ToExec copy

I was in a reception area today, being an old runner I needed to have a bone scan, this required me sit in the waiting room for a while between tests on my leg. I began to notice the person behind the desk (not sure if she was a qualified nurse or a receptionist), and how she was reacting to and treating the people she encountered.

While she was professional and polite with everyone she dealt with, there were definite differences. Most obvious for me sitting a couple of seats away (next to a stack of year old People magazines), was that she reacted differently to people based on their looks. Not being a behavioural scientist, I do believe that depending on general looks and clothing, she was much warmer, human and friendlier to “good looking” people.

What I mean by “good looking” wasn’t that they looked like models or the beautiful people on TV, but more how they presented themselves.  Men wearing suites, women in smart attire, people who well groomed and made up.  Again, people in sweat pants or jogging outfits just did not get the same attention, smile or help in filling out the necessary form.  When you think about it is this latter group that was better dressed for the occasion, a nuclear bone scan.

It got me thinking about the work I did with a company that sold directly to such labs, and their frustration in getting past this front line.  What struck me is that many of them wore casual clothing while selling, they would argue business casual, but casual is casual.  Many sales professionals have bought into the “casual” look that came to be popular a decade ago, it is not that cool anymore, if it ever was.  That may work in some cases but for the most part if you are in B2B sales, and yes a medical office is a business, then you need to dress and act the part.  I ware a suit and tie on every call, and my clients know from the moment I walk in that they are dealing with a pro, it lends weight to my part of the discussions.

First impressions count for a lot with people, and prospects are people, influencers are people, gatekeepers are people.  If you are in sales you are asking people to have confidence in you, your judgement, your recommendations and your product.  So if you want to create a buying impression, you have to give that impression.  It will not only help you look the part of success, but will give you the confidence to be the part.  It doesn’t take much, or need to cost more than good business casual, but looking tight and smart will allow you to gain an edge over others who want to look “cool”, but what I saw at the lab today confirmed that “cool” does not sell.

So you can dress like they did in the “dot com” days, but I am told we are now in the days of Web 2.0, past Business 2.0, and to succeed you need to you should get a Suite 2.0.

What’s in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto