The chosen attire of a salesperson has been a contentious point of discussion for years. It seems to typically come down to one key issue - should salespeople only wear formal business clothing such as suits?
It is certainly the case with the majority of sales roles that the suit is the popular choice but there are a number of cases when there are valid arguments for not wearing the standard salesperson uniform. Indeed there have been numerous occasions when I have decided against looking too formal and have gone for a more casual look.
Arriving on a building site in an expensive suit will often leave you open to ridicule and covered in mud - here there is certainly an argument for dressing in clothing that will allow the customer to relate to you and also navigate the obstacles on a site in development. It can be a very uncomfortable experience sitting in a Portacabin in a suit whilst surrounded by tradesmen. I have always found it much easier to arrive in a pair of jeans and join them in a mug of tea with three spoons of sugar!
Back in 2000 I attended a sales conference in Phoenix, Arizona where there were over 500 salespeople from the telecoms and IT industry. Not one of the American salespeople wore a suit during their working day - it was very much branded polo shirts and chino's and they introduced themselves as Sales Engineers. For them, they would never consider walking into a customer meeting wearing a suit as they felt that instantly devalued their experience and technical ability.
I have generally left salespeople to choose their own attire and make their own judgements. There will of course be times when they get it wrong but that is how they learn best. The most common time this is an issue is when there are two people from a business attending a meeting together in different clothing choices - this presents a very contradictory message.
These days I never wear a suit. I am sometimes smart, sometimes smart casual and sometimes casual and it has had nothing but a positive effect on the way I'm perceived. Whilst it may seem presumptuous of me, I expect my clients to judge me based on what I deliver and not my attire choice of the day. In most instances it seems to relax my clients who see me as more of a person than a businessman and it is actually extremely rare for any client of mine to wear a suit.
Arriving on a building site in an expensive suit will often leave you open to ridicule and covered in mud - here there is certainly an argument for dressing in clothing that will allow the customer to relate to you and also navigate the obstacles on a site in development. It can be a very uncomfortable experience sitting in a Portacabin in a suit whilst surrounded by tradesmen. I have always found it much easier to arrive in a pair of jeans and join them in a mug of tea with three spoons of sugar!
Back in 2000 I attended a sales conference in Phoenix, Arizona where there were over 500 salespeople from the telecoms and IT industry. Not one of the American salespeople wore a suit during their working day - it was very much branded polo shirts and chino's and they introduced themselves as Sales Engineers. For them, they would never consider walking into a customer meeting wearing a suit as they felt that instantly devalued their experience and technical ability.
I have generally left salespeople to choose their own attire and make their own judgements. There will of course be times when they get it wrong but that is how they learn best. The most common time this is an issue is when there are two people from a business attending a meeting together in different clothing choices - this presents a very contradictory message.
These days I never wear a suit. I am sometimes smart, sometimes smart casual and sometimes casual and it has had nothing but a positive effect on the way I'm perceived. Whilst it may seem presumptuous of me, I expect my clients to judge me based on what I deliver and not my attire choice of the day. In most instances it seems to relax my clients who see me as more of a person than a businessman and it is actually extremely rare for any client of mine to wear a suit.
In reality there is no right or wrong. Some people will expect polished shoes, a well-tailored suit and will refuse to accept anyone who does not meet their expectations and others will really not mind.
Personally I'm not sure it matters!
No comments:
Post a Comment