First Impressions

Are you someone we would want to do business with?

In sales we know that more often than not, people buy people. We buy off people that we like, we trust and that we think are credible and experts in their field. So to make the job of selling and winning new business easier, what you wear and how you conduct yourself goes a long way.

Have you ever thought about the impression you want to leave on people? What would you like people to think of you? Would you like to be seen as

as an expert in your field
as approachable and trustworthy
as though you make a lot of money
as creative
as to reflect professionalism, integrity and confidence?

What we wear each and every day goes a long way in helping to create the right impression and getting people to buy from you, however, so many people get it wrong, don’t care or simply have no idea. Some of these people have tried to sell to me and have succeeded in creating a great impression over the phone only to leave bitterly disappointed once I’ve seen their appearance.

For me, how you look tells me a lot about how you conduct yourself and your business and whether I want to do business with you.

To give us an idea on what we can do to create a great impression, I’ve asked Stylist, Jeff Lack from To be Well Suited for some quick tips on how to dress and look the part.

Tips for your corporate profile – compete or stand out and get ahead of the rest

What do you look like when you walk out the door? How do you feel?

Are you buzzing with enthusiasm and confidence for the day ahead?

Does your appearance accurately represent your business?

We know the numbers on trying to change a first impression (i.e. it’s hard), so put some thought and energy into your appearance and reap the rewards. Ask yourself, what first impression are you giving today?

Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

Clean, pressed garments and clean well maintained footwear are a must. If you are seen as untidy and unkempt this can leave the impression that you are untidy and unkempt in your business dealings.
Go for modest well-fitting apparel with colours that are coordinated, suit you and suit the industry that you work in or are selling to.
Casual Friday – don’t look at casual Friday as an opportunity to slothe or wear what should only be worn on weekends around the house. Take on the attitude of ‘fashion Friday’ and do a great smart casual ensemble that you could go straight from work to a nice restaurant.
When you’re going from the Job site to a Meeting. change your work boots to smart boots that you can slip on easily. Keep a knit and/or jacket handy to throw on and instantly smarten up your look.
If you have multiple appointments to a range of different clients, gauge which clients expect that level of professional image and plan accordingly. Keep a jacket, tie or scarf and spare shoes in the car so you can easily change between appointments.
Don’t go overboard on the perfume and after shave. When you apply don’t keep applying it until you can smell it; everyone else is getting twice what you can smell.
Watch the body odour and the bad breath, it’s a deal killer. Have a spare deodorant in your car or in your desk for emergencies and to freshen up during the day. If you suffer from bad breath or you smoke, brush your teeth regularly throughout the day.
If your colleagues or your clients are a bit smelly, have greens in their teeth, threads hanging off or have toilet paper on their shoes, tell them! You would rather know, so let them know; they will squirm more than you will, trust me.

When you are looking good and feeling great you will exude confidence, positivity and success. Your colleagues and your clients will sense this, draw from it and will want to do business with you.

Wouldn’t you prefer to do business with someone like that?

www.shinesales.com.au check out Karen Andrews Sales strategist.

Take 5 steps to successful style

Step1. Find or create a style you like.

 

Whilst music or movie stars can be great style icons, mum and dad or other family members can also have a considerable influence.

 

Walking down the street we may see something which, while we wouldn’t copy it, we may just tweak it to our own style.

 

In the average wardrobe, similar but not the same style tends to have a comfort and consistency to it. Now that doesn’t mean you buy every colour in your favorite new top, but similarities in cut across different designers will keep your appearance fresh.

 

Personally, I like to wear different looks that capture how I feel at the time.  For me, style comes from fashion, so I don’t always wear the latest and greatest but often just add a new season piece to some old favorite – like a waist coat for instance.

 

Style is the unique way we wear clothing and accessories to balance our colours and body shape. It’s a representation of our personality based on what we wear and how we wear it.  And it is important to remember that there is nothing wrong with turning to tried and tested styles that are timeless. That can also help to make your dollar go further as you will see in step 3.

 

Step 2. Put your signature to it and make it YOURS

 

Style is your personality on show through your look, so make it ‘you’ nique!  It can be something as simple as how many buttons you have done up or undone, how your collar sits, whether the shirt is tucked in or not, or half in and half out.

 

If we took five people at random and put them in the same basic outfit and then worked their individuality into the look with accessories that suit their personalities they would all look very different from each other at the end of it.

 

So the question you have to ask is how does an outfit make me feel? If you feel like you are trying to fit in and can’t be individual in your style, then your signature is not true. Regardless of anything else, there is no way you will want to look the same forever. Part of our signature is our ability to change, to follow trends which suit us. With street wear just the way you tie your shoe laces will individualize your style. The way you tie your knot in corporate circles can be your signature. The way radio commentator Alan Jones always wears pocket handkerchiefs is part of his style. Hair and facial hair for men can put a great signature into your look, but subtlety is the key.

