Recently I was away in London for a meeting with some potential new clients.  They are a global organisation and I had just 4 minutes to pitch what I had to offer.  Itss daunting prospect.  Get myself all the way down there for only 4 minutes of their time.  It turned out to be much more than speed dating and we both learned a lot about each other.

It’s true that “you never have a second chance to make a first impression”.  And given what I do it is essential that I embody everything about that in my “pitch”.

In this case, going against all normal advice, I didn’t prepare anything. It was important to show that my offering was directly relevant to the way the client works and their needs.  Therefore I planned to listen to their briefing on the day and respond directly to that.  I am completely used to adapting material to the immediate needs of participants. So I was therefore able to stand up and respond appropriately to what I  had learned during their briefing.

When do you have to make a first impression?  Or when do you have only a very limited time to make an impression?  What will you do to make that count? What is the best way for you to make it a fabulous first impression?  Do you need to prepare?  What do you need to prepare? How will you do that?