No one wants to feel, or seem, shallow. We all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and hopefully, every entrepreneur out there is aware that quality services and good ethical behaviour are the most important things in any business.
All the same, though, if you really want to make it as an entrepreneur, there is just no getting around the fact that you need to take your professional image seriously. Very seriously.
That may not seem like the most upbeat, life-affirming point to make. But it’s true all the same.
Unconvinced? Well, here are a few reasons why your professional image should be one of your primary concerns as an entrepreneur.
Clients and customers will “judge a book by its cover”, rightly or wrongly
The thing is, although we all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, someone forgot to pass that memo along to the general public at large.
Rightly or wrongly, clients and customers will absolutely “judge a book by its cover”. What this means, in practice, is that if your clients or customers think that you look trustworthy, professional, and capable, they are infinitely more likely to use your services, or buy your product, than if they didn’t get that impression.
There are many things you can, and should do, in order to ensure that clients and customers are inclined to judge you positively in this regard. For example, it’s essential that you have a professional-looking, well put together website. You may also benefit from using a low cost online virtual address service, in order to deepen the impression that your business is established in a tangible sense.
Of course, the best way of ensuring a positive judgement from clients is to provide a quality service and act with integrity. But, for better or for worse, visual presentation is a key factor too.
The way you present yourself largely determines how you feel about yourself and, in turn, how you act
Have you ever heard the saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have?” it’s one of those strikingly insightful pieces of advice that you often read on a multitude of different success blogs, in business books, and so on.
Human psychology is inevitably affected by our environments. More than that, though, our own thoughts about our worth and potential will be largely determined by whether or not we treat ourselves as if we believed we had that potential.
By presenting yourself professionally, including in your dress, you help yourself feel more “like a professional.” This can be a very powerful thing.
By being mindful of your professional image, you set a standard of excellence that can impact all other levels of your business.
Excellence, they say, is something that spreads and “infects” various aspects of life.
What this means is that if you make a point of holding yourself to a high standard in one area of your professional life – in this case, your presentation – you set yourself a standard of excellence that can impact all of the levels of your business simultaneously.
If you are used to being especially attentive to the minutiae of how you present yourself, you will likely also feel the pull to be attentive in terms of how you engage with clients, and the quality of the service you provide.
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