We all know that "You never get a second chance to make a first impression," but what about second impressions? In business, these might be just as important, if not more important, in the long run. Let me explain why.

Recently, we were honored to have one of our clients, the American Heart Association, visit us in our new Charlottesville, VA headquarters. We have been working with the AHA for many years now. Scitent was commissioned to create and host www.onlineAHA.org, which is the primary site for the AHA's ECC eLearning. That site has trained more than 650,000 healthcare professionals to date.

We were very excited to present to them various information, but what really stood out in my mind was actually showing them work that we’ve done for other clients. A lot of times when two companies have a long history with each other, the distinction between what a vendor does for a client and what a vendor can do often becomes unclear. For example, if your initial contacts at a company have left or switched roles and did not pass along the knowledge of your expertise; a lot of time has passed, technology has changed, and you can simply do more; or you have new expertise in-house, you really should consider setting up a meeting to make a great second impression.

Create a presentation that demonstrates your latest products and services, even talk about your future goals and where you see your company going. Give your client a new perspective.

You know they also say it is easier to solicit new business from existing clients than attracting new ones.  This idea really supports that. Not only do you get to practice your presentation in front of a group of people you are already comfortable with, which will help you build confidence when presenting it to a new audience, but you also are doing a service to your customer by offering the latest and greatest you have. This will get their ideas flowing for new projects, which will, of course, be beneficial to their business and yours.