starting to run your own business<\/a>, then you\u2019re going to start making a lot of first impressions very quickly. You\u2019ll be meeting with potential investors, clients, candidates for employment, and many others. And because you become the face of your business, the impression that you leave becomes the impression that your business leaves.<\/p>\n

The clothing<\/h3>\n

\u201cDress for success,\u201d a lot of guides will tell you. This is generally taken to mean \u201cwear a suit!\u201d Sure, if you\u2019re going to meet a bunch of people who are wearing suits, then you don\u2019t exactly want to look like the odd one out. But as long as you don\u2019t look completely scruffy and aren\u2019t wearing a shirt featuring your favorite video game or anime characters, then it\u2019s your behavior<\/i> that will really be the focus. \u201cWear a suit\u201d is a lazy suggestion. Stay comfortable, gauge the kind of company you\u2019ll be around – but pay more attention to acting<\/i> the part, not looking it. <\/p>\n

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\nImage Source<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen closely<\/h3>\n

Everyone should be a good listener, right? So why is \u201cgood listener\u201d such a rare description for someone? It\u2019s because a lot of people simply don\u2019t<\/i> listen all that well. They\u2019re so desperate to get to what they want to say that their either interrupt or they lose focus on what the other party is saying. Make sure you\u2019re asking the right questions<\/a> – and then pay close attention to the answers. Give the other party enough room and time to ensure that they communication everything they need to. Never underestimate the power of revealing yourself to be a good listener.<\/p>\n

Be prepared<\/h3>\n

Making sure you have all the relevant equipment and information is crucial. If you look unprepared for what\u2019s ahead, then you\u2019re just going to look like a bit of a rookie. Ensure that you know precisely who you\u2019re going to be meeting, and make sure you are ready to swap details with people who could be useful contacts in the future. Business cards aren\u2019t just for the upper echelon of businesspeople – they\u2019re useful for everyone, not only decadent executives. You can use a Vistaprint business cards coupon<\/a> if you want help getting your hands on some. The impression a good business card can leave can be unbeatable.<\/p>\n

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\nImage Source<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Engaged and engaging<\/h3>\n

Your body language can give so much away. If you\u2019re not engaged<\/a>, then people are going to be able to tell eventually. \u201cDon\u2019t be a slouch\u201d is probably too obvious when it comes to advice about body language. One less obvious one is that you should never underestimate the power of a simple smile, even in \u201cserious,\u201d professional areas. Don\u2019t let your focus on the task at hand translate into a strange sort of social awkwardness. Be friendly and make an effort to really engage with everyone you\u2019re meeting.<\/p>\n

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Making a great first impression will help you in many walks of life. Friendships, dating, artistry – and business is no exception. If you\u2019re starting to run your own business,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[5127,5907,5891,5998,631,6000,988,686,5912,2452,1458,1514,1783,115],"yoast_head":"\nWant to Be a Great Business Leader? Make a Good First Impression<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Making a great first impression will help you in many walks of life. Friendships, dating, artistry - and business is no exception. 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