dress appropriately
Oct 11th, 2007 by Vikram Rajan
I was having lunch with two of my clients; I was introducing them (there’s a tip).
And during it, one of my clients talked about a quick anecdote that illustrates the importance of dressing appropriately. He was going to meet with an executive at a top big box retailer. He had heard they had a very laid back culture at their Texas HQ. In fact, he was told that he may want to dress casually.
He took that advice and threw up a nice pair of khaki’s and a button-down shirt emblazoned with their corporate logo. When he entered the lobby to meet his prospective client, the client was in a pair of jeans and cowboy boots! Whew, thank goodness he wasn’t in the traditional garb of sales professional.
In such a scenario, the dark suit, white tie, and red tie combo - a sure bet for a banker - would have turned off the prospective client. At best it would have made the prospect uncomfortable, or worst brand my client a NY city slicker. Matching your character style and tone is essential for building rapport!
Sometimes, it’s great to stand out! (For example, when you’re the MC hype-man for the evening fundraiser.) And other times, it’s b
etter to fit in with the community culture. Have you ever made a fashion faux pas?
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