“There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water.”  ~Kate Chopin

When you’re introducing yourself at a business or social event, you undoubtedly want to make a great first impression. Unfortunately, in the process, many people end up either embossing rather than impressing, or they miss the mark completely. The key is to find that right balance. When your introduction is direct, compelling, and audience-focused, you get more of what you’re looking for – attention, interest, desire, and action. Here are some common introduction foibles, along with the fixes that help you leave a positive, lasting impression.

Giving your competition more airtime than yourself. I once heard a small print shop owner introduce his business to a networking group. He said the name of his company, then compared all the ways his company wasn’t like Kinko’s. Trouble was, he said the word “Kinko’s” so many times it completely obliterated my memory of his company name (which he mentioned only once, by the way). If he wanted to effectively use the compare/contrast approach, better to have mentioned Kinko’s name once to highlight what the listener doesn’t want, then talk about his company’s differentiators, punctuating each point with his company’s name, repeating his name and business at the end.

Offering a title without a focus. I’ve met dozens of realtors and insurance salespeople. With a few exceptions, I have little cause to differentiator one realtor or insurance salesperson from the next. Often they’ll give their title (“I’m a realtor”), then encourage me to refer them to clients. Why them? Why not someone else? The ones I remember, and refer, are those who clearly understand their ideal client’s unique needs, and who don’t try to be all things to all people.

Patronizing your listeners. I often see this with people in technical businesses. “We make this X-39b1 analytical quantum digitizer software. It’s a little hard to understand for people who aren’t computer-savvy, but it’s really great!” If your audience can’t readily grasp your product or service, you may be talking to the wrong audience. If they are the right audience, focus on communicating the value in their terms – use stories or metaphors to educate and demonstrate your value in a way that makes them feels like the smart and informed consumers they are.

Apologizing. For anything. I cringe when I hear business owners or job-seekers start their introduction with an apology. They might apologize for their apparel, their lack of preparedness, the fact that they didn’t bring samples, you name it. But apologizing only highlights something that most of your audience may not notice or care about, until you bring it to their attention. If your first impression is an admission that you fall short somehow, it’s harder to convince people that what you offer is first-rate.

Using clichés. “My product/service/expertise is cutting-edge.” “State-of-the-art.” “World-class.” “Best in the industry.” Is it? Really? Actually, a) it’s nearly impossible to substantiate any claim like this; and b) most people don’t care anyway. What they do care about is whether what you have to offer suits their particular need or challenge. If you want to differentiate yourself, avoid clichés like the plague. You only have so much of someone’s time and interest, so don’t squander it on recycled words when you can be original and compelling instead.

Describing features, not benefits. This is Marketing 101. Heck, this is Life 101. Every one of us walks around with a “What’s in it for me?” filter – it’s a survival strategy. Yet business owners and job-seekers forget this all the time. “Look what’s great about what I have to offer: it looks like A, sounds like B, does C, and costs D.” To which your listener silently (or not so silently) responds: “So what? Why should I care?” With a little research and rewriting, you can target your message to your listener’s exact needs: “My product/service looks like A so that you see W, sounds like B so you can hear X, does C so you don’t have to do Y, and costs D so you can save money for Z!”

Offering too much detail. Closely related to the “feature creature” intro is the “detail deluge” intro. It’s tempting when you have someone’s attention to make the most of it, spilling out everything about yourself all at once. Trouble is, attention is a limited-time offer, so presenting high-level, attention-grabbing tidbits is key to getting more air time later. Ditch the laundry list, and use quick stories, examples, or analogies that readily demonstrate your value.

Not practicing and polishing. It’s apparent when someone has rehearsed their introduction. It’s even more apparent when they haven’t. Using notes, stopping and starting, interjecting lots of ums and ahs all contribute to an unwanted, unfavorable impression. You may be the most capable individual with a product or service your audience can’t live without, but if your speech fumbles and falters, they may assume your actions will fumble and falter as well. So take time to write out a script, practice it, eliminate unnecessary words and sounds, and test-drive it first on people you like and whose opinion you value.

Leaving your personality at home. People make buying and hiring decisions both intellectually and emotionally. Yet I hear so many introductions that are completely devoid of the emotion that help listeners stay focused, seek information, and take action. So don’t be afraid to put a little personality into your introduction. Have a clever stand-out word or phrase as your sound signature. Wear a Hawaiian shirt in January. Make your audience smile, laugh, care about, and remember you.

So before the next time you get in front of a crowd to introduce yourself, test your message against each of these points. Do this now, and soon you’ll find yourself spending more time enrolling new clients and customers, and less time introducing yourself!