Danielle Cote

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” – Will Rogers

And while that is absolutely true, if we are willing to give it another chance, we may have the opportunity to encounter something (or someone) really fantastic. 

With most things we experience, there are numerous people that are contributing to what we, as a consumer, will get.  So much lies in the hands of the person on the “giving” end of what we are “receiving” One person can become the entire face of the experience, and ultimately the representation of the product or the brand. 

Consider a recent experience you had — let’s just say you went to a new restaurant.  What did you know about it before going?  Did you check out the menu?  Did you visit their Instagram or Facebook page? Did you have any difficulty finding out key information that you wanted to know? What kind of mood were you in when you arrived at the restaurant?  Once you arrived, were you greeted when you went in?  How long did you have to wait? Did you connect with your server?  How long did you have to wait for your food? Did your food meet your expectations?

You get the idea, but point being, it can feel like a slow rolling ball of all the things that can potentially impact your “first” experience… which can sometimes be considered our first impression. 

I recently took a pre-recorded workout class. While the workout was not new to me, the flow and the sequencing was different, and overall, I didn’t have too much insight as to what to expect next throughout the workout. I was in a mood, to say the least, and during and after, I was definitely having thoughts like, “I’m not a fan,” “I don’t want to do that again,” and “Ugh, why would they pick that?!”

Fast forward to a few days later, and I decided to do the same pre-recorded workout again. The experience was night and day.  Clearly, it was the exact same product, the things that were different about it were all from… me.  I was in a better mood. It was much earlier on in the day rather than late at night. There was just one cooperative child running around, rather than two overtired ones that were not feeling Mommy’s decision to try and squeeze in a workout. And, possibly most importantly, I was a bit more familiar with the workout, and found better ways to take options throughout.  After the workout was over, I not only loved it, but I couldn’t wait to do it again and was applauding the mastermind who put the class together. 

Turns out, if we are experiencing something in which there’s an opportunity to “be good at it” or not, and we don’t feel like we were or that we didn’t get the most out of it, we may be quick to dismiss it altogether. 

Often times, as a consumer we don’t take into consideration how we contribute to the experience we receive. 

It can be easy, or at least the natural instinct, to put the blame on someone else.  

Anytime we experience something new we have the tendency to compare or critique. People are more likely to write a negative review than a positive one, and the loudest voices often come from the minority rather than the majority. 

Think about when you are on the “receiving” end — one complaint can outshine a hundred compliments.  I am not saying you should dismiss a poor experience, and certain products or services are not for everyone.  However, taking some time to pause and reflect, and even peel back the layers a bit, may absolutely shift your perspective and not allow the first impression to be everything.