Dressing for success isn't an option if you're a professional sales person, or indeed, any kind of customer facing member of staff from receptionist staff up to managers and beyond…A recent article in the Wall Street Journal was quoted to me last week regarding how formality in dress is returning and the London Stock Exchange was recently in the news for holding seminars on how to dress to impress for female staff.No matter what you say, people expect people to look the part.
For example: A high-powered lawyer should look like a high-powered lawyer (you expect them to be in a very expensive suit). The same applies for all walks of life - customers expect their Therapist to look like a Therapist with a uniform on, not jeans and a t-shirt.Someone once said that the best wardrobe advice is "Buy half as much and spend twice as much." In other words - a cheap outfit will look just that - cheap! Spend wisely and buy one really good outfit rather than 2 or 3 mediocre outfits.
Looking professional also means matching. Your nail varnish to your outfit, your belt to the colour of your shoes and so on... and speaking of shoes - they should always be clean and shined.
It is a fact that people react better to you if you not only act the part but also look the part.When you are getting dressed in the morning think...How do you want people to react you today? What do you want people to think about you today?
What first impression do you want to create? And what do you want people to remember about you today?
If the answer is a good, positive reaction along the lines of... this person sounds good
and looks good - then you better dress for success!
My thanks to Jim Meisenheimer for the ideas that this Blog is based on.