SalesHQ

I started my career at Xerox in the 70s. The dress code left little room for individual taste. If you wore a blue dress shirt, management would ask if you were in the Air Force.

As a medical equipment sales  person covering a large territory i wore different clothes in different cities. In DC, it was 3 piece suits, in West Virginia, it was sport coats.

I would plan what I would wear for a big appointment or for a closing call. I had my power ties, gold cufflinks, and nicely shined shoes. In another forum, a person said that they use to be so good looking that they had to grow a scruffy beard and dress down to look more like a brick layer. So I ask, do clothes matter.

obrudder says ...

Yes, clothes matter. I always wear them except when cold calling from home

and at home?

It's surprising how people object to clothing in various ways. For me personally, as an idealistic youth, individuality was the paramont concern when it came to clothing. Conformity was phoney and a violation of a person's actualizing of themselves. A suit was a major case in point. it was about conformity with what I considered absurd expectations. Many young people have these heartfelt objections and it holds them back needlessly. Maybe there should be a branch of psychology counseling that addresses clothing as part of life progress, to resolve people's issues when balking at the expectations or the need to project a message. Such counseling would help smooth the way for many people.

We project a message in every aspect of our being. How we talk, what we are concerned with, our behavior etc. etc. Clothing is an extension of our personal message. To see clothing in this way, we have to ask what is the intended message and to whom are we adressing it. Now what clothing would be consistent with the message I intend to project under the circumstances I will be encountering. Will my attire resonate consistently with my environment and toward the goals I hope to reach. What do the people I expect to encounter need in my personal massage, to feel positive about whatever we endevour together. There is no one style for every situation or type of persons. We just try to understand those we are going to be with and dress in a disarming manner for their sakes. Clothing is therefore part of the strategy for life and should be understood in this way.

Bryson says ...

It's surprising how people object to clothing in various ways. For me personally, as an idealistic youth, individuality was the paramont concern when it came to clothing. Conformity was phoney and a violation of a person's actualizing of themselves. A suit was a major case in point. it was about conformity with what I considered absurd expectations. Many young people have these heartfelt objections and it holds them back needlessly. Maybe there should be a branch of psychology counseling that addresses clothing as part of life progress, to resolve people's issues when balking at the expectations or the need to project a message. Such counseling would help smooth the way for many people.

We project a message in every aspect of our being. How we talk, what we are concerned with, our behavior etc. etc. Clothing is an extension of our personal message. To see clothing in this way, we have to ask what is the intended message and to whom are we adressing it. Now what clothing would be consistent with the message I intend to project under the circumstances I will be encountering. Will my attire resonate consistently with my environment and toward the goals I hope to reach. What do the people I expect to encounter need in my personal massage, to feel positive about whatever we endevour together. There is no one style for every situation or type of persons. We just try to understand those we are going to be with and dress in a disarming manner for their sakes. Clothing is therefore part of the strategy for life and should be understood in this way.

Bryson, thanks for the reply. You are the one I thought of when you described how you had to change your appearance to fit in with the brick layers. I try to look nice most of the time but have noticed that, this is a much more casual society than back in the day.

Maybe we should identify a concept of "tactical attire" as part of the overall strategy of "Client Comfort". Rather than dressing to impress, we should dress for "Comfort of the Client".  The psychology of the client in context with the business setting, helps us determine what would be most reassuring to the sensibilities of the client.

Lori what you have written reminds me of a friend of ours.

 This person owned a bar and sold it for millions.He decided to buy a car. That day we were in ragged jeans and shirts. He was wearing motorcycle boots. We wlaked into a car dealership and started looking around. Not one sales person came over to us. A nicely dressed couple waltzed into the car dealer and they ran to them. They new what they wanted and sat down quickly to dscuss terms.

  While we were searching we over heard them being denied due to no credit.Finally a sales person came over to us.The first question asked by the sales person how do you expect to pay for the car?My friend responded CASH. The sales person stood in total  disbelief that our friend had the resources available to pay cash.

