Why do we all get a bit nervous before meeting a new client? It’s because we know that first impressions count—and they impact our business relationship forever.

Here's three ways to make your best first impression in 30 seconds:

Create your Frame of Mind before Going in

First, prep yourself to make a positive, pleasing impression by framing your outlook on the meeting beforehand.

It takes literally nanoseconds for the new client to react to you, so there’s no time to take a new tack once you’ve entered the client’s office. Instead, enter the room already believing that you will truly like the client and that you are there to make the client’s job easier.

It also helps to feel confident going into the meeting, so wear clothing that boosts your self-confidence and check your hair before entering the meeting.

Let’s say that your client meeting is later in the day and the morning has not gone well. Consider doing what a friend of mine does: he tells himself that he will feel much better by making other people feel better the rest of the day. Going into your client meeting with that thought is likely to translate into a great first impression.

Prepare to Listen and Show Interest

The second part of great first impressions is showing interest in the client, how their day is, how they feel about the job and anything else they want to talk about.

The key part of showing interest is listening. That means after you enter the office and introduce yourself, consider saying something along the lines of: We can go over the plans I have, but I’m basically here to make your job easier, so, how can I help?

That type of open-ended question shows that you take an interest in the client right from the start. It also leads you to understand how to appropriately pitch this client, so that type of opener not only makes a great impression, it lights the path to the sale.

Do your Homework

The third key to making a great first impression is to do your homework. Here’s what that entails.

• Know the client and the company. Do the research ahead of time to learn what you can both about the client and the company. If you discover news about either one, especially recent news, and refer to it just after you introduce yourself (and before your open-ended question), you will have broken the ice in a way that warms the client’s heart.
• Know your products. Have both your elevator speech and the details memorized and handouts ready. Enter the meeting feeling flexible about how much time the client wants to take at this first session.

Essentially in the first 30 seconds, you should establish that you are there to focus on the client--which will likely translate into commissions for you!