You can’t change the way people look at you, but you can change what they see. There is no denying that it’s a “judging society”. Every day we all make choices based upon looks. Why else would restaurant menus have a picture of a turkey sandwich? We all know what one looks and tastes like. It must be the presentation that influences our choice. If we make decisions that way about food, why do we pretend that we’re not like that with people?
We don’t want to seem shallow judging a book by its cover. You might just pass it off as “I’m not interested in the topic of the book” but the truth is the that a negative cover has touched something inside of you that has nothing to do with what’s inside of the book. Think of yourself as a book, what does your cover say about you?
People tend to do business with other people they trust and feel most comfortable. Regardless of what your selling considers the way you and your product appear. If you’ve ever been to a museum, I doubt you paid much attention to the lighting on the pictures, display cases or a pedestal that something is sitting on but make no mistake each of those was crafted and chosen with utmost care.
A company called Pedestal Source designs custom displays for companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Dell, eBay and Microsoft but when they got a call from the White House it wasn’t about money anymore. Founder and President of Pedestal Source says, “Many of the world’s largest organizations spend millions of dollars to get the look to be just right for a two-day event”. “Our pedestals will be displaying things like Napoleon Bonaparte’s documents” How it’s being displayed is just as important as what is being displayed.
When it comes to Self-appearance a little goes a long way. I’m not talking about style, fashion or even cost but about looking sharp and attention to details. A well-groomed person gives the air of confidence and reliability. Be clean and presentable even if you’re not feeling sharp. As Fernando Lamas always used to say, “It is better to look good than to feel good”. As some others say, your body is your temple, treat it well.
Looking sharp applies to your equipment and products also. Neat and tidy set ups and displays. Repair any damaged surfaces not to mention a good wash down every now and again. Make sure documents like your business cards and flyers aren’t damaged. Keep your web sites up to date with correct pricing and pictures. Don’t try to change you … Just improve you.
One of the most overlooked areas of presentation is speech. You might think you watch what you say when you’re talking to clients. This goes way beyond curse words and politically correct topics. Using slang, mispronouncing words and not enunciating is the equivalent of misspelled words and hard to read font on a flyer or business card. If you were creating a brochure for your business, you would pour over the wording again and again to make sure it says exactly what you want. Why not do that with your everyday speech?
If YOU are your product, then everywhere you go your “billboard” is on display for everyone to see and hear. Talking over someone’s head is just as bad. You might be the smartest person in the room but if you can’t convey your ideas and have them understood you could be doing more damage than good. Choose your words carefully and thoughtfully, you never know who might be listening.
If you take time to present the very best version of yourself to others good opportunities will start to present themselves to you. Two-time AMA pro Motocross champion and NBC Sports analyst Grant Langston says, “The more prepared you are, the luckier you get”. A good self-presentation doesn’t happen without lots of prep work. Start to think about areas that you can improve on and take small steps towards that perfect presentation.
Practice your speech patterns, take time to iron your clothes and organize everything you need ahead of time. Sharpen these skills until they become a natural part of your everyday life. When an opportunity pops up, you will be ready. Don’t be surprised if you’re the only person around you ready and prepared. Over the years of being a live performer, many of the greatest gigs came my way because I was the only one on time and ready to go.
Actor and Artist Will Smith once said “The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent, you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft. There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you’re not skilled. If you don’t study, if you don’t work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you’ll never be able to communicate with people – with your artistry – the way that you want”. Everything you do is a presentation of you so yes … Presentation is everything.