Sometimes it’s the little things that trip you up.
Two weeks ago, I had a meeting with the CEO of a company. I was trying to persuade him to accept a proposal I had made.
I was well prepared. I had thought about my outfit. I had rehearsed the progression of my comments. I had gotten a haircut the day before.
As I was driving to the CEO’s office, I realized that my car was very dirty. I parked in the guest parking area outside the CEO’s office building. I went up to his beautiful, fourth-floor office. I remarked on what a magnificent view he had.
He thanked me and looked out the window. He noticed a red Jaguar in the guest parking area.
CEO: “Wow! That is a nice looking Jaguar. Is that yours?”
Me: “No, I am the BMW parked next to it.”
OOPS.
I remembered how disgusting my car looked.
The CEO never said a word about my car. He may have not even noticed it. But from that minute on, all I could think about was what a jerk I had been for not washing my car before the meeting.
People make judgments on all sorts of tangibles and intangibles – conscious and subconscious. Who knows whether the CEO was influenced by my awful-looking automobile (I got some of what I wanted but not everything).
You can never think of everything, of course. But you can try.
Needless to say, I will never again go to an important meeting with a car that looks like I just drove in from the desert!
I would like to thank all of you who have bought or recommended our newest book, Street Smarts: Beyond the Diploma. Our sales keep growing, so someone must be speaking well of it. We have now sold almost 1,000 books in the first month of publication.
Appearance is everything to some people - be it consciously or unconsciously - since it shows how professional you are to the big guys and the others. Though, I wonder how your car looks.
Posted by: Jolandi Kerstetter | July 21, 2011 at 10:58 AM
Yes appearance is everything but so is substance. Build up substance and and your outer appearance will not matter so much. About your car, it should be clean -- meeting or no meeting (substance). Its just like those people who only clean their house when their having company rather than those who clean it on a frequent basis or schedule.
Instill conscientious habits such as washing your car once or twice a month and your car wouldn't of looked like it been in the desert for weeks. Same thing goes for your house, brushing your teeth, list goes on. Build substance and the outer appearance will take care of itself
Posted by: bryan | July 28, 2011 at 10:17 PM