It's no surprise when I state that "how we look, appear or dress" forms the vast majority of our first impression. People see what we look like and draw instant conclusions and form instant perceptions. Among them are how confident we are, how wealthy we are, what profession we might be in, how educated we are and how we will be to deal with.
It's also no surprise when I repeat that familiar phrase, "perceptions become reality". Put another way, "It doesn't matter how you really are, it only matters how people percieve you to be." At the risk of being redundant, our dress and attire convey a major part of the perception others have of and toward us.
So what's that got to do with negotiating, getting our way and achieving 'good deal' results? Fasten your seat belts, here it comes.
- Like it or not, the results we can achieve during a negotiation are influenced by the impressions and perceptions our opponent has of us.
If they see us as unprofessional, less skilled, less educated, less informed and of a lower standing, they'll be more aggressive and more resolved to hold out for what they want when negotiating with us. The contrary is true too. If our dress and attire send a message of success, confidence and even slight superiority, our opponent is more likely to grant concessions.
When you are about to enter into a negotiating circumstance (a meeting, a trip to a car dealer, an encounter with a vendor or a planning discussion) be the better dressed. We can typically predict the attire and appearance of our opponet. For us to match or, better yet, exceed their level of attire is easy to achieve.
Don't go to their level. Set and achieve your own -- even at the risk of comments by our peers.
Will attire alone with the day for a negotiator? Of course not! It will however influence proceedings, impressions, respect levels, credibiltiy and even concession patterns.
In this world of dressing down, casual and even sloppy attire a negotiator can gain that inperceptaible edge with that easy point of difference - their personal attire. Don't be the one to sluf off the importance of attire.
Good negotiators always seek an edge, even if it is simply appearing more professional than their opponents.
Servicing Worthy Buyers
