You never get a second chance to make a first impression
Beauty is only skin deep, and yet, this thin superficial layer of beauty has the power to make or break your relationships with other individuals and your experiences in life in general. We try not to think about it and would never admit it, but we do rely on our first impressions and judgments of others. It is in those first seconds of meeting people that we judge their dispositions -- personalities, beliefs, and general mindsets with which they face the world. We make crude generalizations and decisions about whether or not this is a person we would like to pursue. And once we've made up our biased decisions, we're set. While there's usually no going back, we can occasionally be convinced. Maybe I should have started out with something a little more concrete and a little less controversial.
Consumer products and services. We've all said it before: "The service was horrible. I'm never going there again." We are so reluctant to give it a second chance. Be it under-toasted almonds or basil leaves passed off as spinach leaves, long lines or unfriendly cashiers, we've all been there. We've made the vow and spread the dirt. It's those first split seconds that a nervous new customer is most vulnerable. Those first split seconds that make the impression. There's a reason Cold Stone employees are required to greet every single customer that walks through the door with a cheerful hello. There's a reason Starbucks customers are "always right."
It's all about the first impression. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Babies inherently prefer the more attractive face. Biological. First impression.
So yes, first impressions make it or break it. But first impressions aren't necessarily always correct. If I had a nickel for every time that my first impression was wrong... The problem is that those impressions are just so overwhelmingly tyrannical. They say, "jump" and you say, "how high"? Even if your first impression is wrong, there are few times you're going to be willing to go back and correct it.
It's interesting to me that some of my closest friends and favorite products are those which did not exactly...dress to impress the first time around. I don't exactly make a mean first impression myself. And yet, I sit here today advocating the importance of the first impression.
In a world of brand-name coffee, we can't help but care about our appearances and the first impressions we make on people...and those that they make on us.
Consumer products and services. We've all said it before: "The service was horrible. I'm never going there again." We are so reluctant to give it a second chance. Be it under-toasted almonds or basil leaves passed off as spinach leaves, long lines or unfriendly cashiers, we've all been there. We've made the vow and spread the dirt. It's those first split seconds that a nervous new customer is most vulnerable. Those first split seconds that make the impression. There's a reason Cold Stone employees are required to greet every single customer that walks through the door with a cheerful hello. There's a reason Starbucks customers are "always right."
It's all about the first impression. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Babies inherently prefer the more attractive face. Biological. First impression.
So yes, first impressions make it or break it. But first impressions aren't necessarily always correct. If I had a nickel for every time that my first impression was wrong... The problem is that those impressions are just so overwhelmingly tyrannical. They say, "jump" and you say, "how high"? Even if your first impression is wrong, there are few times you're going to be willing to go back and correct it.
It's interesting to me that some of my closest friends and favorite products are those which did not exactly...dress to impress the first time around. I don't exactly make a mean first impression myself. And yet, I sit here today advocating the importance of the first impression.
In a world of brand-name coffee, we can't help but care about our appearances and the first impressions we make on people...and those that they make on us.
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