The Hertz, Corporation, the U.S. Air Force, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the City of Dallas, and the Neiman-Marcus Group, Inc., have one thing in common—all have purchased the services of Feedback Plus. Feedback Plus is an agency that dispatches professional shoppers who pose as customers. These "mystery" shoppers visit the client's business, purchase products or services and report back to the client on the quality of service they receive. The City of Dallas hired Feedback Plus to see how car-pound employees treat citizens picking up their cars. The Air Force is using professional shoppers to assess customer service at their on-base supply stores. Banks, hospitals, and public utilities are also hiring mystery shoppers. Vickie Henry, chief executive of Feedback Plus, notes that many similar firms compete for client's business, and service really differentiates one firm from another. Although Henry has a database of 8,800 people who serve as professional shoppers, she sometimes assumes the role of mystery shopper herself. During a recent visit to an upscale women's apparel store, she observed the type of customer service most companies attempt to avoid. None of the many salespeople on the sales floor said hello when she entered the store. When she removed a skirt from a clothing rack, none of the salespeople approached her. Finally, several minutes after entering the store, Henry approached a salesperson and asked to use the dressing room. Needless to say, service at this firm did not receive high marks from Feedback Plus.
    As organizations experience increased competition for clients, patients, and customers, awareness of the importance of public contact increases. They are giving new attention to the old adage "First impressions are lasting impressions". Research indicates that initial impressions do indeed tend to linger. Therefore, a positive first impression can set the stage for a long-term relationship.
    We are indebted to Susan Bixler, president of Professional Image, Inc., and author of <em>Professional Presence</em>, for giving us a better understanding of what it means to possess professional presence. Professional presence is a dynamic blend of poise, self-confidence, control and style that empowers us to be able to command respect in any situation. Once acquired, it permits us to be perceived as self-assured and thoroughly competent. We project a confidence that others can quickly perceive the first time they meet us.
    Bixler points out that, in most cases, the credentials we present during a job interview or when we are being considered for a promotion are not very different from those of other persons being considered. It is our professional presence that permits us to rise above the crowd. Debra Benton, a career consultant, says, "Any boss with a choice of two people with equal qualifications will choose the one with style as well as substance." Learning to create a professional presence is one of the most valuable skills we can acquire.
    The development of professional presence begins with a full appreciation of the power of first impressions. The tendency to form impressions quickly at the time of an initial meeting illustrates what social psychologists call a <em>primacy effect</em> in the way people perceive one another. The general principle is that first impressions establish the mental framework within which a person is viewed, and later evidence is either ignored or reinterpreted to coincide with this framework.  For all of the following walks of life EXCEPT the ______ the professional presence has been discussed in this passage.