Is Your Business Presentable?
Who here puts effort into the way their business presents physically and digitally? Awesome, most of you. It is interesting to think about why we do this. Any thoughts why?
The reasons could be to attract clients (visibility) , to give us credibility or perhaps that it makes us feel good about our business, in that it looks good, we are proud of it and it’s a nice place to work.
Without doubt, we want our business to look good, so we are visible and to give us credibility with existing and new clients. What if the opposite is true, our business looks bad (even just compared to our competitors).
We must overcome that perception, even if potential clients decide to risk looking past our businesses appearance.
Are We Presentable?
As the business owner and manager, do we also put effort in to make ourselves presentable? Both to be visible (in a positive way) and so we don’t have to overcome an initial negative perception to become credible in a potential client’s eyes?
Think about someone you know who always presents themselves in a way that makes you believe they are on top of their game and would be easy to introduce to someone else. Can you think of someone whose presentation makes you feel the opposite way?
We aren’t just talking about the way we dress or how our hair looks, although that is certainly part of it. Our demeanor is also part of our presentation. Do we look happy and approachable or harried and grumpy. Who would you rather refer to someone else?
Three Piece Suit
Do we all need to wear three-piece suits? No, the Golden Rule is to dress well for your profession. If you are a mechanic, it’s fine to wear workshop appropriate clothes, but they should be smart and clean.
If you are lawyer, you’d never attend a meeting in beach shorts and jandals. We expect lawyers to be in business attire. If you want to be more credible and visible than your competitors, then being more presentable than them is important.
It doesn’t mean spending more money, it’s just thinking about what you can do to be consistent with your profession and business image.
Trademark Your Look
Who can think of people that are memorable because of their look?
Here are some: Winston Peters was known for always being dressed in high-end three-piece suits. Peter Dunn and Cameron Brewer were known for their bowties. Te Radar is memorable for his shock of red hair.
Think about something you can add to your wardrobe that isn’t controversial but helps make you memorable. It can be your trademark.
Do we have someone in our chapter that has a trademark item or look?
Check the Mirror
Has your “look” just become merely functional and not representing your business in the best light?
The Christmas break is a great time to think about coming back with some added flair and a trademark look.
