HEALTH & MIND Dress for success
BILLIONAIRES RICHARD BRANSONAND BILL GATES MAYHAVEMADE IT ACCEPTABLE FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LEADERS TO SHUNSUITS AND DONAMORE CASUAL LOOK, BUT INAWORLDWHERE FIRST IMPRESSIONSMATTER, TRUE LEADERS SHOULD USE THEIR INTUITIONWHENCREATING THEIR IMAGE. LINDA DALY REPORTS
Intoday’s cut-throat business environment,where every sale counts and first impressions last,a business leader’s image can be theirmost valuablemarketing tool. Moreover, how an owner manager dresses and uses their body
language can correlate to just how successful or powerful they are. Mary Holmes,managing director with image consultancy firm
Ruby Seven, strongly believes thatwhat youwear can enhance your personal brand. “In this recessionary time, it is important for people to take time
out and think about their personal brand.How they package that personal brand is howthey dress, their body language and the image they project,” she says. One of the key elements of personal branding is appearance,
according toHolmes. “You should ensure that it doesn’t let you down and doesn’t take
away from the gravity of the message you’re trying to get across,” she says.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS LAST
Creating a good first impression is vital in the process of self- marketing and selling products. Recruiters, web consultants, salespeople,HR professionals and business consultants warn you don’t get a second chance tomake a first impression. They often look to the 30-second rule,which claims that in the
first 30 seconds of meeting someone, the impression formed is mostly based on visual appearance. In fact, it takes a lot less than 30 seconds to formthat impression. In 2006, Princeton psychologists JanineWillis and Alexander
Todorov published the results of a series of experiments, which showed that it takes a 10th of a second to form an impression of a stranger. Furthermore, they revealed that longer exposures didn’t significantly change those impressions. Before you utter a singleword or shake a person’s hand,a visually-
based impression is formed.How we speak and what we say are secondary in importance, and the impression that is formed can include anything from stature and intelligence to social standing, morals and education. Holmes agrees: “If you are at the entry point in business, if you
aremeeting clients for the first time or want to inspire confidence in other people, then you must present yourself to the best of your ability.”
42 OWNER MANAGER VOL 3 ISSUE 3 2010 Mary Holmes
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