 

Alex Perry is a classic example of a signature look; he would not be so recognizable without the consistent use of sunnies on top of his head. Jennifer Aniston’s signature hair swept the world as did the ‘Posh bob’. David Beckhams mini Mohawk was his signature for some time. And David is the master of changing his appearance while maintaining his style. Same signature – new pen to sign it with.

 

Step 3. Wardrobe staples

 

These are the basics that will create the backbone to your individual style. Initially you must understand your fit and the appropriate colours that suit you best. Our personal colours, skin, eyes and hair, tend to stay the same however our fit or body shape, unfortunately for most of us, does not.

 

Personally, I am big on age appropriate. We have all heard of ‘mutton dressed as lamb’, so dressing in your age bracket will ensure you have style when it counts.  Many people hoard, hoping that a piece of clothing which holds great memories from a moment in their past will come back into fashion …one day. Some women may romanticize about the shape they were when those size 8 jeans fitted like a glove and men are shockers at failing to cull wardrobes and throw away things that are long since worn out and ill fitting. The saggy, baggy jeans are a tell tale sign guys!

 

We need to get real, we are what we are now, not what we were10 years ago, so it’s important to have a wardrobe full of stylish options that you can coordinate today, not outdated bits and pieces that you hope will make a comeback.

 

To keep it interesting, clear out your wardrobe of things that just distract you, don’t fit, are out of style, or don’t suit. Then you will have the room and the motivation to start inserting the 5 major basics. For men these are Jeans, Pants, Suits, Shirts and Jackets and the accessory, or minor basics of Shoes, Belts, QUALITY Socks and Underwear, Rock ‘N Roll or Fashion T Shirt and Swimwear that won’t embarrass you. Depending on your personality, Man jewelry is decidedly optional. For women the 5 major basics comprise the LBD (little black dress), Suit, Pants, Jeans and Smart Shirt or Blouse in white preferably if it suits you and the minor basics are Hot Pumps, and a Blazer in navy or black and shoes, GREAT shoes and lots of them.

 

Step 4. Accessories

 

Simple outfits shine with the right combination of accessories. Footwear is classed as an accessory and I believe you should start at your feet and build up from there. Your feet have to make an impression as they are the first part of your stylish look people will notice. Clean, well fitting shoes that ooze your personality may be the only thing to set you apart in the corporate arena where strict dress codes limit your ability to stand out.  Think of occasions where you have noticed someone’s shoes at a business meeting and that should make you realize the importance of the humble shoe.

 

Women particularly shouldn’t underestimate the use of hats in all seasons. Certainly they can give you some practical sun protection in summer, but hats really need “attitude” to be worn. They can be worn to amazing effect night and day all year round and shout your personality on every occasion. They can say you are fun, you are elegant or practical or whatever you want them to say.

 

To a lesser degree bags for men and women can make an outfit and a statement too.

Scarves have been back in fashion for a couple of seasons and are being utilized in all seasons. Scarves are great for diffusing lines creating a slimmer look; this also applies to waistcoats.

 

Step 5.Use your illusion

 

Once your clothing fits, the colours suit and the accessories diffuse your lines; wear your style with confidence! Have fun with your clothes, don’t try too hard. Style must be effortless. Once you are dressed, check the mirror, strap on your ATTITUDE and enjoy who you are. Remain conscious of your surroundings because if you stand out too much you may start to lose your confidence. There are not many who can arrive at a fancy dress party dressed in normal attire and confidently say in a loud voice, “How embarrassing for them all!”

 

Ensure you dress in comfortable clothes because nothing is designed to make you feel more self conscious than being preoccupied with the fact you feel physically uncomfortable and confidence will not be projected.

 

Ultimately and perhaps sadly, we seek the approval of others in order to know we are going ok, but it has to be remembered that we can’t please everyone, so concentrate on pleasing yourself. Successful style is using these tips and being true to yourself, so go get em tiger!

 

Tied Up

 

With suits for men back in the limelight, I have put together a guide on the correct way to tie a Windsor knot for you so that your bespoke suit will get the full benefit of its most essential accessory.

Often distinguished from a half-Windsor, the Full Knot forms a wide triangular knot that gives the impression of formality and is most commonly worn at formal occasions. Associated with the latter day Duke of Windsor’s (later Edward VII) penchant for wider knots, this particular method of neck tying is best suited to a spread collar so that it’s width can be best admired.

The first step to perfecting your Full Knot is to hang the tie around your neck so the wide end is slightly more than twice the length of the narrow end and adjacent to your dominant hand.

Secondly, bring the wide end up through the loop formed when you cross these two over. You should find that the wide end will now be sitting on the top.

Pull the wide end underneath the narrow end and then pull over to the right. Follow on back through the loop and to the right again. You will now find that the wide end is facing the wrong way.

Next, manoeuvre the wide end across the front from right to left – the wide end goes through the loop again and is then passed through the now formed knot at the front of the tie.

Adjust slowly to suit.

These instructions should point you in the right direction, but you can visit YouTube for a selection of video demonstrations if you still find yourself tied up in knots!

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