- 55% is visual - clothing, accessories, mobile phone etc.
- 38% is auditory – is your pace fast, slow? Is ‘nup’ part of your vocab?
- 7% is what you say - not much is it?
Let’s face it - people do business with people they like. This means building a great rapport fairly quickly. What does your industry look like? Do you fit that image? What do your clients expect of you? All this means is that you get some things right and maintain consistency! So there are some simple things that you can do that will have a huge impact on your clients. This will reflect positively on your business success too. All you have to do is manage the perceptions of others. You can do it quite easily! Take a look at 7 things you can do right now:
Colour
The most flattering effect is created when you wear your designated colours. To assist with rapport building, use your eye colour in ties and scarves. This will ensure your eyes remain the focal point – great way to build rapport! This rules applies to anything worn close to the face.
You can create the illusion of being taller and slimmer by wearing the same tone from top to toe. This takes the eye up and down. Creating the illusion of height has many advantages – so use it.
The best first impression is created with a strong contrast close to the face. This means teaming a dark jacket with a light shirt for example. It expresses confidence and is great for business.
Personality Dressing
Always dress to suit who you are as an individual because people will relate to what they see. If you have a bright, outgoing personality, choose a bright or high contrast tie or a bright, trendy handbag for women.
Style & Fit
Your clothing must fit your body perfectly. If it is too tight, the perception is that you outgrew it and can’t be bothered to replace it. Anything too big looks like it has been borrowed from a friend! Not good messages to send. Look out for horizontal creasing on pants and skirts – this indicates the garment is too tight. Vertical draping on jackets indicates the garment is just too big. Ok, so maybe it was on sale and didn’t quite fit – the perception is ….. I’ll let you figure this one out!
Grooming
The condition of your clothing communicates the level of care you will give to others – particularly in a service based industry. So repair that hem, get that jacket dry cleaned and press your shirt!
Irregular hair – this occurs in the ears and nasal passages for men and women find it appearing on lip and chin areas! It forms a visual distraction about the face and this makes it difficult to hear what you are actually saying!
Clean your shoes weekly. This is crucial – especially for men. Women will decide how successful you are based on the quality and condition of your shoes. Remember it’s all about perception and there is no truth in perception! Women tottering about on very high heels are perceived as flippant.
Accessories
Briefcase, quality pen, appropriate compendium to hold your note book. Keep it all relevant and appropriate to your industry or profession. Listen to the ring on your mobile phone. Is it appropriate for the image you wish to project?
Intuition
Trust that you are doing many things RIGHT in regard to your current image. Very few people are in dire straights with their image. Most people are looking for skills and strategies to save money and time with their clothing choices.
Appropriate
For goodness sake – just be appropriate! Whether you are working on a building site, in a suburban office, with a major corporate or out on a hot date. Think about where you are and what is going to be appropriate. There will be times when a tie or complete suit just won’t work for you!
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