The Virtual First Impression

In the Internet age, the selling process starts much earlier than through traditional selling. It can happen in a web browser when someone looks you up, within an email newsletter that mentions your name, or increasingly on blogs.

Many of us now form "first impressions" of people and companies via our Internet browsers. When you are considering buying from a vendor, many of us will use the Internet to research that company or professional service. If the web site creates a positive first impression, the client is predisposed to considering you from your many competitors. If your website looks like a messy ill-prepared showroom window, the customer is likely to move on to the next ether show room display.

Internet first impressions are not just influenced by how your Web site looks, but also by number of references in the search or how high it ranks a web browser.

You can evaluate your own virtual first impression by typing your name into a search engine. See how your business looks to a potential sales prospect, from the moment your name appears in a Web browser to the moment your Web site loads.

Does your web site load quickly and communicate a positive image graphically and with valuable content? You never get a second chance to make a good impression, and your virtual first impression often means the difference between a shot at your prospect's business, or being shut out.