“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression” is one of the great myths of selling. No matter how much your salespeople prepare, not every first impression they make is going to be a winner.

The feeling that they’ve blown an opportunity with a good prospect can discourage them from going back to that prospect. Here’s some information to share with them.

What the research says

New research by the Stanford Graduate School of Business shows that a first impression doesn’t have to be the last impression. The key to dispelling a negative image is to position yourself to get a second – and then a third and fourth – chance to prove yourself.

The biggest hurdle in fixing the situation is rarely the prospect’s impression of the salesperson. The real roadblock is salespeople refusing to call on prospects who they feel have negative feelings about them.

It may be human nature to avoid a situation that seems like a lost cause.  Even if you’re right about a prospect’s negative opinion of you, there are five ways that may help you change his or her perception:

1. Evaluate what went wrong and adjust. Maybe it was an encounter at an inopportune time or location, or the prospect didn’t respond well to your approach. Try to get a second meeting where those elements are changed or eliminated.

2. Try to let the prospect do most of the talking. The less you talk, the better your chances to change their impression in your favor. Ask them questions to get them talking about their business and problems you may be able to address.

3. Don’t worry what the first impression may or may not have been. You may have misread the prospect’s true impression, or he or she may have simply forgotten that first meeting. If you stay focused on what problems you can help them solve, you may make that second impression the one that sticks with them.

4. If the prospect seems antagonistic, try to focus on the what, where and how much of the situation. Give the impression that you’re not simply trying to rebuild bridges, you’re interested in gaining a fuller understanding of what happened and why. Hear the prospect out, allowing him or her to vent feelings without interruption. Waiting out the antagonism is a necessary part of changing the prospect’s negative impression.

5. Be ready to fix problems fast. Nothing gives a prospect a worst first impression than a salesperson who can’t seem to take responsibility. Prospects want to hear solutions, not apologies or a dozen reasons why something didn’t happen on time. Try to take responsibility and solve problems on the spot.

Source: “When First Impressions Flop: Getting a Second Chance,” research by Jerker Denrell, Stanford Graduate School of Business.