You get just one chance …
If you’re anything like me, your mother probably told you that you only get one chance to make a first impression.
Sound familiar?
This means you must work a little harder to get it right the first time.
This came to mind at a recent meeting when I found myself being pitched for my account by a guy wearing a threadbare blazer and a shirt with fraying cuffs. He was telling me how successful he’s been…but his clothing belied the impression he was trying to impart.
I found myself harkening back to mom’s wise words, which also included looking sharp. “Nobody will want to do business with you because they feel sorry for you. They’ll want to do business with you because they believe you’re successful, and they want some of that success to rub off on them.”
Over the years I’ve repeatedly seen the truth of mom’s advice, and have always tried to project success. Even when I’ve shown up wearing jeans, I’m also wearing a blazer.
And just as important has been the attitude I’ve projected. When I’ve gone through an Eeyore “Thanks for noticing me” stage, potential opportunities have deserted me in droves.
Alternately, my presenting an “I’m incredibly successful” attitude has consistently provided results reminiscent of Harry Potter drinking the golden Felix Felicis (liquid luck) potion, where nothing I do can go wrong.
Regular readers know I’m a great believer that we’re all always selling ourselves in some way. It may be to get a raise, a better grade, a date or a new home. Starting from that point suggests you’ll almost always do better if someone feels good about working with you.
As observed in Entrepreneur magazine, “Being successful at selling isn’t about your product. It’s about your personality.”
Meaning you’ll get the occasional success by playing on someone’s sympathies, with occasional being the key phrase. However, your return on investment will be universally better over the long run by dressing, speaking and acting like you’ve already won…even if you’re personally convinced that’s a lie.
Still not persuaded? Review today’s headlines and you’ll see candidates for every political office acting like they’ve already won, even though all evidence suggests otherwise.
And because of their attitude alone, some of them probably will succeed.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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5 Minutes to Better Branding. https://tinyurl.com/hatbrand.