On the hunt for better sales solutions? Few things matter more in sales than a first impression, whether it’s your own or that of the product or service you’re trying to move. It’s been well-researched that people look for information that confirms their gut beliefs and ignore information that disagrees-consider what that means for you if they convince themselves in the first few seconds that you have nothing to offer!

If you trip on the introduction you have a monumental task ahead of you, so start your walk on the path to better sales solutions by following these tips and acing your first meeting or call:

Know Your Audience and Prepare

While the nature of your business may limit your ability to gather information in advance, you should know the limit because you hit it. The more information you have going into a first meeting, the more likely that first introduction will leave a positive impression. Once you have as much information as you can, sit down and work out how to handle first contact and transition into your pitch.

In your quest for better sales solutions, you may come up with a script, an outline, a conversation flow chart, or just a short list of points to remember, but putting the prep time in matters more than the details of your method. Just remember that better sales solutions come from better preparation.

Don’t Bore The Listener

Better sales solutions grab your buyer’s attention in the first few seconds and never lose it. That means skipping things you both already know-don’t introduce your company and explain who you are if they already know. In fact, going into the minutia of your company will generally be a terrible idea so far as grabbing attention goes-if they want to know, they will probably ask.

Keep the focus on what you can do for the customer, not on your product; people love to talk about themselves and their problems, so encourage them to do so and relate as much as possible about your product in the context of the client.

You’ll come across as a great listener who wants to help instead of a shill trying to force something down their neck. Better sales solutions don’t just convince a customer to buy, they leave the customer glad they bought from YOU.

Practice, Practice, Practice

A good introduction should be polished without sounding scripted. Difficult, right? You achieve better sales solutions through practice. Once the flow of an introduction becomes ingrained, you will learn to relax and make it your own without the training wheels. You’ll naturally craft better sales solutions as you gain experience.

In the preparation phase, you might have written out an outline, flow chart, or strict script-treat it as a guide, a suggestion, a reminder of key points to touch on, not the holy word. Nothing makes a worse impression than sounding like you’re reading off a cue card.

A Reminder

While acing the first impression can make selling a snap, don’t put too much weight on the introduction. Not every introduction can be perfect. No amount of technique is going to salvage certain sales methods-the cold call will always be an uphill battle against a bad first impression, because people dislike the very method of introduction, but better sales solutions aren’t always available.

Keep your confidence, stay positive, and work for a rapport with the consumer even if things start on the wrong foot. First impressions matter, but only insofar as they inform the final result-you can still salvage (or ruin) a sale long after you begin your pitch.