It’s funny but as a sales trainer and consultant it’s very rare that I wear a tie anymore. And do you know what I don’t miss them one iota!

I was reading through a classic sales ‘text book’ from the early 1990′s recently and was caught by the Way that the advise has dated so much in just ten years. I won’t give the name of the book because it was once regarded as the best sales texts books available and it would not be right.

The suggestions when it came to dress were:

‘Mens suits should be solid blue or gray, pinstripe or chalk stripe or modest gray plaid. Wool or polyester that looks like wool, is preffered. The darker the suit, the more authority it carries, although black is funeral. Men’s shirts and ties are important. Generaly, shirts should be white or pale blue or have mdest stripes………The ages of the salesman and the customer he is facing will affect the choice of dress. For salesman, considerbly younger than his customer, particularly buyers over the age forty eight, it is advisable that the salesman adopt the high – authority pattern of a dark suit along with a white shirt.’

Wow!

What detailed and specific advice. What happens to buyers at the age of 48? Is there some well known  ‘professional buyer menopause’ stage that kicks in?

Do you think that is true in today’s modern business world?

Personally I don’t but I would love to hear your thoughts. Personally I think that you have to dress appropriately for the circumstances. And if you are in a sales situation you should take the time to find out the perspective of the person and company you are going to see.

Thinking like this is still quite prevalent.  I was at an event recently and chatting away to someone who said:

“This event seems to be better than the last one I went to in London. It was full of scruffy gits, who couldn’t dress properly and not one of them was wearing a suit!”

Beware of taking a short sighted attitude like this in todays modern business arena. Some of the most wealthy, dynamic, forward thinking business people I know would never dreamof wearing a tie, never mind  a suit. Some you wouldn’t get out of their flip-flops!  However, if you were selling to this guy (he was a Sales Director) you would never get anywhere without a suit as a minimum. It’s not right because we all like to believe we are judged on the value we bring rather than appearances, but it still happens.

My own personal philosophy was very much moulded in my teens and in particular one instance when I went to buy a car. WhenI was 19, I was fortunate to be in a position to go and buy a brand new Volkswagen Golf through the family business. Although I was technically a University student at the time this was to be a ‘company car’. The problem was I  dressed like a student. And not a very good one at that!

I remember walking through a few showrooms where the salespeople just ignored me as if I was not even there. Yes, I looked scruffy but I as good as had a cheque for £15,000 in my pocket to spend.  I never really found any one to take an interest in me and had to force myself upon a salesperson after I got fed up of looking around garages. I will always remember that lesson.

Be careful who you judge!

If you are in sales then dress appropriately. If in doubt you can’t go wrong with dressing smartly or one way of putting it is  to dress how the people who advise your potential client dress i.e their bank manager and accountant.

I was recently tidying out some old paperwork and came across some notes I made when reading the Seth Godin Classic – “Purple Cow”. I think I made these notes back in 2006 or 2007 but they are just as relevant in todays business world.

Be Remarkable – old approaches just don’t work. The ways you have happily found, dealt with and kept customers for years are becoming increasingly ineffective. When was the last time you tried something new or revolutionary in your sales system?

You are Invisible – If your overworked, time poor audience doesn’t have the time or inclination to listen to you then you are just down right invisible. When was the last time you tried out a new way of communicating. Do you twitter? Do you post to Youtube? God forbid but do you write hand written letters? In the information age the old personal touch may just work you know?

Old Rule: - Create safe, ordinary products and combine them with great marketing.

New Rules -

Create remarkable products that the right people seek out. What can you do in your business that is remarkable? When was the last time you had a Being Remarkable brainstorm?

Happy consumers - The vast majority of people are happy with what they have got – they are stuck! It is a tough job to sell to the stuck so your only chance Is to a seek out those people that are actively seeking what you sell and want/like change.

Differentiate your customers: Find the group that loves what you do and is the most profitable and rewarding. Ignore the rest. Don’t cater to the masses. Cater to customers you would love to have.

Boring leads to failure! - Always.

Abandon Following The Leader - Does your company follow the leader in your Industry? What would happen if you abandoned that strategy and did something very different instead? When was the last time you made a strategy for being different?

Niche first Product later? – Can you identify the niche market first and then build or develop the product or service to be ‘remarkable’ in that niche.

Slogan - What is your slogan that people can use to spread the remarkable message about your company?

Are you looking for inspiration at the moment. At around £10 or less I would recommend Seth Godins – Purple Cow as a quick read to inspire you with ideas. Or read some more of this sales blog. It’s free!

If you are determined to set yourself up to fail I have drawn up the 7 key things you should say to yourself on a daily basis to ensure that you speed up your failure as soon as possible. Might as well get it over and done with right?

1. I can’t…………………….
2. I musn’t………………….
3. I haven’t got a chance.
4. It’s no use………………
5. The world is going to the dogs…..
6. There’s no point trying…….
7. You just can’t win…………..

Why not vote for the one that you think will help you fail the quickest?

Power Of Mind In Sales Training