Ok, ok, ok, so the hooker title is just something I came up with to get your attention. But for the record, dressing like a hooker is great for business, if your business is selling sex on the street. The truth is, we can learn something from the red light district in our businesses; appearance is an important part of attracting customers.
So here’s my question for you: Is the way you look hurting or helping your business??
As a badass business chick, a big part of your branding is about your “look”. This might sound cliche or superficial to you but it’s the hard truth about life: appearance matters and people like to do business with people who look and feel good.
We take in so much information based on how a person looks before they even speak. Just think about it. You can tell just by what someone is wearing and how they carry themselves what kinds of activities they enjoy, what sorts of people they hang around, and what their belief systems are like and more. If you don’t believe me, just check out the viral “shit girls’ say” videos that started a cascade of stereotype spoofs ( i.e. Shit single girls say or Shit new age girls say or Shit Hispter Girls say ) flowing across the Internet. There are all sorts of types of people, yogis, vegans, crossfitters, activists, sports fans, goths, professionals etc. I’m sure most of you can tell me many qualities about these types of people just by seeing the words on this screen.
Your look says a lot about you and who you desire to attract. Your look is your brand and a brand is a personality. The good news is, you already have one of those, so all you need to do it articulate clearly what your personality is…. which for most people ends up being easier said than done.
3 simple things you can do to create a clear and approachable look for you and your business
1) What are the top 3-5 words that you want people to get about you when they see you in person, see your headshot, or go to your website?
Words have energy and that energy can be infused into your business. When you know how to amplify the energy of the qualities or words, things seem to get a lot more clear for you and for people who might want to buy from you.
The one word family that should always be present: approachable/warm/inviting. If you don’t look and feel approachable, you won’t have customers and you won’t make money. Let what you love guide you. When I work with my clients, we extract out an understanding of who they are authentically and the qualities that come with that. Those authentic qualities are what light you up inside and when you amplify them, things flow better in your business. When you connect every thing you do to these words, you brand and business will be a cohesive and clear entity.
One of my current mastermind clients recently remembered how much she loves nature and environmentalism as well as going on adventures. We came up with words like wild, green, compassion, and freedom to represent her brand. It seems simple, but she simply hadn’t sat down to lay out these words and the truth is most people don’t even think of it. Now that she’s clear on the energy she wants to infuse in her business, she can move forward with more purpose and ease. In fact she was able to finally download a business name she loves that fits her word energy: The Life Holistic: Solutions for body, home, and planet.
2) What does your ideal client “expect” you to look or be like?
This is a tricky one because I don’t want you to go around dressing or acting like other people want. But I do want you to make a stretch into dressing or “be-ing” more like the kind of person that your idea customer wants to be like. People do business with you because of YOU not your product. If they don’t feel that you have something they want or that you are somehow “ahead of them” in the game then they are less likely to want to learn from you or listen to you.
An example of this for me is my wardrobe, I typically like to wear yoga pants and a t shirt most of days of the week and I have no issues going to target without makeup on or having my hair done. I used to pride myself on being “a girl who doesn’t care what other people think”. Wow was I kidding myself with that one. I thought, people should like me for me not because of what I’m wearing.
I’ve always dressed fun, feminine and sassy, however, now that I know a few of my words are serious, effective, I’ve updated my wardrobe when I go meet people for business meetings to reflect that and I spend extra time getting ready for those events to make sure I look professional, fun, feminine, sassy… but that serious business training is about to happen.
3) Does your current “look” reflect those words and speak to your idea clients? If not, what can you do to amplify those words in your presence in person and online? If Yes, you can always refine and amplify.
Here are some questions that you can ask to help you
- What needs some love in your physical presence? Hair, wardrobe, makeup, personal style etc
- What needs love in your marketing materials? Headshots, website banners, the look, feel, and flow of your website and copy writing.
Even though it would be nice, we can’t escape the truth that as we step more into the world of being seen that we will invite more and more people to see us and therefore they will judge us. They will stick us into a category based on their life experience and ideas. They will decide to like you or not based on a few seconds of seeing and feeling your energy. You can consciously choose to do everything in your power to be as approachable and authentically representing your brand ( your personality) as possible. Plus, there’s always more room for even hotter and more expressive women in this world.
If you loved this lesson ( I got a few comments last week about loving the writing so I decided to try it this week again), share it with all your badass chicas and leave me a comment.
I wanna know Specifically:
- How did this lesson help you in your biz this week.
- What is one thing you will do to update your look?
PS. the words for my business currently are: Fun, Sassy, Serious, Effective, Feminine… and of course warm :) I recently updated my own banners to reflect this. Have you noticed the new banner? I also included an example of how my Badass Biz Chick banner shifted in just the last few months as well for the same reasons.
Here’s how my banner has evolved over this past year
Spring 2011
Fall 2011 – notice the subtitle changed as well
Jan 2012- action shots are highly recommended in banners. That photo is a screenshot of some video footage from one of my Authentic Presentations that Sell full day intensives. No expensive photographer needed, keep it simple.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Lauren
Thank you so much for this beautiful piece. Matter of fact, I forwarded it to a few of my clients and prospective clients. I work as a Style Coach/Wardrobe Consultant and I’ve discovered that people have a hard time accepting that they will be judged on their personal appearance. Not necessarily good or bad, it’s just what it is and it’s ideal that your appearance is an honest, genuine reflection of who you are. I feel people are slowly warming up to this concept. Thank you for being the Light of Truth.
By the way, I love your new banner
THANKS! I love it too.