It’s Monday morning. You were up late last night for any number of reasons. You only have an hour before you have to be at work. That shirt you were going to iron, you completely forgot about. And you were going to polish your dress shoes, but . . . other things got in the way. Nobody ever really notices, right? Wrong. Everybody notices. Most people just don’t say anything. Moreover, you typically feel the way you look. So you are wearing a shirt that looks like you ironed it with a rock. Your slacks haven’t been to the dry cleaners in weeks. And your shoes are black, but you couldn’t dream of seeing your reflection in them. And you’re a sales person that is going to meet a customer for the first time today. Last time I checked, first impressions are lasting impressions.
Have you ever heard somebody say they feel like a million bucks? Sure you have. And think about the way they are presenting themselves. They feel it and they look it. I’m not telling anybody to go out and buy a Brooks Brothers suit. Far from it. The amount of money you spend on clothes has nothing to do with the way you present yourself. The amount of time you spend making sure you are polished (pun intended) and ready has everything to do with it.
It’s funny. I remember as a kid, I loved to get dressed up in a suit for something. Heck, I’d get dressed up to go to McDonald’s if you’d let me. Now though, I really do hate getting dressed up. Probably because I have to get dressed up for work every day. So now I’d just as soon wear shorts and flip flops any time I can. I think most of us feel that way. The one thing I will say, is that when I do get dressed for work, I make sure that my shirt is ironed, my slacks are fresh from the dry cleaners, and my shoes are polished. When I meet somebody for the first time I want them to remember me as someone who was well-mannered, well-spoken, and well-dressed.
In last week’s blog I talked about why a customer doesn’t buy from you. I believe it all comes down to they don’t like you. It’s that, or you don’t have the specific product they came in to purchase. Other than those two reasons, there is really no other logical reason a customer would not buy from you. I can tell you when I make a purchase, it’s much easier to buy from someone who is well-dressed, polite, and well-spoken. It’s a respect thing to me. I am more apt to give you my hard earned money if I feel like you are working to earn it.
So take the extra time tomorrow. Don’t wear the same slacks you wore last week. Don’t decide to skip the iron. And polish your shoes! I don’t care if it’s going to rain or snow, there is never a reason to wear dress shoes that aren’t polished. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel when you take the time to properly groom yourself. And what you will also notice, not only do your co-workers appreciate it, but your customers will be more apt to saying yes. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to look at somebody else and tell them you feel like a million bucks.
Oh, and one more thing. When you fly, for the love of God, PLEASE don’t wear pajama pants! That’s just a personal request.
What do the readers think? Am I just too old fashioned? Or do you believe appearance is as important as I do? As always, thank you for reading!
The Other Side of Sales 