{"id":908,"date":"2018-11-26T15:36:50","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T15:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/?p=908"},"modified":"2018-11-26T15:40:10","modified_gmt":"2018-11-26T15:40:10","slug":"forget-meeting-person-first-impressions-gone-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/forget-meeting-person-first-impressions-gone-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Meeting in Person. First Impressions Have Gone Online."},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all know how important a first impression is. It can be a make it or break it moment. But here\u2019s the kicker. Now it\u2019s happening online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, that first face-to-face meeting is still important. So you should still do all those things your mom and your career counselor always told you to: make eye contact, have a firm handshake, and dress the part. But you should also realize that it very likely isn\u2019t a true first impression and that the person shaking your hand has probably already Googled you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good or bad, your online presence is your new first impression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>It\u2019s become standard practice<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you do when you\u2019re considering making a purchase or finding a new service provider? You go online, of course. You search profiles and websites. You ask your networks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you think for one second that your business associates, clients and prospects aren\u2019t doing the same thing, you\u2019re in some serious denial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chances are very good you\u2019ve already been searched. Your articles, posts, and comments have been read. Your photos have been looked at. Whatever your prospects learn through their online research is now the first impression they will bring with them to your initial email, conversation, or meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this thought makes you shudder, you may have some work to do when it comes to your professional image.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Think you\u2019re in the clear?<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe you\u2019re one of those people who hate\u00a0social media or refuses to use it. You might be feeling pretty good about now. You\u2019ve put nothing out there. Your first impression is pure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, this is where the bad news comes in. If your potential clients can\u2019t find you, they won\u2019t have a compelling reason to meet or do business with you. You may be clean, but you\u2019re also invisible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, your competition could be showing up for their \u201cfirst\u201d meeting with a huge advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That company has an awesome website and blog.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That person has been out there on LinkedIn and other platforms sharing thought-provoking content and ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your coveted prospect already feels a connection with this person, even though they\u2019ve never actually met.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it\u2019s not because they know nothing about them. It\u2019s because they know something about them. And they are intrigued.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoiding social media doesn\u2019t give you an advantage in today\u2019s business world. In fact, it can put you at a huge disadvantage. And using it wisely can give you an edge. The key word here is wisely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Creating a first impression that works<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are two ways to get started down the right path:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>1.) Define your message<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What thoughts and feelings do you want your audience to have when they think about you? What do you want them to know about you, your organization, and why they should work with you? What skills do you have? What things do you care about? What is it that makes you different from your competition?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>2.) Get out there<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve figured out what you want to share, be confident in putting yourself out there. And don\u2019t worry! You don\u2019t need to be everywhere. Research platforms to find out where your target market is. Then, choose one or two that are most relevant and start interacting. Follow people who are talking about the same things your customers are, and get your message across in an interesting and professional way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It won\u2019t happen overnight, but you may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can elevate your online presence and start separating yourself from your competition. Just make sure everything your audience finds when searching online matches your desired first impression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because in the end, that\u2019s exactly what it is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all know how important a first impression is. It can be a make it or break it moment. But here\u2019s the kicker. Now it\u2019s happening online. Yes, that first face-to-face meeting is still important. So you should still do all those things your mom and your career counselor always told you to: make eye&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Forget Meeting in Person. First Impressions Have Gone Online. - Sonus Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/forget-meeting-person-first-impressions-gone-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forget Meeting in Person. 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