First Impression
Today I’m pleased to introduce Helen Robinett, Director of Image Quest. Perceptions are very powerful and this simple fact provided enough drive for Helen to turn a passionate interest into a full time personal image advisory service that helps people be the best they can be. Today Helen shares some of her insights with us. Naomi 
You never get a second chance to make a first impression in small business.
Interesting fact that people only ever do business with people they like and trust. So for small business owners, that means enhancing and increasing your likability factor. As human beings are highly visual creatures, it makes sense that your visual image is up to scratch. Perceptions are reality and we do believe what we perceive to be true.
Top five tips for small business owners to improve your image:
1. Be consistent – this is about aligning your branding. Your website, business card, marketing message and you personally (image and behaviour) need to be in sync. So if you are in a service based industry, you are here to serve. Get it?
2. Be current – seriously now, if you are wearing gear that is dated and tired, what is that saying about your business? Freshen up sunshine. Spring is here. Time for an injection of a few new pieces that will serve you moving forward.
3. Step up your grooming – All communication in business happens around the face. Human beings are attracted to connecting with those who are healthy and energised. Notice this week how you feel when you connect with a misery guts or the guy who forgot to attend to his hair. Probably doesn’t work for you does it? Clean, moisturised skin, hair that is attended to and clean, pressed garments and shoes are the order of the day in business.
4. Use high contrast – Great tip for your first client meeting or presentation. This is about creating a high contrast close to your face. You can do this with a light coloured top and a dark coloured jacket over it. Women may choose to use accessories to create a high contrast – light top and dark necklace. All you need to remember is the combination of light/dark close to the face. Easy. Creates the impression that you are sharp and on top of your game.
5. KISS – keep it simple stupid! Eliminate distraction and keep your image simple. Too many pens in your shirt pocket, noisy bracelets and make up overdone is distracting. You really don’t have to spend a lot of money or complicate things to get it right. Simple is best, chuck out the rest!
Interested to hear what works for you in creating a great first impression.
Helen Robinett, Director, Image Quest
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I’m SO pleased to see this article, Naomi. I’ve been looking forward to hearing from Helen for ages. And she certainly hasn’t let us down.
Thanks heaps, Helen, for adding your style to our presence. Best regards, P.
Hi Paul – yes this is a great post! Thank you Helen!
Helen has a day full of helping some fabulous business owners be the best they can be – so will be popping in later today and tomorrow to respond to your comments.
Can I ask what other small business people would prefer to see from an IT consultant.
If we were coming in to work on your computers, make sure your servers are working, etc, do you think you would prefer a well dressed person in a suit & tie, or a little bit more relaxed – polo shirt with company branding, black pants, shoes, etc?
I’m trying to make a decision for my business moving forward on what my technicians should be wearing out to site.
I’d prefer relaxed, Slade. If you’re going to be crawling around behind my desk, it makes sense to dress accordingly.
Really great post Helen and everyone should take your advice. I have told so many people about the need to do exactly what you say but they usually don’t or do so for a short time before slipping back.
I have always dressed well and focused on personal grooming on my way up the ladder and certainly believe it assists in defining your own ‘brand’ and the level of success you achieve.
Walk into a business in a suit and compare that to the reaction you get when wearing weekend sloppy wear. In my line of business well presented, well dressed and well groomed is essential. I find shoes to be an indicator of people’s attitude. Clean and polished or dirty and scruffy – there is a direct correlation.
In my world there is no value in a cheap suit and better to have one good one than several cheap ones. (Hugo Boss is excellent). Quality watch and pen. I also wear cufflinks as they provide a touch of class and high quality art deco styled pairs from the 1950s can be picked up relatively cheaply on eBay.
Good quality shoes are comfortable, sports shoes masquerading as business attire is a big no no. White shirts with a strong tie but when the shirts start to yellow chuck them out. Thankfully the era of the novelty tie is behind us. I found it difficult to take anyone in a Homer Simpson tie seriously. This also applies to women’s business attire.
I understand that its people’s right to express themselves. However they need to consider the appropriateness of their presentation in the work environment. If you’re going for a job then the messy hairstyle, visible tattoos and multiple facial piercings won’t impress many bosses. No doubt people will be up in arms about that statement but remember most often the people running companies are older and often more conservative.
When you dress and present well you feel confident. If you’re really intent on reaching the top then be very careful of casual Fridays. Casual clothes, casual attitude. Have some personal pride and standout as someone who is serious about achieving.
With self identity being so critical to financial success, it is truly amazing that people don’t spend time developing their self image so that it supports them, rather than pulls them down.
When I left school, I started with a large department store as a management trainee. We were expected to maintain a certain standard of grooming including pantyhose.
I am no longer there,(and,living in QLD, no longer wear pantyhose)
However, I have always maintained a standard of dress wherever I have worked. Whether it was a suit, jacket and skirt or dress pants or dress. I never dress casually – I prefer to look as if I can fit into any business situation.
I work in the decorator accessories business which is very fashion orientated. I do not dress in high fashion but go with the tried and true designs. Interestingly, many of my younger competitors wear jeans, low cut tops etc when they are calling on customers who are usually well dressed.
