One of the things I have the hardest time getting people who are not in Marketing or Management positions to understand is the importance of looks to success. In other words, the old adage You only get one chance to make a first impression is true in more ways than one.
If you really think about it, not only is it true that a first impression can only be made once (after that, you've already made the impression), but it is almost impossible to overcome a negative first impression that you have already made. This can be seen all around you, every day of the week, month, and year.
Look around you when you're out and about and watch how people react to others. Pay particular attention to the differences in how people treat people in suits and business dress versus jeans and polo shirts/sweaters. Even more pronounced is the difference in how people treat people in business clothes compared to people in t-shirts. It doesn't really matter whether both people are dressed alike or not. You will always notice better treatment for the people who are better dressed.
You can experience this yourself. Pick one or two places that you don't go frequently. They need to be places where you would be waited on to some degree like a restaurant or a store, and go there dressed in overly casual clothes. Your clothes should be around the level of a T-Shirt and jeans, and you should go during off-peak hours. Carefully watch how people are treating you. Both the people who are waiting on you and people around you.
Now go back about one or two weeks later, around the same time of day, but this time, make a point to dress nicely. At a minimum, men should have on a dress shirt and dress pants, preferably with a blazer or suit coat. Women should wear either a nice business outfit, skirt and nice shirt, or dress. All clothes should be clean and well cared for. Now watch how people treat you. Except for famous and well known people, I have never seen or experienced a situation where people who are dressed well are not treated better than people who are not.
But why is this important? Because if you want to exceed in life, you can't just be the part, you need to look the part.
Notice, that I didn't say succeed in life. I said exceed in life. To succeed means you will survive and live. To exceed means you will go beyond expectations, beyond your dreams, and beyond what others expect of you. This is far more than just succeeding.
NLB and the 2 MPs espouse the benefits of dressing well. When you see Donald Trump on TV, he's always dressed in a suit. Just look at the nightly news. Except for special reporting from remote locations, the lead newscasters are always dressed well with suit and tie. The reason. Respect. Whether you believe it or not, people will show you more respect the nicer you are dressed. Whether you do or do not deserve it, or believe that you do or do not deserve it.
So the next time you go to work, the store, out to dinner, the movies, etc... dress up a bit and see what happens. Then do it again, and again, and again. Then make a point to do it every time you go out. Sooner or later, you'll always be dressing nice when you go out and getting the respect and treatment you deserve.
If you really think about it, not only is it true that a first impression can only be made once (after that, you've already made the impression), but it is almost impossible to overcome a negative first impression that you have already made. This can be seen all around you, every day of the week, month, and year.
Look around you when you're out and about and watch how people react to others. Pay particular attention to the differences in how people treat people in suits and business dress versus jeans and polo shirts/sweaters. Even more pronounced is the difference in how people treat people in business clothes compared to people in t-shirts. It doesn't really matter whether both people are dressed alike or not. You will always notice better treatment for the people who are better dressed.
You can experience this yourself. Pick one or two places that you don't go frequently. They need to be places where you would be waited on to some degree like a restaurant or a store, and go there dressed in overly casual clothes. Your clothes should be around the level of a T-Shirt and jeans, and you should go during off-peak hours. Carefully watch how people are treating you. Both the people who are waiting on you and people around you.
Now go back about one or two weeks later, around the same time of day, but this time, make a point to dress nicely. At a minimum, men should have on a dress shirt and dress pants, preferably with a blazer or suit coat. Women should wear either a nice business outfit, skirt and nice shirt, or dress. All clothes should be clean and well cared for. Now watch how people treat you. Except for famous and well known people, I have never seen or experienced a situation where people who are dressed well are not treated better than people who are not.
But why is this important? Because if you want to exceed in life, you can't just be the part, you need to look the part.
Notice, that I didn't say succeed in life. I said exceed in life. To succeed means you will survive and live. To exceed means you will go beyond expectations, beyond your dreams, and beyond what others expect of you. This is far more than just succeeding.
NLB and the 2 MPs espouse the benefits of dressing well. When you see Donald Trump on TV, he's always dressed in a suit. Just look at the nightly news. Except for special reporting from remote locations, the lead newscasters are always dressed well with suit and tie. The reason. Respect. Whether you believe it or not, people will show you more respect the nicer you are dressed. Whether you do or do not deserve it, or believe that you do or do not deserve it.
So the next time you go to work, the store, out to dinner, the movies, etc... dress up a bit and see what happens. Then do it again, and again, and again. Then make a point to do it every time you go out. Sooner or later, you'll always be dressing nice when you go out and getting the respect and treatment you deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment