Looks do matter as a professional sales person. And even though as a child I was raised to think the opposite, my experience has taught me otherwise. And it’s not to say that attributes like character, integrity, creativity, humor, humility, and honor are what matter most.
I’m not going to argue with that. Those things do matter the most, but they are not the only things that matter. And I’m going to explain to you why you’re mom was indeed wrong, and why looks do matter.
First Impressions
I remember getting into a discussion recently with my wife about good first impressions and the importance of dressing the part when you are meeting someone for the first time.
Since she works for a company that uses my property management software we often talk about the real estate and property management industries.
As a general manager she has had to interview many people, and it amazes us that there are still people who come to an interview looking like they just got out of bed and thew something on.
Their first impression was very bad and it resulted in no offer for employment. Whether you like it or not, the first impression you give someone often is a visual one. So it’s important to make that impression a good one.
Because as we’ll talk about, looks do matter.
Dress The Part
There is an old saying that you should dress for the position you want, not the one you have.
If every sales person on your team dresses in polos and slacks, but you want to be a sales manager, then you should dress like a sales manager. In a suit in tie,or whatever their normal attire is.
In interviews, no matter the position, I believe you should always show up in a suit. It gives a strong first impression and tells the company that you are serious about yourself and the position you’re applying for.
If you ever do any seminars or webinars Or videos that you post online, be sure to dress the part. I plan to do videos here on The Sales Pro Blog and when I do I will likely be in a suit or shirt and tie. I will dress the part of a professional sales person.
But until then I’d like to provide a great example of professional videos that I’ve found online. The site is Select Real Estate and they are a company I’ve been prospecting on since beginning my adventure in Los Angeles property management software sales.
Ron Escobar, the owner is featured in these videos and does a great job of dressing the part of a professional real estate agent and showcasing the properties available through his company.
He is dressed like someone I’d want to work with. The videos are edited very well. The sound is good quality. And the lighting allows you to clearly see the properties. He has done a great job of using videos to increase his business sales.
Ron is someone that clearly understands that looks do matter and his intention is to make a great first impression which I think he has done well.
Online Pictures
I firmly believe that you should not have anything on social media platforms that you wouldn’t want your boss to see.
Luckily for me Facebook didn’t start getting popular until the tail end of my college years. But I still often see online photos of friends that show them drunk, passed out, or doing other things I’m sure they would not like their boss to know about.
But there it is, online forever, and according to Facebook’s T&C, their property to use as they see fit.
So by controlling what there is available online about you; you can showcase what you want to.
Who would you rather buy from, the sales person who looks sharp and seems to have a well groomed social media profile like Ron Escobar, or the sales person who when you Google them, showed their last spring break “performance” in Cabo?
Sorry mom, looks do matter.
~Johnny Bravo
Image courtesy of sattva / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
When I was on an interview committee for the first time, I was really surprised at how common it was for everyone to sit around and google the candidates in between each interview. Needless to say, it really does change your perception of a potential employee once you find their awkward drunk photos on Facebook. Sure, everyone has had one too many to drink at one point or another, but pity the fool who posts it for the world to see 😉
haha I can image how that would change things. And yes, it’s a shame that they decided to post those.