I used to be a commercial diver and one day I got decompression sickness, a malady that can hit divers for various reasons. My particular case was quite bad and as a result I couldn’t dive any more. At the time I was working for a very large Japanese shipping company. I was devastated by the fact that my diving career was over. My immediate manager was really committed to ensuring that I retrained and learnt knew skills that would give me a career outside of diving.

I was offered a job in sales and marketing for the company. Whilst I didn’t really want to pursue this option I did, mainly because I wasn’t sure what else to do. Through a twist of fate, I ended up at a big trade show in Sydney, where travel wholesalers came from around the world to buy various Australian based tour products. I was selling Great Barrier Reef Cruises.

Now at the time, I had literally come from working on boats, being longhaired, scruffy and relatively unkempt (as was the norm when spending weeks at sea). I was determined not to change because I didn’t want to become “just another suit”. I made the mental decision that people would have to accept me for who I am.

I turned up for the first day of the trade show in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and generally looking like I had just fallen out of bed. I went about setting up my booth and sat behind the desk, waiting for people to come and start buying from me. Streams of professional “suits” walked by, most took one look at me and kept walking, noticeably faster I might add.

Well I sat there for the entire day and I sold nothing. Not a single cruise. I became distraught and confronted by what I thought was the truth – that I wasn’t cut out for this job. Then I had an epiphany. If I wanted to sell to these people I had to look the part. What signal was I sending them dressed as I was and being all scruffy in some in my insecure attempt to retain my “individuality?”

Not a good one. This led me to what I call my “Pretty Woman” experience (named after the movie of the same name). The minute the show closed I raced down to the biggest department store that I could find where I searched until I found a friendly looking old man who was dressed impeccably and I told him my story. Most importantly I told him I wanted to become a really successful sales professional and that was all he needed. Next came a flurry of activity that had me trying on suits, having my hair cut, new shoes, a tailor was called in to make adjustments on the spot, a manicure, a new briefcase was purchased and a host of ties and shirts added to the list. It cost me thousands but I surrendered to the experience and I put my life in this hands of this old man.

The transformation was mind blowing, particularly for me. From the minute I arrived at the trade show the following day I started selling and people were receptive. I felt fantastic, I was confident, I was funny, and I looked like a million bucks. I sold about $6 million worth of cruises that day.

I often reflect on this experience. I had made monumental changes to my attitude and my appearance. Both were equally important. Since then, I have been a big advocate of the importance of looking the part in whatever role you are in. Be proud of your appearance, dress accordingly for the market you are selling to (for example don’t wear a suit if you are selling to farmers) and invest in your appearance.

Every day I give thanks for getting decompression sickness because it started the process that has led to me becoming who I am today. This realisation is a topic for another discussion………

A few years back I was presenting a seminar to about 150 people in Alice Springs, a desert city in the middle of Australia. The crowd was very warm and welcoming and whilst I did my thing and spoke about the way to build a dynamic business I noticed one man at the front of the room who could barely contain himself. I assumed he was a little unusual and possibly a bit eccentric simply because he was wearing a tattered pair of shorts, a smelly old singlet and he was barefoot – non of which is considered normal attire even in Alice Springs.

Now I made a number of assumptions about this man simply by looking at him. I assumed that we was a bit strange, that he had no money, that he may even have been mentally challenged in some way. Subconsciously I probably made another 100 assumptions about this man.

We all do it. I have read and spoken to various authorities, stating that we form an opinion of a person in a matter of seconds, sometimes its right and sometimes it is completely wrong.

At the end of the seminar this funny man came over and started to chew my ear off. He was nice enough, but I didn’t really know what he wanted or what he did. We had a pleasant chat, he seemed satisfied and he wandered off, to my relief.

A little later the event organiser came up to me and we were having a debrief on the night. I had a bit of a chuckle as I told her about the strange little man and she told me he was the richest man in Alice Springs. He was worth tens of millions of dollars and he was a self-made property developer.

I have experienced this same thing many times in my life. Looks can be deceiving and when it comes to selling anything, judging people based on their looks can be a sales disaster. I would go one step further and say that often the people we think are the wealthiest, based on what they are wearing or driving, are often just the people with the most debt.

A smart sales person will overcome their initial and instinctual desire to judge a person and put them in a pigeon hole (ie they are rich, they are poor, they are a time waster, they will never buy this). They will look well beyond this and treat everyone exactly the same and that is what will make them different.

I spend a lot of time dressed in suits and travelling. On the weekend or if I am having a day off in a city I like to dress down. I know for a fact that when I walk into most shops, wearing an expensive suit, I get served almost immediately and I am generally lavishly looked after by the sale people. But if I turn up in a pair of jeans and t-shirt the level of service is completely different. Most of the time I am ignored, even though the amount of money in my bank account is exactly the same.

Break the habit of judging a person by their appearance and treat everyone as equal. Do this and you will sell more of anything to anyone. As a beautiful by product, you will get to meet and connect with some truly spectacular people whom you may have previously written off.