There are
many super-successful Silicon Valley clients who dress in ripped denim, sneakers
and t-shirts. They are worth hundreds of millions, even more, but it's a status
symbol to dress like you're homeless to attend board meetings .Conversely, I
know executives who dress in suits and ties every day of the week. And this
contrast shows the dramatic shift that has occurred in business attire in
recent years, as each industry has developed its own rules.
Know
your prospect's uniform.
Before you
meet with a prospect, you should know that company's dress code. "Business
casual" has a lot of meanings. Call the front desk at the company and ask
what the company's dress code is and what the men and women wear. Or ask your
contact. The point is, part of your responsibility is to understand that
company's culture, including its dress code. Ask for examples, especially of
the senior most person who will be in your meeting.
Dress one
step up.
If your
prospect is in denim, you wear khaki. They wear sport coats without ties; you
are in suits without ties. The point is that you always dress one step further
up the clothing ladder than your prospect, but not two. One step says
that you respect and value them. Two steps can send a loaded message.
It's not
just what you wear--but how you wear it.
Polished
shoes, pressed shirts and well-fitted pants always. At this point, some of you
are thinking, "Does he really have to say this to people?" while
others are saying, "Why do I have to tuck in my shirt?" But when your
clothes are pressed, buttoned down and well-fitted, you convey that you are a
person who pays attention to the details and are professional
Grooming
trumps style.
Even if
you're wearing a great suit, if you've got a terrible haircut, you'll give a
bad impression. As crazy as it sounds, everything on the grooming punch lists -
fingernails, facial hair, haircuts and oral hygiene--matter.
Know your
company's uniform.
One of my
clients makes sure that when their Accounting staff are in the office, they
wear a very specific "uniform". (In this case it would be a business casual style. However when visiting a client outside the office, they are required to wear suits and ties for men, business suit for women.)
The firms' clients
views this as an extension of the brand. You follow this dress code in order to fit in.
Remember,
you can dress in a way where your attire is the only message people remember,
or you can dress in a way that takes nothing away from the message of value
your company brings to them.