We all have our own tastes, styles and preferences when it comes to how we
dress, style our hair, even what we drive, and one of the great things
about running a business from the comfort of home is that we can be
exactly who we are with no need to impress anyone.
Like you, I have personal preferences. I love the fact that I can work in
my PJs during the early hours of the day while I coach overseas clients,
and comfortable gym clothes or shorts and a T-shirt during the day.
It’s great that working from home gives us this freedom to dress as we
choose, but it’s also important to recognize that this is where it stays -
at home.
When you’re out in the community or meeting with clients or prospects, put
your personal preferences aside and shift your thinking to image
management.
Whether it’s fair or not, image is critical. How someone perceives you is
going to determine whether or not they will do business with you.
Psychologists have learned that most people will förm an impression of you
in the first four minutes and that 80 percent of that impression is based
on nonverbal data.
What you say has very little impact compared to your visual appearance.
Just like changing packaging for a product can mean the difference between
boom or bust, the same can be applied to your physical packaging.
When I met my accountant for the first time, I was stunned. He came out
of his office in his socks, his shirt was hanging out of his pants and he
had no tie. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he had just
wrestled a bear.
The first thing that may come to mind is he was having an afternoon cavort
with his assistant, but he had a glass window on one side of his office
and several support staff surrounding his workspace, so I gathered this
was his customary work attire.
Most of what he said to me traveled in one ear and out the other because I
was too busy trying to tame the battle going on in my head ...
“If he cares that little about his appearance and is that sloppy in his
own business, why would he be any different with my finances?”
“Laurie, your colleague recommended him and said he did good work, that’s
got to count for something.”
This internal battle dominated our meeting and I left with a pit in my
stomach.
In the months that followed, I stayed on top of him like a wild dog on a
slab of meat. I didn’t trust his judgment or quality of work. I watched
every entry he made like a hawk and double-checked everything he did.
I eventually brought the relationship to an end and transferred my
business to another accountant.
Maybe it was shallow and terribly unfair, but the fact remains --
appearance does have a major impact on business relationships.
I couldn’t get past my first impression or the subsequent impressions as I
continued to visit his office, and if I didn’t call and ask for something,
or put a deadline on it, I don’t know if it would have been done.
His poor professional image translated to substandard përformance and
unfortunately, the two are often connected, and that’s where our
perceptions and judgments come into play.
An eternal truth in business is, you will succeed based on what is, not on
what it should be.
Physical appearance and its impact on business success has been tested and
measured and you can try it out for yourself to demonstrate.
One day, dress casual for meeting prospects and arrive in your aging
pick-up truck. The next day, wear a business suit and complement it with
accessories like a good quality pen, briefcase and your newer model car.
You’ll notice a remarkable difference in the results you produce.
You’ll also notice that you’re treated with more respect, courtesy and
receive much better service and response than you are when dressed in your
“at home” business clothes.
The importance of personal packaging is a fact of business life. It may
seem unfair or superficial, but the fact remains -- to resist, deny or
ignore it would be disastrous to your success.
Take a few moments to reflect on how you’re presenting yourself to the
world. Is there room for improvement? If so, make a change and test it.
I’m certain you’ll be impressed by the results.
Origin Author: Laurie Hayes
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