If you wear clothes that are typical of a certain stereotype, then people may judge that you have all of the other traits of that type of person.
Do you dress typically of the type of person others would expect to find in the business you work in?
Consider your role at work. What do you do? What and who do you want other people to perceive you as being?
Building your brand is as much about understanding who you are as it is to other people.
If you aspire to being the best technician, therapist, stylist, artist or whatever niche you are aiming for, think about:
- The image you have in your mind as to what that person might look like.
- How does that fit with the environment you work in?
- Is this the right image to help you create your own unique brand that also upholds the expectations of your potential clients?
Asking yourself these questions will allow you to view things from your clients eyes, and assess if you are on track. If you are unsure, seek out the best in your field and study how they dress, what type of establishment do they work in, and how busy are they?
Ensuring that others feel comfortable with what they see when they meet you for the first time allows for rapport and trust to be built quickly, and then the opportunity for a business relationship to develop.
This Week’s Task
Find an image of the most successful person you know in your field of expertise, someone who has a great reputation, is sought after, well respected and admired. What do you like about the image, and how can you improve on it for yourself?
Question
As a therapist or salon owner, what visual qualities do you demonstrate that ensure you are perceived as that….? You can leave your comments here.
Yvonne Parkel Bob Clark says
You’ve done it again!!! The sense of smell…. a powerful thing. Not only does one need to wear deodorant, one should keep their armpits covered i.e. NO SLEEVELESS TOPS AT WORK – men and women. How often do you want to be getting your hair shampooed and have to look at and smell a hairy armpit right there in your face? PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY PARTS AND THEIR POSITION WHILE WITH A CLIENT. And the overpowering fragrances issue…. what “other” odours are you trying to cover up? what if your client (or coworker) is allergic to that fragrance (that happened to me via client of coworker and my eyes all but swelled shut-at work) and has to leave and might not come back ? Do you really want to lose business? And the clean clothes issue…. here we are back at the “SLOB” issue again. Maybe we ought to go back to the ol’ uniform scenario. Wanna wear white stockings and white nurse shoes with that little white dress or jacket? Come on now…. how hard can it be to do laundry? The washboard and bar soap days are long gone. We push a button to wash and push a button to dry… I know you can do that…. all by yourself. Remember… you are building a career… that thing that supports you for LIFE!!!!!! Let’s pay attention to Julie – it would appear that she has been sent to Earth to guide and direct us back to the way things need to be done in order for us to be successful and fulfilled as professionals PAY ATTENTION
Sal Lo Gerfo says
OMG I had to work IBS NY and I saw the same thing there. Most of these stylists looked like slobs, over weight hair not done, but there were a handful that looked professional, and forget the students on the last day, another story by itself. Plus my company had a drawing each day and I can’t tell you how many came out without business cards, I just don’t get it, I never leave my house even on my day off without my cards and especially when I had my salons. This book is well needed and I only wish you the best of luck!
Norma Anderson says
This is a very good reminder Julie! The first glance creates the impression which can be very long lasting. The impression one wants to make is that “I am a wonderful example of folks who do they type of work that I do”
When I work at home I still put on my make up, earrings, bracelets etc. My hubby often says “Where are you going”, My answer is that I’m going to work. When I see myself throughout the day I look like someone who is working… makes a big difference to me!