09-26 Dave Kahle - Become a Master of Sales SELL BETTER

Published: Tue, 09/26/17

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Question and Answer

Q.  What are your views on dress? Does it matter? 

            A. Sure it matters.  Everything that you say and do matters.  Dress can be a powerful part of your persona.  On one hand, how you dress can facilitate your objectives and make you more effective, and on the other, inappropriate dress can present an obstacle to your interaction with customers.

            Let’s get some basics out of the way. 
1. Your dress should never be provocative or suggestive.
2. Your dress should never be outlandish or foolish.

            Now, let’s get down to the strategic use of dress.  Here is the next rule:

3.  Dress like your customers, only a little better.

            Your dress should convey to the customer that you are like him/her, not different from them.  There was a time when men wearing a suit and tie, and women a skirted suit was the expected mode of dress.  However, if you are calling on maintenance supervisors, foremen, or uniformed personnel, for example, that suit and tie separated you from your customer, making you seem aloof and unapproachable.

            So, how does your customer dress? 

            One of my clients sold supplies to farmers.  Dressing in flannel shirts, blue jeans and boots was OK, because that was how the farmers dressed.  Note the second part of the rule, ”a little better.”  That’s where your positioning as a successful...
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competent person comes in.  You should, within the context of the customer’s world, look successful, competent and confident.  So, if you are going to wear jeans and flannel shirts, they should be good quality jeans, (a good brand name), clean and pressed.  Your flannel shirt should be a better than average brand, clean and pressed. 
    If are calling on management level people, it gets a little more challenging.  In today’s world, some companies adhere to a coat and tie discipline, where others prescribe “business casual” for their employees.  Honestly, I keep notes in my customer files as to what the mode of dress is in that organization.  I keep it simple by using two categories:  C&T (coat & tie), and BC (business casual).  When I’m making one of my rare live sales calls, I check the file the day before so that I know how to dress.  
    One of the sales people in one of my classes shared his approach with me.  He explained that he always wore grey dress slacks, a light blue button down collar shirt, a tie and a navy blazer.  That way, he could dress up or down, depending on the situation.  With the tie and blazer... [click here to read the entire article online]

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