Don’t lose trust in seconds with second-rate first impressions

Within seconds, a prospect decides whether or not they are interested in doing business with you. Make sure your first impressions, whether online or in person, attract clients instead of turning them away. These are a few of my ideas for creating positive first impressions and building long-term trust.

Online impressions

Whether it’s short videos or written content, the first three seconds are vital for encouraging clients to keep reading or watching.

The key is to integrate emotional value. This means that if you resonate with your audience within the first three seconds, they will be inclined to continue to stay engaged with your content and even subscribe to or follow your business accounts.

In general, for video or written content, consider the following structure:

1. Understand the audience you are addressing.
2. Ask what pain points this audience faces.
3. Consider what solutions you can offer to address those pain points.

Based on my experience, if you use the above structure, you will resonate with a specific audience within the first three seconds. If the audience finds your content valuable, they will share it with friends, like it or even save it.

These actions can improve your score, enabling the algorithm to promote your content to others who have not yet followed you.

In-person meetings

The three-second principle also applies to face-to-face meetings. Essentially, in the first three seconds of meeting someone, your attitude, facial expression, clothing, smile and eye contact will determine whether you are deemed trustworthy.

Moreover, while the first three seconds of meeting someone is the initial step, the subsequent conversation must accurately meet the client’s needs. Typically, 90% of successful sales stem from follow-ups, where speed is essential.

Efficient follow-ups

When you reply to any inquiry within five minutes, clients will gradually develop a strong sense of trust in you and may eventually depend on you. You don’t necessarily have to answer their question immediately, but through automated messages you can quickly acknowledge you’ve received their message.  

Your reply could be something like,

“Hello [Client’s name],

Thank you for your question. I may need one to two hours to respond fully. I appreciate your patience.”

I hope these ideas help you build client trust.

Wong Chi Sum is a nine-year MDRT member from Hong Kong, China.

For more ideas about how to build trust

• Watch “Questions that build trust with clients”
• Read “Building trust and confidence: Effective communication techniques for indecisive clients”