First Impressions Go a Long Way

As in anything in life, customer service is key.  Respect for customers is key.

The other day a friend of mine recommended me for a pool lesson.

By the time I got the player's contact information, he already had a set time for a different instructor (he was eager for lessons).  I told him I understood and so we set a date/time to meet about 2 weeks later.

Then a few days later he calls me back.

He shares that he hates to go back on his word, but the guy he was suppose to meet up with that week had not called him back in days, when he did call initially he didn't respect his time, he over-talked him on the phone, and he just didn't seem very cordial at all.  The player decided that since I was more courteous and responsive, he cancelled the appointment with the other guy and met up with me instead. 

As the quote above states, "First impressions last."  And that can be a positive first impression or a negative one.

First impressions are so important.  This was very evident in this situation - the instructor lost the chance to provide lessons because of that.  Normally when we think of first impressions we think of what we might wear and how we will act and our body language, etc.  Remember, though, the very first contact (phone call, text, email, etc) - that's crucial, too.