I'm ever amazed by the undignified mien of many sales reps.
Out of the hundreds I've met over the years, only about 10
percent have projected an image that inspired buying confidence.
Salespeople have shown up late or not at all, looking like
they'd slept in their cars or wearing suits even moths would
reject. Sales pros in the 10 percent club have been men and women,
youngish and more mature, but they've had much in common: All
were well-dressed and well-groomed, and had a relaxed and courteous
communication style. I trust these people with my clients'
money, the biggest compliment I can bestow.
Your sales reps are hired to fly the flag of your brand and
champion your business. Their image is your image, and if they
blunder, your company suffers. "If a salesperson is poorly
groomed or their clothes aren't pressed, the product is
cheapened, and the sale is in jeopardy," warns J. Kevin Hand,
president and CEO of Hand & Associates, an image enhancement
company in Los Angeles. Hand says executives view a positive image
as essential for success. "It's the packaging that makes
the ultimate difference," he says.
With that in mind, you must consider all that goes into the
image of your salespeople-from tattoos and piercings to suits and
hairstyles. While you may not personally feel any disdain for nose
rings, it's a sure bet many of your clients do. And what about
suits? Many executives now spend their careers clad in Dockers
instead of Brooks Brothers, so how should your sales force dress?
While a suit may no longer be required, it's still better to be
overdressed than underdressed-reps can always take jackets off if
they find themselves in casual land.
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As you lead the charge in dressing up, though, keep in mind the
corporate culture of your prospects. "It's not too
different from trying to understand tribal customs-you have to know
something about the group you're going to spend time with
before you get there," advises Patrick Lennahan, director of
the career center at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode
Island. Be extra cautious when your sales reps encounter what
Lennahan calls a "cross-cultural" experience-like when
artsy-hippie dude meets corporate muckety-muck. In this instance,
it's wise to emulate the look of your client. "A person
who wears a pinstripe suit in the wrong place can be just as
suspect as the person who wears jeans in another setting,"
says Lennahan.
If you have any doubt image can make or break your sales
efforts, consider some persuasive statistics from a survey
published in March 2001 Sales & Marketing Management
magazine: Of 651 executives polled, more than 94 percent said a
sloppily dressed sales rep had a tougher time making a sale, and 80
percent would avoid hiring any sales rep who was a sloppy
dresser.
In the image game, don't underestimate your role. As the
boss, the sales force looks at your words and actions as indicators
for the proper behavior. "If the top dogs in a company are
slobs, then the support staff will be, too," says Don Farrell,
44-year-old founder of Signature Inc., a sales and service training
company in Dublin, Ohio. According to Farrell, companies take on
the personality of their leaders, so entrepreneurs must be sure to
lead by example.
Kimberly L. McCall is president of McCall Media &
Marketing (www.marketingangel.com), a business communications
company in Freeport, Maine.
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