How People Perceive You Matters!
For example, today I spoke at the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship conference. People treated me nicely beforehand, but once I got up and spoke, people treated me much better and much more seriously. Teachers and administrators asked a lot more about the book/workbook and talked about including it in their curriculum. I was still the same person, but people's perception of me changed. This is exactly what happened with The Student Success Manifesto ebook when it was originally published. People thought it was interesting that I had written an ebook, but when people saw a professionally produced physical copy, we had 1,200 sales in two months.
I also think clothing is critically important. It really is true that dressing for success brings success. At the same time, I've seen people in business who are very successful dress down. By doing this, it seems like they're implying, "I'm so successful I don't need to dress up" or "I'm successful, but I'm still down-to-Earth." So, dressing down and carrying ones self in the right way might actually make people think you're more successful. I've seen this done well by some people, but it's generally hard to pull off. One person who comes to mind is John Sexton, the president of NYU. Most of the times I've seen him he's wearing hiking books, corduroy pants, a sweatshirt from his former high school, and a Yankees baseball cap. I don't think he dresses like this by mistake.
Unfortunately, people start off in different places economically, physically, and culturally. Some people have an accent that makes them sound less successful. Some people are born more attractive. Yes, it sucks, but I think people need to work with what they have. One's greatest differences or unique aspects can actually be turned into strengths. By doing this successfully, one actually changes the system for others. Rather than complaining about how things are unfair, one could change oneself to produce the results they want. At the time, it is important to do this without basing one's self-image or happiness on what other people think (I know, easier said than done) or the success might actually be counter-productive.
In the end, for the better or worse, people do seem to judge a book by its cover, whether it be a product or a person. Sure, some people are really good at seeing through the exterior to one's potential, but most people aren't or don't have enough time. The wait until someone "discovers" you might be a never-ending one.
Think about yourself as a product or as a brand and ask yourself the follow questions:
- When people think about you, what do you want them to think?
- How can you create your brand in a way that people will want to tell others about you?
- How do you want to position your brand compared to other people?
- How will you change what you dress? How you act? How you talk?
- Who is your target market and how can you expose them to your brand? events? speaking? strategic volunteering?
I think answering these questions can not only help individuals in business, but can help anyone find and develop incredible friendships, acquaintances, contacts, and significant others.
Posted at October 11, 2004 04:45 PM
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