Clutter on the car’s dashboard? Something stuck in the teeth? According to Gene Slade, the little details that stack up to strange first impressions aren’t trivial. Slade, the CEO and Founder of Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, believes that self-care and good presentation aren’t just optional but essential for salespeople who want to close more deals.
According to Psychology Today, it takes most people 7 seconds to form a first impression. Slade, who regularly coaches and mentors salespeople who make house calls—often in company vehicles and trucks—agrees, believing that a small detail like an uncluttered truck can make or break that first impression.
“Clean your trucks, for crying out loud,” says Slade. “Don’t let cans and stuff like that be falling out of them. A client’s going to get to see the inside of your truck, and you want them to be impressed.”
In Gene Slade’s coaching events, he regularly encourages salespeople to think about how they come across in the first encounter. Everything from the initial handshake (or not!) to the energy in the salesperson’s voice can set the tone for the entire relationship. Each subtle detail will help salespeople communicate professionalism, confidence, and credibility—each of which translates over to the sale.
How Gene Slade Discovered the Details that Make the Difference
Slade believes that powerful first impressions should be emergent of good self-care. In fact, Slade learned these lessons the hard way. In the early portions of his sales career, Slade says, he embraced a “hustle” mindset that sometimes put his self-care and personal relationships at risk. With health and family life getting worse, Slade found it more difficult to muster the confident, friendly attitude that’s so helpful to generate powerful first impressions in a sales context.
Since then, Slade toned up his pitches and learned how to mentor others to do the same. Slade has built a reputation for multiplying revenues by as much as 11x when he gets to coach salespeople, with many sales mentees elevating their incomes to well over $400,000 per year. Slade points to his early mistakes—and the lessons he’s learned since then—as propelling his views on what makes a good first impression. Everything from trimming and cleaning one’s fingernails to remembering to smile and make good eye contact all add up to a first impression that makes an impact.
To Slade, there’s no detail that isn’t worth exploring. “You should have a standing appointment every 10 days or less to get your hair done—to get your hair cut,” says Slade. “I promise you, it’s costing you more money to not look fresh than it would cost you to look fresh.”
Slade arrived at his conclusions as he learned that a good home life could lead to a stronger, more confident life in a professional context. He brings those same insights to budding salespeople who need to learn the same lessons—and occasionally clean out their truck’s dashboards, too.
Showing the Clients that the Salesperson Means Business
“Keep your space clean and presentable,” Slade says. “Show your clients that you mean business before you even step out of the car.”
The advice might sound familiar to some salespeople. A clean, confident first impression is one of the first keys to making a sale. However, there are salespeople who sometimes advocate having everything available on the car’s dashboard—from paperwork to promotional materials—so they’re easy to grab. Slade says that a clean first impression is much more important than this.
“Get all of that stuff out of there,” advises Slade. “Do not allow anything to be up on your dashboard.” Cleanliness is more important to Slade. It may seem like a small detail to have the truck clean when pulling into a potential client’s driveway, but these details matter. They help convey a sense of competence and professionalism. If there are materials on the dashboard of the truck or car, it can communicate something different, which might set a potential customer’s alarm bells ringing.
Starting Strong Isn’t the Whole Story
Kicking off a sale with a strong first impression in about seven seconds can set the right tone. However, it’s not the complete approach Slade advises. It’s a foundational block that establishes the setting for a great sale—making it a key ingredient, even if it’s not the whole recipe.
For Slade, there are entire systems of sales to work through before a salesperson can count on results like 11x-ing their income. His resources, like Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, emphasize strong first impressions while providing bird’s-eye views of what strong sales should look like. These systems have helped salespeople 11x their income, notes Slade—and the first impressions are just one tip of the iceberg. There is a lot that happens after the first seven seconds, and much of it can be just as important. Starting strong is a great first step—but Slade emphasizes that there’s always more to learn.
About Gene Slade
Gene Slade, CEO of Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, is a pioneering force in the realm of sales training, conversational AI, and business development in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industry. With a steadfast commitment to empowering professionals in the trades, Gene offers transformative coaching experiences that revolutionize the way business owners approach sales and growth through personalized guidance, community support, and access to exclusive resources. For more information, call or text Gene himself at (239) 848-6533 or visit https://leadninjasystem.com/ and http://leadninjaai.com.
