Expression can be a big deal

How you express yourself says a lot about you and your business, so getting it right can mean the difference between winning a deal and losing it.

Executives also need to convince their overseas clients that they are totally reliable; unfortunately this type of decision is often made in a split second.
"The first impression is made very quickly, probably quicker than we realize -- probably in five and seven seconds. Within that time people have judged all sorts of things," Lesley Everett, an independent image consultant, told CNN.

"How credible, how professional, how trustworthy, how friendly, how approachable, and how creative -- all these sorts of things go through peoples' minds very quickly."

According to Everett -- who has worked for eight years developing executive images at the likes of British Petroleum and Bank of America -- peoples' actions speak louder than words.

"The non-verbal communication and the voice quality are key indicators. They represent a huge percentage of that first impact. Get that right and people will hook into your words and your content much more quickly," she explains.

Now personal branding is becoming critical in business, with executives focusing on trying to differentiate themselves from their peers at competing firms.

"It really comes down to personal branding -- how we stand out from the crowd, how we make a difference, how we differentiate ourselves, how we make ourselves more visible for the right reasons," Everett says.
The idea stems from corporate branding, where executives at meetings are taught to project company principles parallel with their own personal values.

Yet a large number of business travelers are often too busy, jet-lagged or too nervous to be aware of their own behavior in a meeting overseas.
"Do not arrive in a meeting cluttered up, you want to appear very much in control and unflustered. Before you go into that meeting just calm yourself down," she explains.

At all costs, remember to be yourself and be consistent, Everett suggests.
Someone who comes across as fake and unreliable has the potential to upset clients.