A well known and often repeated rule is most people make decisions about you and your company within the first 30 seconds of interaction. What is not always clear, however, is you may not even be present. Your representative may be your business card, signage, an advertisement or one of your employees. Your professional appearance has many faces.
Loosely defined, our points of contact are those points at which a client can form an impression of our travel practice. Points of contact range from our logo and business cards, to our presentation formats, our manner of dress and even the places where we meet with clients. The sum total of our points of contact add up to form our image. The more professional our image, the more confidence clients have when it comes time to turn thousands of hard earned dollars over to us for their vacation. Needless to say, therefore, our points of contact must be kept in top condition.
Evaluation of your points of contact forces us to take a hard, honest look at ourselves. To project a professional image, you must use professional tools. Too many agents use logos that look like clip art and free consumer email addresses. No doubt it is cheaper to do it yourself than to hire a professional, but a “do-it-yourself” message is not one agents want to impart.
Backing up your image must be a quality performance. But because perception is often reality, without a first-rate professional presentation, you may not have the opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities. Looking to your points of contact will ensure you have the best possible platform from which to present the full depth and range of your travel practice.
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One thought on “Professional Appearances – Final Considerations”
I try to dress the way I imagine the clients that I want to attract dress for work – and on “casual” days, I dress the way I imagine they dress for “casual” days.