Attention Is The New Gold

Attention is the new gold.

That simple.

David Ogilvy, known as the “Father of Advertising” famously said, “The first 80 cents of your dollar is spent on the headline.”

How you and your message reaches and is perceived by the public determines your success.

When dealing with people, your first impression is how you get attention.

It is your headline.

First 80 cents to your dollar.

That being said, have you ever prepared and practiced your first-impression?

Below are CORPORE Wear´s 8 tips for leaving a good first impression.

1. Introduce other people well:

If you want to make a good first impression, make a great one for someone else.

It can be as simple as: “This is John, the guy I was telling you about earlier. You gotta get to know him.”

This does two things: the person you are introducing will instantly place you in a higher regard and the person you are doing the introducing to will instantly place you in a higher regard.

Do it for many people, and often.

Once the favor is reciprocated, you are set.

Someone else saying how great you are, is always better than you saying how great you are.

“If you want to make enemies, excel your friends, If you want to make friends, let your friends excel you.” — Dale Carnegie

2. Attentive eyes that show you are LISTENING:

The best way to get people interested in you……….is by you being interested in them.

Show people that you are interested in them by asking good questions.

Most people are nervous as to what they are going to say.

If you simply put that back on the other person by asking good questions and paying attention a quality conversation will follow.

Do not make it harder than it has to be.

The person asking the questions controls the conversation.

Do not prepare imaginary answers.

Prepare real questions.

There is no bigger compliment than someone being curious about you.

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” — Ernest Hemingway

That being said…………..

3. Be Ready to Answer the Questions You Yourself Ask:

“What about you, how did you get started in design?”

If you are not comfortable talking about yourself, like most things, the best way to get better at something is by doing it.

Prepare and practice.

Record yourself.

Ask an objective friend to critique it.

It will be strange in the beginning, but what isn´t?

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. — Alexander Graham Bell

4. Get to Know the Guest List:

If you are going to a work party, a dinner with a new client or a beer with a guy who knows people, preparation is key.

Learn about the other person/people (easy with linkedin and facebook today to get an idea about their interests and experiences) and have some questions ready to kick off the conversation.

Do your homework.

Networking can still be frustrating, but at least with social media the preparation is a heck of a lot less time consuming.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” — T. Roosevelt

5. Dress the part until you are the part:

Style talks.

People still make snap judgments on clothes alone, especially in business, no matter how many 20something entrepreneurs pop up.

If you have a definite style that is known to draw negative attention and you do not want to change, that is fine, just be aware that you need a really good ice-breaker and pitch for people to look past the clothes (and maybe they still will not).

In business it is better to stand out in other ways.

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. — Thomas Jefferson

6. Pay Attention to Your Posture:

Body Language is crucial.

The majority of communication is non-verbal.

Your posture plays a huge part in that equation.

Every mother or father at some point has said, “Sit-Up Straight” or “Stop Slouching”.

Keep your shoulders back and head up at all times….and do not forget to smile.

The simpler and more sober the posture, the more beautiful it will be. — Paulo Coelho

7. Be known as the guy or woman who…………………..:

People love to meet people who are known for something interesting.

Most athletes from college get offers for work just based off of the fact they have a big name in a small town.

If you are not great at football, start a blog, run a marathon, learn a little bit of magic.

Be known for doing something worth talking about and in no time at all you will not have to make the first-impression, others will have to make it on you.

In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different. — Coco Channel

8. Location matters. So does food:

Take the pressure off of yourself and pick an interesting or impressive location, something that kicks off a conversation.

It can be as simple as a good burger

A friend told me that two cheeseburgers are the equivalent to one orgasm.

We recommend buying at least 4 burgers.

Food is a common ground, a universal experience. — James Beard

Luckily all of these tips can be implemented with a little self-awareness and preparation.

Which one do you need to work on the most?

Michael Thompson / CORPORE Wear / Brand Manager