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The Power Of First Impressions

Live From New York, It’s Sarah (The Real One)

Governor Sarah Palin delivered her much-hyped appearance on Saturday Night Live, showing up wearing a bright red suit and her trademark glasses for the opening sketch. She and Tiny Fay delivered a one-two punch that poked fun at the process and was memorable.

The Power of First Impressions

The way you look has a significant impact on your ability to sell cars or anything else. Some of the factors that contribute to a good first impression include:

The cleanliness and condition of your clothes. Are they ironed and crisp or do they look like you just crawled out of bed?
How you keep your hair and/or beard. Whether long or short, is it clean and groomed nicely?
Your body language and location when a customer drives onto the lot. Do you huddle with other salespeople who wear dark glasses, smoke and drink coffee? Or are you ready to greet every customer without concern for your breath or what to do with your cigarette butts.
Hygiene and other factors. Do you wear deodorant? Is your cologne or perfume too strong? Do you greet customers while you're still chewing your lunch?

Consider the fact that you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Drop the ball on this one, and you've just lost a sale that impacts you, your dealership and your opportunities for future business.

For more information about key elements of the sales process, enroll in one of our performance improvement sales courses today!