What message are we sending by how we look? What part of our message as an individual can we control? Well, there’s our choice of clothing. Occasionally someone may compliment us on what we are wearing, likee the color or style.
Some people have gone so far as to wear certain types of clothing to distinguish themselves from others in their field. Take my lawyer, for instance. I think he dresses funny. But I have to give him credit, people remember him, first because his clothing makes a bold statement, but then they remember what a good lawyer he is. Your business success may profit from your visual presentation of yourself a little more attention.
How we talk and express ourselves can make a significant impression on clients and prospects. As we watched the debates, we listened to see if the candidates answered the question. We listened to how clearly they stated their ideas. We listened to their inflections and the pace of their comments to see how confident and knowledgeable they seemed on the topics.
The candidates wanted to answer the questions in ways they thought would connect with the audience at home. We, too, must be aware of our client’s perspectives. Are we addressing their concerns or our concerns?
Evaluating the candidates for the company they keep; is where your community involvement makes a difference. We should let our clients know when we go a mission trips. We must find ways totell themw that we volunteer as a coach for kids’ sports or that clients value anything outside of work.
Obama’s two young daughters help him appeal to many folks, just as Pailin’s special needs child makes her unique to others. So while our outside activities are not our direct message to a prospect — they may be necessary to some of them and shouldn’t be left out.
Greg Thompson, director of corporate communications for Chick-fil-A, says when he hires folks, he looks beyond the hands to the head and heart of the person. The arrows represent to him the transactional relationship within most businesses. It would help if you had a writer hire someone with experience who can most likely meet the immediate needs. However, looking beyond the transaction, you will see that some writers are subject experts, and some have given much of their time to a cause. Their passion for the subject makes them a much better hire than just a professional writers.
The candidates running for office have people give feedback to help them improve and refine their campaigns. We need to turn to those who can offer us feedback. We can all benefit from some sandpaper helping to refine us.
Indeed, prospects are interested in what we can do for them, but they are also influenced by who we are as people. So the candidates must present an attractive total package as we could do as well.
A dream job is more than pay alone; it’s working with someone who appreciates and makes use of my total package.