Some studies have shown that people create an impression of you in less than a second when they first meet you face-to-face.  Other studies have shown that that initial impression can take up to 7 seconds.  Regardless, first impressions are quick.  First impressions are not always the lasting impression, but they can color the customer’s perception of the employee or the organization that affects their demeanor during the encounter.  First impressions can create an immediate conclusion that, if negative, must now be overcome.

Let’s say you’re the customer.  You pull up to the teller window at the bank with no other customers around.  The two employees in the teller window are talking and laughing with each other and not acknowledging you.

You walk into the home improvement store, and three employees walk by you without making eye contact.  You start to feel they are purposely avoiding you.

You are waiting to check out at the retail store, and the employee is looking at their computer screen while reaching out with their left hand for you to give them the clothes you’re purchasing.  No eye contact, no smile, no words…just an outstretched hand.

The customer can tell a lot about a company very quickly.  And maybe their conclusion is not accurate because they’re basing it on something they experience in less than 7 seconds.  However, that quick impression either gets the encounter started positively, or it can put the employee behind the “8 ball” right off the bat.

Don’t risk allowing a negative immediate impression to become a long-term perception.  Make sure that when customers experience your details and how you engage them, they are drawing positive conclusions about how much you care about them.

Pass the Quick Impression Test.

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