I recently received an email from a contact, Joe. At the end of Joe’s message was a sentence that read, “Please excuse misspellings; sent by Blackberry.”

For some reason, those six, simple words caused me to pause and think, “Of all the messages with which Joe could have closed, why did he choose this one?”

I automatically started to think of answers to my own question:  Is Joe overwhelmed? Are “small details” not his forte? Does Joe generally make excuses for his lack of attention? Or, perhaps he spends much of his day commuting around Los Angeles, in which case I guess I should be thankful that he would rather focus on his driving (keeping the rest of us alive) than worried about proper spelling and grammar!?!

For whatever the reason, this “general disclosure” smells to me like an excuse, which is BADfortheBRAND™! Although Joe’s intentions were probably good, it just goes to show you how something seemingly insignificant can send the wrong message.

To this day, I can not remember what Joe’s original message was about, but what I do recall is the bad impression it left with me.

You never get a second chance to make a dynamic first impression! When presented with the opportunity to communicate your value to prospective customers/clients, what do you say that will connect and resonate with them?

Last week, I attended a networking event. The whole point of the meeting was to network with other professionals in hopes of forming business referral relationships. To kick it off, the group leader asked each of us to introduce ourselves and share with the group the reason we got into our line of business.

One by one, a cast of lawyers, bankers, financial planners and other professionals stood up, stated their name and company, and then said something along the lines of, “well, I never really meant to be a <insert the occupation>, I just happened to fall into it.”

Albeit unmemorable and even a bit boring, I did not realize the gravity of such a missed opportunity to make a powerful first impression until my friend, Jeffrey, a trial attorney representing individuals who have experienced catastrophic accidents, approached me after the meeting and said something along the lines of, “I just happened to fall into it? Now that’s what I’d consider a career slip and fall!”

Creative pun aside, I could not agree with him more.  Our ability to be effective, compelling, and sought after “trusted advisors” largely depends on our personal brand, which is primarily based on how others perceive us–our words, actions, impressions.

In an economic environment where most of our businesses have been commoditized (or at least that is the perception), one way professionals can distinguish themselves from their competition is demonstrate the passion they have for what they do.

Whether it is a group introduction, a one-on-one meeting, while attending a cocktail party, or in front of a prospect, communicate your passion, energy and love for what you do. Passion is contagious and others will seek you out as a result of it.