What do you do when you meet a person for the first time?
Have you noticed their body language? Appearance? What or how they communicate? How they carry themselves? like it or not we make quick judgments based on Visual Presence.
If a picture can speak a thousand words, imagine how much your visual presence can impact. We live and work in a highly competitive environment where networking and decision making is done in super-fast mode.
These first impressions are made in a snap second and last for a lifetime. Imagine you are getting into a lift and you see another person taking the same lift to the first floor, immediately we start thinking this person is lazy/unwell/in a hurry. This opinion also depends on how they carry themselves too.
Your brand value as an Entrepreneur, Organisation, or even as an individual is not defined by the visiting cards you carry, YOU ARE YOUR WALKING AND TALKING BRAND.
The Psychology behind First Impressions
First impressions are formed within the first 7 seconds of meeting a person and within that time they flip back and forth 11 times. Now, these 7 seconds decide if to go ahead doing business with you or not.
The inclination to make these judgments are rooted deep in our system. The evolutionary man used these judgments to identify threats and make FLIGHT or FRIGHT judgment. You only get one chance to make a striking first impression, so might as well make it a winning one.
Research says that within this short time based on visual presence people evaluate certain traits like trustworthiness, status, attractiveness, and confidence. This is not only applicable to the business world, even in interviews, while socializing, when purchasing, this first impression matters.
How are these lasting Impressions made?
Let’s say you are walking into a store to get a pack of biscuits for your child, you check the shelf is stocked with a variety and colorful packets of biscuits. Would you rather pick the pack that has a perfect and attractive packing or a pack that is crumbled and dusted?
The color and presentation would matter first then the product and its ingredients and that is part of marketing too. So, in human interactions, we try to evaluate everything based on our experience, values, and our conditioning.
The first step to creating lasting Impressions is to know your personal style and align them with your values and beliefs. People do business with PEOPLE based on trust. This does not mean wearing expensive clothing, speaking eloquently, or burning a hole in your pocket.
To create that authentic you working on your ABC’s i.e. your APPEARANCE, BEHAVIOUR, AND COMMUNICATION which is an integral part of Image Management. Of course, we have the D– Digital footprint which is most crucial as the world is shifting to the digital platform.
About the author: Rekha Hariprawin is the Founder of SaRay Image consulting firm in Chennai. She is an Internationally Certified Personal Branding and Lifestyle Coach, POSH (Prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace) torchbearer & DiSC consultant.
She loves to empower people in identifying their strengths and areas of concern and walk them to success by working on their appearance, behavior, and communication.
She acts as a catalyst in transforming people into a “Personal Brand” that differentiates you from others!!
You can email your queries at sarayimage@gmail.com to know more about personal branding, enhancing your personal image, dressing for success, etiquette, and communicating right.
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