Is power casual good enough for a business meeting now?

You are an insurance professional. Your clients might be business owners or individuals with retirement planning needs. Face-to-face relationships are part of closing business. Before the pandemic, many industries relaxed their office dress standards. Then came the lockdown and the work-from-home culture. As life returns to normal, you might wonder if it’s a new world or if dressing well is still important. It is.

Dressing well involves many aspects of personal appearance. You have previously learned all about presenting a professional appearance. Let us assume you know how to do it. Let us look at why you should be doing it.

1. Look like you can afford your own product. Your range of products and services might include professional money management. There might be a $250,000 minimum to have access to certain managers. Do you look like someone who owns their own product? A line from the musical Evita puts it another way: “No, we wouldn’t mind, seeing her at Harrods, but behind the jewelry counter, not in front.” Rationale:  Looking like you can buy what you are selling reinforces the perception you understand your product.
2. It can literally open doors. You are going to encounter gatekeepers. If you engage in cold walking, you might walk into a business, asking to speak with the owner. Gatekeepers are used to many different personality types trying to charm or bully their way past them. If you dress well, you send off signals like: “She has money” or “He must be someone important.” Years ago, there was an urban legend some airlines would upgrade well-dressed passengers from coach to first class. Dressing well takes little effort and can pay unexpected benefits.v Rationale: Dressing well conveys the message “You are someone important” before you even start speaking.

Related: 3 more great ways to close a business deal

3. The top foot and the bottom foot. A New Jersey financial advisor once told me people make judgments the moment they meet you. Those judgements are often based on your top foot and your bottom foot. The top foot deals with facial grooming and the bottom foot is the condition of your shoes. Comb your hair and wear shoes that are polished and in good condition. Rationale: It’s a fact of life people make snap judgments before they even get to know you. If this is one way they do it, get these factors working in your favor.
4. Do you look desperate for business? I’ve always thought the nightmare scenario for everyone in insurance or financial services is the play, Death of a Salesman. If you haven’t seen it, the key thing to know is “It’s a tragedy.” Successful people want to do business with other successful people. In business, the opposite of successful is desperate. This implies a person would do or say anything to land the sale. Rationale: Business is similar to dating. Desperate people don’t get dates.
5. Would I introduce you to my friends? You might have friends who became clients. The great thing about friendships is they have bought the whole package. They like you, warts and all. Put another way, your benefits outweigh your liabilities. You want them to provide referrals. This means they are going out on a limb, expending some personal capital when they make introductions. Will they be proud of you or need to make excuses? “He might look like an unmade bed, but he really understands insurance.” Rationale:  Are they proud of you or embarrassed by you?
6. Do you look like you belong in HNW circles? You have joined the right organization. It might be the country club. Perhaps you have started drinking in the right bar in New York’s Fashion District, also known as the Garment District. Everyone around you is stylish and well-dressed. Do you look like you belong or an outcast who wandered in? You want to be perceived as “one of us.” Rationale: Looking like you fit in makes people more comfortable around you.
7. Do you look successful? Birds of a feather flock together. Successful people want to do business with other successful people. When you are not selling transactions, you are selling a relationship. Most people want long-term relationships. You’ve heard these conversations before: “You need a tailor?  I know a guy…”  If you are successful, it means you are established in your profession. People conclude you are good at your job and care about your clients. You want to come across as successful. Rationale: Come across as someone people choose to associate with.
8. Pride in your appearance. To some people, pride might mean boastful. To others, pride means confidence. They are proud of the career they have chosen and the firm where they work. They feel the products they represent are among the best, if not the best in the industry. How you present yourself communicates this pride. Rationale: Confidence wins business.
9. Attention to detail. How much effort does it take to confirm your tie is straight or your hair is combed? Couldn’t you get your shoes polished on the way to this important meeting? A person who doesn’t pay attention to the details of their appearance communicates the message they are sloppy concerning details relating to their business life. They might be late for meetings or not return phone calls. Rationale: If you pay attention to small things, people assume you pay attention to big things too.

You sell products. Products come in packages. You are also selling yourself. You come packaged too.

Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.