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This month's e-Newsletter highlights:
The Marketing Co-op's e-Newsletter is produced by Breeze Hill Publishing. This
month's edition is presented by: Featured
Columnist:
Speak from the Heart: Chapter 5 – The Power of First Impressions
You also make a new first impression every time you enter any room at any time. Let’s say that you’re meeting with the same group of colleagues at the same Monday morning meeting you’ve been having for years. But today you’re behind schedule. You blow into the room with your coattails flying, your hair disheveled, your papers dropping on the ground. All eyes turn on you as you quickly apologize and try to pull yourself together and present your report. The way you entered the room and made a poor first impression will color the way this group will listen to your idea. They may not even be aware that their resistance to you has its roots in your abrupt entry and shaggy appearance, but that’s what first impressions do. On a subconscious level they introduce you and help the other people in the room decide if what you have to say will be of value. How important are first impressions? In 1960 during the first televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, much of the nation was introduced to the candidates for the first time. In the debate, Nixon was sweating. His eyes darted around and he seemed highly uncomfortable. Conversely, John Kennedy was calm, cool, and comfortable on camera. Millions of Americans made their choice for president based on this first uniquely powerful impression. In many ways, Richard Nixon was never able to change America’s indelible first impression. With this much riding on first impressions — both the kind we make once in our lives and the kind we make every day — it’s important to think about how they will help you, or hurt you, when communicating with others. Do It Now Marlene Pagley-Waldock is the founder and owner of a company called 1st Impression Communications. Marlene knows that a good first impression doesn’t just happen — it’s created. “You’re going to make a first impression whether you’re aware of it or not,” says Marlene, “so you may as well prepare for it and make it a good one.” Whether you’re meeting with one person or one thousand, Marlene suggests this three-step plan she calls FIPP© for making a positive first impression. Step One FIPP: Know in Advance the First Impression You Want to Make Before standing before anyone, in advance you have to decide what impression you want to make. Do you want to come off as powerful? Accomplished? Knowledgeable? Then you can ask yourself what you have to do to make that impression. Think about what you will wear. Think about how you will walk through the door. Think about how you will shake hands and what you will say. If you’ve gone through this in your head, you will increase your sense of confidence and that’s what shows through. It sounds very simplistic, but too many people don’t think ahead and then make an undesirable impression. Step Two FIPP: Understand that Perception is Reality People naturally interpret things they see, and that interpretation becomes their “truth.” Whether they pick up on the true “you” or not, their image of you is a retained one that you can’t take back. To improve the chances that perception will match your reality, use some of the basic communication skills discussed in Chapter 4 on body language. Much of your first impression is made before you even open your mouth. Remember:
Step Three FIPP: Change Your Perspective Put yourself in the other person’s shoes to examine the effectiveness of your presentation. If you were these people, what would you want to see? What kind of attitude would appeal to you? How would you like someone to approach you? Change your perspective — be your audience. That’s the perspective you need to make the right first impression. You only get one chance to make a first impression. In order to make a good one, be as comfortable and confident as possible. It comes fromwithin, but never forget that perception is reality. From SPEAK FROM THE HEART by Steve Adubuto. Copyright (c) 2002 by Steve Adubuto. Published by arrangement with The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., NY. Click here to return to the top of the page Member
Spotlight:
After spending his early post-collegiate professional life learning the communications business, Rob Molinaro finally decided to stop selling for others and start working for himself in early 1995. With a longtime friend among his partners, Chorus Communications was formed as an answer to the growing needs of the business community to have a service provider that could keep up and understand the multitude of rapid changes in the telecommunications industry. Through hard work, a broad market-niche, and a strong focus on sales, Philadelphia-based Chorus has shown some impressive results in less than 10 years of operations:
Rob attributes a good deal of their early success to networking and emphasizing the importance of sales and marketing. "Having a great product and service is key, but if no one know about it, then you still won't have any customers at the end of the day." "Create a strong, easy to underdstand message for your customers and potential customers," Rob adds. "And then hammer that message home. That is what we did in creating the Telebenefits™ brand and it's worked wonders for us." Telebenefits™ is a multi-carrier, multi-technology, single point solution for any companies telecommunication needs. Chorus developed this unique approach for small- to medium-sized businesses to increase telecommunications technology and lower expenses while achieving greater control through a single point of responsibility. Chorus will evaluate the dollars you are currently spending in telecommunications and then put them to better use for you. Telecommunications
costs rank among the highest recurring expenses a business faces
each month. Rob and his team at Chorus want to make sure your dollars
are being spent wisely. With offices in King of Prussia, PA and Marlton, NJ, Chorus Communications is well equipped to respond to the increasing needs of business not only in the North Eastern United States, but across the country as well. Chorus Communications can be found on the web at: www.choruscommunications.com Click here to return to the top of the page
Artist Spotlight
In 1997, she graduated with Honors from Princeton University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History. At Princeton, she received both the Louis Sudler Prize for the Arts awarded to the outstanding Princeton undergraduate in the Arts, as well as the Francis LeMoyne Page Award for the best undergraduate thesis in the Princeton Visual Arts Department. In 2001, Lily received her Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and was the Commencement Speaker for her graduating class. Selected group exhibitions include shows presented by 111 Minna Street, the Lab, Four Walls Gallery, the Diego Rivera Gallery, the Melting Point, the IPW Gallery, and Microsoft in San Francisco. Selected solo exhibitions include shows at the Pacific Film Archive / the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley, California, the Lucas Gallery in Princeton, New Jersey and the Diego Rivera Gallery in San Francisco. Her film projects in collaboration with Brett Simon have been screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and International Exposure Series as presented by Microcinema International. Selected private collectors of her work include writer, editor, and record producer, David Breskin and the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author, Toni Morrison. Lily's work is in the public collections of the Pacific Film Archive and Princeton University. She is currently living and working in San Francisco. More about Lily Prillinger, including more examples of her portfolio can be found at www.oparch.net/lily.htm. Click here to return to the top of the page Click here to return to the main Newsletter Archive page to access other newsletter issues. |
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Rob
Molinaro co-founded Chorus Communications
