Make a Positive First Impression
You've got four minutes to impress prospects--so use them well.
Research shows that lasting impressions are formed in four minutes or less. After this, it becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, to sell, persuade or influence anyone to join your organization. Those first four minutes can make or break your recruiting efforts. According to the psychology community, more than 90 percent of the impressions we make have nothing to do with what we say. More than half are based on how we look. Most of the rest depend on how we sound. Only a small percentage depend on our verbal message.
Excerpted from Attracting & Rewarding Outstanding Employees