Have you ever heard a great motivational speaker, whose words stuck with you because of your first impression? I remember Todd Duncan sharing his experience of hearing motivational speaker, Tom Hopkins at a seminar. This is what Todd Duncan said about Tom’s presentation:

“There was something very abnormal, in a surprising way. Early in the seminar, I noticed that Tom had not gone to the podium to look at his notes for almost 30 minutes, yet he walked us through the workbook without missing a single word. It made an impression on me, so I continued to make this observation as the day went on. A few times I found myself wondering if he had sneaked a peak at his notes while I was writing something down. Surely, I thought, he had to look at some point. Near the end of the seminar, as Tom was discussing the importance of scripting and mastering sales presentions, he noted, ‘If you observed me closely today, you noticed that I did not look at my teaching notes once. That’s because I have spent over one hundred hours making sure I know my stuff so I can effectively and convincingly present the information to you.”

Hearing that story made a lasting impression on me. Especially when you consider that Tom’s presentation covered six hours and included a 35 page workbook! When I consider my own presentation and the 100′s of hours I have spent perfecting my presentation, I always think of this story.

What have you invested in your first impression? How many hours have you spent practicing and perfecting your buying and selling processes? Do you have a memorable web presence? For most people, their first impression of you generally begins without you. People are googling everything, including you and your company. What do they find?

If you want to be noticed, you must be relevant and remarkable and present a great first impression.