Make a Good First Impression – Even via Telephone

I was meeting with one of my clients recently and she talked about an opportunity I’d gotten for her and how she looked at that and took gratitude all the way back to the people responsible for the two of us ever having met in the first place.

Connections, moments, meetings, introductions can really be powerful.  Talking to someone for the first time can be a true make or break moment.

Yes, okay, let me trot out the requisite “You only have one chance to make a good first impression” saying here.  Think of the other outcomes, though.  Someone leaves a bad first impression, or they leave NO impression and thus they become forgettable.

Take a step back and look at, say, five or six clients or opportunities.  How did you get them?  What specifically did it start with?  Even if you found something posted online, at some point you still had to make contact with someone.

For the last couple months on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast I’ve been mentioning the Owwll app.  I go out of my way to say that they’re not a sponsor and they aren’t paying me to talk about them.  I am meeting people for the first time through that resource, and I’m seeing benefit from it and want others to have a similar experience.  It’s not too different from going on social media and posting about a resort you just stayed at or a restaurant where you really enjoyed the food and/or the ambience or a great mechanic who you can trust to genuinely care about your car and not just be after your wallet.



The thing is, though, when someone calls you for the first time, on the Owwll app or the telephone, it’s vital that you bring your proverbial “A game.”  With Owwll you can see the person’s name, picture, and try to read their bio really quickly before you answer, so already that’s a bit of an ice breaker.  But think about when someone is considering hiring Now Hear This because they want a publicist in their corner.  I always say that I’m interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing me.

If you take the attitude of, “Who the heck is this person?  Why are they calling me?  What does their profession have to do with what I do?” then you’re going in with the wrong mindset and lowering your chances of the connection bearing any fruit.  You also have to remember to think, “Who do they know” so that maybe you click AND they connect you with someone else too, or maybe they’re just kind enough to refer you along while not doing business with you themselves.  It would be as a result of your having made a good first impression.

I had someone call me on the Owwll app two weeks ago that in just a ten-minute call had a good enough experience talking to me to want to schedule a longer call so we could talk about possibly working together.  And that was followed by someone else who I provided value to that I know will call me back if he needs/wants more help.  It’s also worth mentioning that a third person I met through Owwll is about to be announced as the newest Now Hear This client.  This is when I remind you that these are phone conversations and not face-to-face.


It's unfortunate that we’re all getting bombarded with phone calls these days where the caller ID says Scam Likely.  (With Owwll you’re talking through the app, by the way, so the privacy element still exists of not having to give out your cell phone number.)  However, when you answer a call that isn’t someone wanting to talk about your car’s warranty or some other nonsense where they simply need your social security and credit card numbers, remember, this could be the start of something beneficial to you both.  Dazzle your incoming callers in the same way that you want people to see you shine at what you do.

Authors, indie music artists, content creators, and entrepreneurs, let me help you too.  I’ve been working with and for guys and gals just like you from around the U.S. for close to 20 years now.  Call me with your questions, your challenges, your pain points, and let’s keep you moving forward.  I would welcome the opportunity to share my experience with you.