I recently had an experience at my favorite bar that got me thinking about how important it is to make a good first impression.

We had just finished playing volleyball and went inside to have a beer.   We are on a first name basis with many of the waitresses there, but we ended up with a new one that night. We sat down and it was at least five minutes before she ever made it to our table to get our drink order. And then she brought us the wrong pitcher of beer. 

And this got me thinking about the importance of making a good first impression. While we'll certainly drink there again, we'll go out of our way to avoid sitting in her area even though it very well could have been her first night working there simply because she made a bad first impression.

So what does this have to do with running a business you ask?

Only Everything!  

And you better believe this applies to a home based business as well.

Think about how people first come to learn about your business. Are you putting your best foot forward?

Let me give you another example.

If you go to a restaurant and you have a great meal and the service is great, you're likely to go back and tell your friends. And even if the second time you go back the food isn't as good and the service could have been better, you'll probably give them another chance. Heck, you're likely to give them multiple opportunities to redeem themselves.

But if go to a restaurant and the service and food are bad, then you're almost certainly not going back again. 

You need to really think about the people who are going to be the first contacts for a new client or customer. For example, it's absolutely critical that you have a friendly and knowledgeable person taking calls instead of someone who could really care less.

And while you may not own a restaurant or bar, you had absolutely better be doing everything you can to *wow* the customer the first time they do business with you.

If you get clients through the use of "loss leaders," then those products need to be the best you offer. 

I could go on and on about this topic. Heck, books have been written on this topic of making a good first impression, but you've got the basic idea now. If you make a great first impression, the customer will cut you a little slack if you slip up in the future, but if you make a bad first impression, you're sunk.