Your Look Counts
I find that in today's selling world more and more sales people think it's OK to get away with a casual look in front of their clients. And while some industries might support a well tailored "business casual" look, most will not support golf shirts, jeans and outdated and ill fitting clothes. Sadly...I see it a lot.
Truth is that I still sill more when I am wearing a suit. I believe its because a suit, suggests expertise, authority and success. People want to deal with people they think are successful. And, like it or not, they base their thoughts about you, on your appearance.
Over time, research continues to show that your outer look has an impact on how others view you. Dr. Robert Cialdini of "influence at work" shows us through his work that "when you look good, it is assumed that you are good at what you do.” I think it is always best when meeting new business associates that you look extraordinary, not ordinary.
Image and Branding expert Sandy Dumont who deals with high-powered entrepreneurs says “Looking powerful and upper class not only gets you noticed; it leads to higher credibility and respect.” As sales professionals you need to make your first impression the best impression, to gain respect which will foster the framework of future business relationships.
Success coach Lee Milteer reminds us that "if you don't make a positive impression by your appearance when first meeting people in any professional environment, you are likely to be dismissed as if they don't know your credentials or your success in your field. It has been proven that when you meet a person for the first time, your unconscious mind makes an instant evaluation that is almost always permanent and rarely given a conscious – or second – thought."
Give some thought to what you look like before you leave the house or office to make sales calls. Sales is about style AND substance, and without the style, you never get a chance to show youur substance off.
Dedicated to increasing your sales,
Colleen
posted by Colleen Francis - President Engage Selling Solutions @ 2:28 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
It might be a bit of a generational thing as well. Today's heroes are Mark Zuckerberg and Chad Hurley. Suits are associated with "corporate America" - not a positive thing these days.
But look at it this way. Does it really matter? Wouldn't you prefer someone in jeans who knows what he or she is doing over a suit who just rolled out of sales training?
So yeah, it matters. But I think we're past the point where if you had a nice suit, the outgoing personality and the ability to be quick on your feet made the difference. Customers want substance - real value and I think many of them would sacrifice the suit for a knowledgeable salesrep (if they had to make that choice) any day of the week.
Just my 2c.
Hi Jan,
Suits or no suits, professional dress is still important and relevant in my opinion. I also believe that professional can mean many things. Selling to bankers on Wall street will require a suit, selling technology to Exxon will also require a suit (they are still very formal)but to sell to your local florist you may define professional as a button down shirt and a pair of ironed pants. Sadly what I see in the market place is sales people taking the "business" out of "business casual. Consider the following research:
University of Virginia Psychology Professor Timothy D. Wilson’s book Strangers to Ourselves unveils the “adaptive unconscious” and reveals how much our lives are influenced by the part of our brain that operates totally undetected by our conscious minds. Wilson asserts that the adaptive unconscious influences us far more powerfully than the conscious mind. Dr. Wilson explains that first impressions are made and interpreted by the adaptive unconscious, the part of our brain, which has the ability to size up our environments, interpret them and initiate behavior quickly. Without these non-conscious processes, we would be overwhelmed and would find our environment too chaotic to function effectively. In a calm moment, our senses are detecting about 11 million pieces of information per second. Our non-conscious filter examines the barrage of information reaching our senses and decides what to admit to consciousness.
When you see another person, - especially a sales person who you are predisposed to NOT trust - your unconscious mind goes straight to work and processes information instantaneously. Your conscious mind, unaware of the process since the two “minds” don't communicate, calls this feedback intuition or a “gut feeling.” You just didn’t click with the other person, or maybe you actually fell in love with them at first sight. Either way, Wilson asserts that the unconscious mind usually makes the decisions and the conscious mind rationalizes the decision and goes along with it. So, since most of us business people like the simplistic truth, basically, you categorize people as Yes or No with the occasional Maybe thrown in. Selling successfully required creating a Yes response from your prospect.
The bottom line is if you are really serious about selling more and working less you want to avoid being relegated to the NO part of the brain when you meet a prospect You need to look polished, modern and classy from head to toe. When you are dressed in a way that presents yourself in the best light, you also have more confidence. If you want to be more productive, your CONFIDENCE needs to be high, and the way you present yourself can make a huge difference in your ability to take action and risks. Appearances may not make a person, but they can certainly affect the way we FEEL about ourselves.
Thanks for youor comments!
"What I wear doesn't change who I am, but it does change your perception of me." --Penelope Stetz
I'll never forget the time I wore a "peasant dress" to visit clients I'd been calling on for years instead of my usual two-or three-piece suits. Even though they new me and trusted me, I received less respect that day.
Wearing a suit will get people to listen to me. If I don't know what I'm talking about, wearing a suit won't keep them listening or cause them to buy.
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