What is the first sentence out of your mouth when you make a business presentation to a prospect?

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. If your first impression is great, you can make mistakes for the rest of your presentation and your prospect will still like you . . . and probably join.

If your first impression causes your prospect to put up his/her defenses, mentally guard his/her wallet, and to evaluate every future statement from a negative, skeptical posture, then you’re in big trouble.

You could give the best presentation, complete with a laser light show, and the prospect won’t join.

That’s how important your first sentence is in your presentation.

It’s almost everything.

If the first sentence is good, you can mess up the rest of the presentation and it doesn’t matter! The first sentence puts the prospect on your side . . . or the first sentence puts the prospect on the defensive.

It’s easy to enroll a friend. It’s almost impossible to enroll an enemy.

The same first sentence principle works in your business.

Isn’t this like an opportunity meeting, a prospecting telephone call, or a business presentation across the kitchen table? Your first sentence will determine the mood and cooperation of your prospect.

A bad first sentence will cause your prospect to fold his/her arms, put up his defenses, guard his/her wallet, and listen with a skeptical attitude.

A great first sentence will make your prospect a partner. Your prospect will forgive the fact that you can’t remember the name of your company, that you get confused on the product ingredients, and that you don’t have a clue how the compensation plan works.

Most trainings concentrate on how to present the products or compensation plan. Hours and hours are spent memorizing and practicing presentation and closing techniques.

That’s wasted effort!If the opening sentence is great, you can mangle the rest of your presentation and prospects will still beg you to join.

“I would rather have my distributors give lousy presentations to prospects who love them — than to give great presentations to prospects who hate them.”

Here’s a test.

Write down the first sentence out of your mouth when you give a business presentation to a prospect.

Does your first sentence turn the prospect off?

Does your first sentence make you sound like a salesman so that your prospect immediately puts up his sales-resistant shields?

Or does your first sentence make your prospect immediately want to be your partner?

The first sentence out of my mouth is:

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Spend your time developing your first sentence, and your prospects will be begging you to join your business.