Meeting someone for the first time requires so much of you to be sure that the first impression is a good one. So many things can go wrong; poor dress, bad breath, poor posture, bad handshake, etc.
Shaking someone's hand is an opportunity to convey a non-verbal, positive message. I liken it to holding a baby; infants want to feel secure thus a fretful baby frequently quiets down when held closely and firmly. When you shake someone's hand, do it with a firm grip and with sincerity. Don't crush the hand or fake how happy you are to meet a person.
The WORST thing you can do is offer a limp hand where the fingers are barely curved around the person's hand with little pressure, not curved at all applying no pressure or provide no hand to shake. The message that is instantly sent is "I don't really care about you". True or not that piece of information you send is probably not one that would ever be verbalized but would come out of your customer as "I don't know, there's just something about him I don't like."
When a new person enters the room, stand up, smile and shake hands. Even if it is someone that you know, do it. Do you think you won't be liked for standing up to greet someone? Of course not but if you don't stand, you might be adding to the "I don't know . . ." file.
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