Last week I went to this office where I met a man who gave me straight away a very good first impression. His office was tastefully well decorated, he appeared professional in his dress code and all his manners just made me feel welcomed.

It is so strange how a simple clean desk can have such an impact on creating a first positive impression.

Thinking again about this first impression, I realized how sometimes we tend to neglect certain small details that can give either a good or bad first impression of us. A first impression is created during the first 20 seconds of en encounter with someone we are meeting for the first time.

 Watch out for the following:

 Your personal appearance
Appearing neat should be compulsory both for men and women in business. How we look has a big impact on how people perceive us. Whoever said that appearance is secondary to the impact we create in people’s mind was completely wrong.

Our customers expect us to look professional on the job and that is why many business owners need to have a specific dress code policy which highlights what an acceptable professional appearance should be

The cleanliness of your desk or office
The neatness of our working area is important if your customers see it. If your desk is piled high with old newspapers, files, messages and clutter, customers will assume that you are slow and will inefficiently deal with their problem.

Avoid the bottle of coke, the toothpick, the dirty tea cup on your desk. Make sure your office is welcoming. A small flower bouquet of less than 1000frw every week will go a long way in creating that sophisticated image of your company.

 Match the colors of your dresses
The green trouser on a yellow shirt, with the pink tie, the red suit, the white socks on a dark pant, the blue shoe on a brown belt are all inarguably a taste of combination. In a business environment, you need to dress conservatively always even on Fridays.

Business casual dresses do not mean wearing dirty and shabby dresses. Most organizations describe an acceptable appearance as clothing and grooming which promotes a professional image to the public.

Avoid clothing with extreme cleavage and evening or party wear in a serious the workplace. 

 Invest in Comfortable Shoes
It is often said that the first thing one notices on someone are the shoes. It is for this reason that we must invest in comfortable shoes.

And please ladies, avoid shoes that make you walk as if you were forced to wear them.

Avoid the noisy hills that distract everyone whenever you are in the corridor. Don’t sacrifice comfort for trends or fashion.

 Your posture
As important as clothes and makeup are to your image, your posture and how you carry yourself are essential parts of the package.

When you stand with a slouch or sit with a slump, you’re telling others that you don’t feel confident and you’d like to be left alone. Sit or stand properly. Do not drag your feet as all these might destroy your image even if you are properly dressed.

 Your hands and nails
Have you been greeted with moist hands? How did you feel? A dull handshake kills your image. We talk a lot with our hands and need to pay attention that they are always clean.

Manicure is also for men. And of course for ladies, you need to avoid nail polish that is half off the nails.

  Watch out for your smell
 Personal hygiene can impact your personal image. While we cannot control the hygiene of our customers, every contact person in business must be considerate of others by presenting a clean and healthy body odor or breadth.

After your lunch break, watch out for the garlic, pepper, onions odor than can for sure kill your image. Deodorants are also for men.

 Always remember that after a first impression is made, it is difficult to change that judgment. So capitalize on the first.

 The author is a customer service consultant working in Rwanda
sidossou@theservicemag.com
www.theservicemag.com