I believe that this is a lack of respect for the customer’s position – they want to deal with clean, groomed, reasonably dressed people.
Piercings and tattoos seem to be on show a lot more. With our customers they are going to tend to be middle aged or older and they do not appreciate seeing these.
If in business, one should be well groomed and take into account what middle-Australia tends to be like ie slightly conservative and dress accordingly. Keep one’s personal (extreme) tastes out of the picture unless that is an area that you work in.
Great comments, Malolm and Ann-Maree! Can’t wait to hear what Helen says.
Looks like I picked the wrong day to wear my trackie dacks to work …
It’s OK Adam, as long as they were your dress trackie dacks. Trackie, moccies and a rip curl t-shirt is a suit in Geelong!
T-shirt? Well, la de dah! Looks who’s fancy now.
Hi Helen!
Wonderful post and terrific comments from Malcolm.
Reminds me of my devotion to TJ Malloy and his newspaper column ‘Dress for Success” in the Detroit Free Press. My mother and I poured over his columns (she was outfitting four daughters!). One tip which has stayed with me over the years is what the most powerful color combination is for a woman – a pink blouse under a gray blazer.
Your sentence is gold:
Perceptions are reality and we do believe what we perceive to be true.
Something equally important is how we feel, and how that is projected outwardly, when we step up our appearance a bit. The way we carry ourselves is different.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheryl
I do believe that you need to be as well dressed as your client. However, there can be times when, if you are not careful, you can be overdressed.
I remember many years ago, buying a very smart fashionable suit and new shoes to wear for a job interview. To my horror when I arrived for this panel interview – two of the interviewers were in jeans and the other one wore track pants – (it was a local government council job as an HR Manager). Needless to say I didn’t get the job.
Many of our clients are small manufacturers, wholesale and warehouse operations, and of course the many and varied trades.
Now if I were to wear high fashion or obviously expensive clothes, I have no doubt it could make them feel uncomfortable and potentially make them feel at a disadvantage, or worse make them feel that they cannot possibly afford what we have to offer. This is particularly true when many of the trades based business owners that we work with have work that makes them very dirty and we go to their work sites (eg a skirt and heels is an uncomfortable look on a construction site)
Having said that, I have never ever worn jeans or track pants to any meeting ever.
An old saying I learned many years ago was “Be as well dressed as the best dressed person in the room, but never better” It works for me.
Hey Malcolm, your comment makes a load of sense. you are spot on in regard to your observation about confidence. The only issue I find is that people just don’t know what they don’t know! I had a call from the HR division of a major food chain today, looking to book me for 100 of their uni graduates on personal branding. People are becoming more conscious of their image now. Staff are asking for coaching and mentoring in this area. This is good in a service industry! Malcolm you have had some excellent role modelling by the sound of it. Well done! cheers H
Hey Ann-Maree, I hear what you are saying about a ‘lack of respect’ and agree with you. Our work force has become very relaxed and casual when it comes to grooming and personal image. The most common request I get from organisations is about ‘casual friday’. Many of them are phasing it out. It’s just not working. Der! Appreciate your contribution Ann-Maree. Thanks! cheers H
Ok Adam, let’s see a pic of those tracky dax shall we???? lol! love the reference to the Geelong suit! H
Hey Cheryl, so pleased that you have picked up how all this makes you feel. when you are projecting a confident image to the world you WILL perform at significantly higher levels in life. No brainer! If you think you can succeed then you bloody well will. The mind is incredibly powerful. Present yourself well and not just you, but others will believe and expect better of you too. cheers H
Gidday Maralyn, delighted to see you have picked up on being ‘appropriate’. It’s a matter of choosing the right outfit for the right occasion. I did a keynote for a university helping job seekers get ready for their first interview. They arrived to the session dressed for an interview. It was obvious that they had ‘done their best’ with the knowledge they had. By the end of the session, they have a few more skills to move them forward. Students are keen! They want to learn. gotta love that! cheers H
Fabulous comments, Helen. Thank you for taking the time to get back to everyone so late at night after your long long day.
Thnaks Helen,
Your comments have been sensational and it was a timely message. I was checking out people as they walked past my office door this morning. Fortunately no thongs in sight!
Be careful what you ask for from Adam. I saw him once dressed in nothing but mud and leaves…..but that was a long time ago!
Can I recommend that business owners allocate a section of their “marketing budget” to their wardrobe?
Many many MANY people bypass this point and it’s so important that it is all in keeping with your brand and business values (see my post: http://bit.ly/dwliGv)
The minute a person sees you they pass judgement based on how you look.
If you allocate a budget to it, and invest in a few new pieces every season, it’s not a huge load to carry.
Thanks for your post Helen!
Hey Leah, great idea about the annual budget. That’s what I focus on with my clients! well said and great blog you have. cheers H
This is a very intersting topic. Having worked in both small and large businesses the difference in expectation of grooming and presentation to clients is significant. I think it comes down to the personal experience of the small business owner. If they have worked for a long time in big business then they bring that expectation across, if they have generally worked for themselves most of their working lives then it shows.
Small business can really learn a few things from big business when it comes to looking professional.
oh you are so right on that front Carbonite Australia!