subject: How to Achieve a Professional Style [print this page] Creating a professional personal image is of paramount importance if you work in any form of Sales, be it a real estate agent, mortgage broker, or consultant. The image you portray creates the bulk of the information a person uses to make a judgement on your credibility. As a professional Image Consultant and Personal Stylist, I will go over some basic tips on creating a professional looking personal style.1. Why Look professional?
It's really important to be seen as being professional, ethical and honest in the same way you would see a banker or an accountant or lawyer. When you think of those sorts of people, what are they wearing? Mostly they are wearing darkish coloured suits (dark charcoal, navy blue or even black) with light shirts (white, pale blue, pale pink or other variations) with a light tie to blend with shirt or a brighter stronger tie to contrast. The same goes for woman with a few exceptions, the tie is not necessary, niether is a collar for that matter, they could wear a t-shirt style top if they don't remove the jacket. For women, brown is another great colour for the suit and dresses can also be substituted for skirts and trousers as long as it's in the same kind of fabric as a suit would be made of.2. Should you wear a tie?
In recent years there has also been a move away from a tie except for the most important of meetings which has led to more patterns in shirts. In summer often jackets will not be worn in the Northern states and the further north the less formal business attire is expected.3. Should we dress the same if we are not seeing clients?
Anyone who is seeing clients or potential clients should always look professional as above. When we 'dress-up' for work we put on our work persona and tend to act more professionally than when we are dressed for play i.e. the weekend or a night out. Clothes make us feel and therefore act differently.4. How do you get your staff to dress appropriately?
Develop a dress code, communicate it and enforce it. Explain why it's important and give examples of what's OK and what's not. Make sure the senior people in the organisation set the right tone and lead by example.5. What about if we are seeing clients on the weekends?
Once again the client's expectation is that you are professional ethical and honest, and as always you need to demonstrate this regardless of the time of the week. Of course I am not advocating 80s power dressing but shirt and suit trousers for men and same for women would be my minimum standard for credibility.6. Does the same apply for people in country and regional areas?
Dress standards in country and regional areas are sometimes a little different, to get some guidance look at the professions that you consider are on the same level as yourself and see what the standard is for them. However, take into consideration, if they are individuals who are well known already in the area, they can get away with a less formal dress code. What you wear matters most when you are making a first impression. Once you have built a reputation of reliability, great service and competence which is well known throughout your area you won't change that impression by one day wearing a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. If you are still trying to create an impression I would suggest being more conservative.7. As far as fashion, what sort of suit should I be wearing now?
For men - if buying a new suit, make sure that it is of a classic style. Lapels on a jacket at the widest part should measure half way to the edge of the shoulder and should be single breasted - two or three buttons. If wearing a tie - the general rule is that the tie should be the same width as the lapel at the widest part. Currently the fashion is a real 'Beatles' look for suits. Skinny trousers and skinny ties with skinny lapels. They look faddish and will look very out-dated in a few years time. Classic will serve you well. It is not quite so clear cut for a women. My suggestion here is to always stick to a light top and a dark suit - be careful with black as it can often look very harsh and be careful with bright colours. A bright (fuchsia pink, bright yellow, orange some reds) with a dark can look a bit flashy or playful rather than professional.In this industry it's important to look 'not out of date' you don't have to look up to the minute fashionable. If you are wearing something that is very high fashion (such as some of the extreme shoulder detailing that's around for women and the large patterned floral shirts for men) you could be seen as being flighty and fickle - not a quality people want to see in a professional they need to trust.8. What are the biggest fashion mistakes people make?
Most people have far too many clothes and far too many clothes they don't wear so they waste their money. (women more so than men) - Being under the illusion that things should fit straight off the rack without alterations. - Wearing clothes that don't fit - can be either too small or too big - wearing the same clothes after putting on or taking off weight. - Thinking a top that is on sale for $200 down from $600 is a bargain and never wearing it. Quite often things are on sale because nobody else could think of how to wear the item. - Wearing jingly jewellery to work - it's a distraction!9. How often should you refresh your wardrobe?
Certainly as you change from summer to winter wardrobe clothes you should not store anything for next year that you haven't worn this year - give them away to charity or sell them on ebay or at a boot sale. If you can't bear to part with it, remove it from your wardrobe and put it in a special box for safe keeping, you can throw it out later! You should add to your wardrobe in a controlled way and ideally shop twice a year with a professional who can help you to resist the things that don't work for you or work in your wardrobe, and take you to the places that have clothes that will fit you and that you can mix and match.The most important thing is grooming and fit. They are the easiest to do and for some the most overlooked. Clean hands and nails, no fraying on the collar or elsewhere, clean shaven, polished shoes, clothes ironed, hair styled or at least brushed and makeup for women. Poor grooming makes people think - if they can't take care of themselves how can they take care of my money/mortgage/dreams etc.
