National Sales Center

How Should Sales Reps Dress?

First impressions are developed quickly and you never get a second chance to create a first impression. Much of that first impression has to do with appearance, and attire is certainly part of appearance. Dress like a pink bunny on your next sales call and see how far you get with that prospect.

I received an offbeat E Mail the other day. The author noticed my mustache and said many successful salespeople had mustaches. I don’t agree that many successful salespeople have mustaches and certainly none of the successful woman I know have one. In fact, my mustache probably hurt me in sales. Villains have mustaches, not heroes.

So, if some people may see something sinister in a mustache, why in the world did I ever grow one? Well, I grew my mustache while in my early twenties. At the time, youth was not rewarded as it is today. Back then, you had to “pay your dues” and experience was the ticket to success. I grew my mustache to look older.

I’m now at a point in life that I don’t need a mustache to look older. My body can take care of that very well on it’s own. Although I haven’t updated my photos on this site, I shaved off my mustache a few months ago. Not one person appealed to my vanity by saying I look better without it. However, I did get a few comments saying I look younger.

Let’s move away from my moustache and get back to the question at hand… what is the proper attire for a salesperson. Not too long ago, B2B salespeople wore a suite and tie or a business looking dress. Times have changed and what was once considered proper business attire has relaxed. This shift has generated a great deal of confusion. Some of this confusion has been addressed by corporate policy and standards so, salespeople dress how they are told to dress.

Many say salespeople should dress in the image of the person they are calling on. I don’t  agree. I feel salespeople should dress in the image of their prospect’s most trusted advisor. I think this point needs no further explanation.

Happy selling!

Nick

Tags: salespeople

There are 1 Response So Far »

Comment by Sherri on 1 March, 2010:

Agree 110%! I ALWAYS dress to be someone in a trusted position. Never wear revealing clothes. The craziest I get is my “wild” heels. I often wear heels that match my blouses. I have a pair of purple pumps which I wear with my purple blouse, black skirt, black hose, and a blazer. As I have said in previous posts, I have often received flack from other sales people due to the color of my heels. Honestly, I don’t see how a pair of colored heels makes me look unprofessional. Perhaps IF I wore them without hose or all alone I could see their point…….lol

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