Appearances are everything, an old saying which from my own experience I don’t necessarily think is 100% correct but I have no doubt that appearances are very important. In my dealings with successful entrepreneurs they generally look the part. They have an air of confidence about them and they feel successful.
I had this drummed into me at an early age. If you want to succeed at what you do you need to look the part. Dress appropriately, be groomed appropriately, drive an appropriate car and so on. If you are trying to portray yourself as a successful business, make it look successful.
Think back to the last time you walked into a business that looked like it was on skid row. Not very inspiring is it? You certainly don’t get a feeling of confidence from a business like this. The same can apply to an individual – if you want your customers to have confidence in you then look the part. This applies not only to you but to anyone representing your business.
Uniforms should always be neat and tidy, well ironed and of course clean. Company vehicles should be well maintained and clean. Crumpled, worn out uniforms and beaten up company cars send a very clear message that the business is either struggling or the owners just don’t care – both normally go hand in hand.
I recently pulled up at a set of traffic lights and waiting next to me was one of the most beat up and filthy cars I had seen in a long time. Clouds of smoke were billowing out from the engine and the driver was choking back a cigarette. All over this car were signs promoting the business that I gather owned it. They were selling the virtues of filtered water as a means of living a healthier life. There is no way I would ever be buying filtered water from this company. If their vehicle is like this what must their end product be like?
We all make these assumptions in our mind. To succeed at what you do look the part and your customers will know that you take your business seriously.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TODAY? Make a list of five ways you can improve either your appearance or the appearance of some aspects of your business and action them. It might mean buying some new clothes, or getting uniforms or having the company car detailed.
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy.