Pleased to meet you!

It is often said in business that "you never have a second chance to make a first impression". This may sound banal — after all, it is obviously true — but is still worth remembering.

Imagine that you are giving a presentation. Your audience will form an opinion of you in the first few seconds. They will watch your body language, look at your clothes and, if you are lucky, listen to your voice. If you make a negative impression at the start, it will be hard to recover.

Likewise, if you launch a new product, it had better be (more or less) perfect from the off. If the product has lots of defects, you'll have a bad reputation long before you have corrected them. New products need to create a positive buzz from the word go, as happened with Apple's iPod and iPhone.

Another situation in which first impressions are vital is when you meet a new business partner. So the usual advice is: smile, say your name clearly, have a firm handshake (at least, in most Western countries), and use the other person's name correctly.

All good advice, if you ask me. Which was why I was so surprised by the way a business partner introduced himself to me at a conference recently.

After a third person had introduced us to each other by name, I said, "Oh, I know two things about you already." I was trying to break the ice because I knew where he worked and had heard him speak at a previous conference.

His reply floored me. "Two things? That I'm an arsehole and a wanker?"

Now, I have nothing against a bit of male banter. But my first reaction was: "I guess you must be if that's how you introduce yourself." My second reaction was... well, see my first reaction.

As the conference wore on, I met this man a number of times and got to like him more — and to appreciate his directness. As I told him at one point, "you're not as bad as you seem on first impression."

So, while it's true that you only have one chance to make a first impression, you can, if you're lucky, make a better second or third impression. But only if you get the chance.

Introducing yourself like this man did is a high-risk strategy, albeit a memorable one. For most of us, it's better to play it safe.