 We sat down and he filled out the paperwork to submit to the accountant to verify the credit and available cash.They came back and started calling him Mister and asking if there was anything else he needed. The reply was yes we need another car dealer.

   We cannot judge our clients by the way they dress however the client does and will judge the sales professional by  the way they dress. Over kill is as bad as under dressed. What the sales professional thinks is not relevant what the client thinks is relevant.

Clothes absolutely matter.  If a person walks into a room full of people, the hidden first impression will be that the better dressed people in the room are in charge.  Do you want ot be perceived as a leader or as a follower?

smile says ...

I think the main focus here is you should dress the part.   How someone will dress for an office job will obviously dress different for a job in manufacturing.  But, I will say some people who come to interviews ie, for a welding job, in shabby jeans and dirty t-shirts is not a way to impress.  That tells me that they don't respect themselves enough and will that reflect in their ideal attitude in their work. That would make me ask "Is their work going to be sloppy?"  are they a person who gives a hoot about the finishing touch to the job?  All we ask is just come to the interview clean and respect the people/company you are going to.  Don't come in looking like you crawled out of a ditch in other words.  There is no excuse.

I think that it all depends on the image you want the employer to see.  Whether you were a $600.00 suit or a $50.00 suit doesn't matter.  It's all about respecting yourself enough to care about what you look like.  In saying that, when I was in banking, some of the worst dressed people were those that had money.  I don't know, maybe they are just cheap misers or clothing is just not something that is important to them. 

I do not think it is fair to judge someone by their clothing overall.  I think if you are dressed in line with the type of job you are applying for and show confidence thats all that matters.

Smile, the old saying, dress like your boss, has merit. I am old school and would rather over dress than under dress. 

Bryson says ...

Maybe we should identify a concept of "tactical attire" as part of the overall strategy of "Client Comfort". Rather than dressing to impress, we should dress for "Comfort of the Client".  The psychology of the client in context with the business setting, helps us determine what would be most reassuring to the sensibilities of the client.

Bryson, the difficult part is if you work for someone that requires you always wear a suit and tie. Many more industries now accept the fact a salesman will not always wear a tie.

topsaleslady says ...

YES! CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN! or WOMAN!

 

You only have one chance to make a first impression, why take the chance?

 Double right on!

But but it is done all the time.

smile says ...

Why do new members in here refuse to dress themselves with some representation other than the uncreative "head and shoulders"? Is this a sign of a lack of creativity or thought?

or know how

Getting dressed; well I was always a rebel refusing to fit the dress codes. And I sold

Now I wear tailormade suits /imported fabric; here's what I've observed

If the fabric is of a Valentino quality and you don't wear underwear you tend to move through the crowd with a satisfied determination, some of you call it having an air of confidence.

If the suit costs more than 1500$ you will find people don't ask so many stupid questions any more

If you change suits in the middle of the day to fit with each audience, and they find out, it produces a warm fuzzy feeling in them

When they find out that most of the deals I made with and for them (virtual) I was only wearing pyjamas ....ok here I get mixed reaction and have yet to see how it plays out.

It's all about packaging yes.

Sell4U says ...

Getting dressed; well I was always a rebel refusing to fit the dress codes. And I sold

Now I wear tailormade suits /imported fabric; here's what I've observed

If the fabric is of a Valentino quality and you don't wear underwear you tend to move through the crowd with a satisfied determination, some of you call it having an air of confidence.

If the suit costs more than 1500$ you will find people don't ask so many stupid questions any more

If you change suits in the middle of the day to fit with each audience, and they find out, it produces a warm fuzzy feeling in them

When they find out that most of the deals I made with and for them (virtual) I was only wearing pyjamas ....ok here I get mixed reaction and have yet to see how it plays out.

It's all about packaging yes.

I agree but a nice suit and no underwear?

That's right Jim I want full value, nothing between me and all of that beutifull fabric