Jeff is approached by a salesperson. The salesperson fails to make a first impression and Jeff decides in the early minutes of the sales presentation itself that he will not buy anything from the salesperson.

Which of the following phenomena is observed here?

a. Central traits principle

b. Incremental effect

c. Primacy effect

d. Covariation principle

Letter c is correct. Primacy effect.

Explanation:

The primacy effect is a phenomenon that describes about the preference that humans have over a first choice, that is, individuals generally have a preference for the first data they receive about something, than the next data. This effect is compared to the first impression, which is the initial perceptions we get from meeting someone that are difficult to change even over time.

A good strategy for salespeople is to bring their highest performing product on the first visit, to have a positive effect on customer expectations and encourage sales.