Does Personal Appearance Affect Sales?

In the city I live in, there is a run down, nasty looking house taking up some prime commercial real-estate that I'm pretty sure every Realtor in town has taken a crack at trying to sell. Seriously! Every couple of months there is a new sign out front from some poor real-estate professional who gives the property a try. I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure this property has been on the market for quite a few years.

Last night, my wife and I were driving past the house and I couldn't help but think that it was the appearance of the property that was causing the lack of interest. Think about it, even though the for sale sign mentions the great "Commercial Property" potential, there has been no movement on it whatsoever.

The solution I came up with is simple. Tear the sucker down. Pull out the grass and weeds and promote the empty dirt lot. Right now, the house is causing a major distraction in the minds of potential buyers because they can't see their business operating in such a disgusting place. Tear the building down and clean up the property and I think you'd be surprised at how fast this thing will sell.

So How Does This Relate To Automotive Sales?

It actually relates well to any form of sales, but since this is an automotive and RV community, let's talk vehicle sales. You see, there are a couple of fundamentals about appearance that every sales person looking to improve their game should be mindful of. Let's take a few minutes to break a couple of them down.

Dress For Success

I'm sure you've heard this one before right? According to an article on usatoday.com; Gladys Edmunds shares an experience she had at a major mortgage firm where everyone from the receptionist to the executives had too casual of an appearance.

If you're interested in boosting your sales, take some time to consider whether or not your appearance at work is too casual and what effect it has on your demeanor. I'm not suggesting that you need to wear an expensive three piece suit to work (unless that's you're thing), but what I will say is that dressing for success has a positive impact on how you conduct yourself and how others deal with you. I'd encourage you to test it out and see if you notice any positive impact on sales and personal productivity.

We talk about this all the time. Vehicles are often the second largest investment that people will make in their life, so think about what kind of experience you are offering if your appearance is too casual. What kind of experience and professional would you want to deal with if you were expected to fork out thousands of your hard earned dollars?

Eliminate Distractions

The whole idea here is to eliminate anything and everything that will shift the focus of your customer away from the vehicle. I'm not going to waste any time beating around the bush, so I will just come out and say it. Do you stink? Let's face it, we've all been in a situation where we've had to talk to someone that smells foul. It's pretty awful isn't it?

I was in a dealership not too long ago and had a conversation with one of the sales consultants who was A.) Wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt and B.) Had the worst body odor I've come across in a long time. Oh, where's your compassion Mike?!? This article is my compassion. If you or anyone you know has an issue with smelling like a dumpster fire, you pass along this article for them to read.

Think about it though, how can your customer possibly stay focuses on your presentation if throughout the entire visit, they are trying to discreetly hold their noses, hold their breath or fan the air around their face? They're distracted and don't want to be around you anymore.

On the flip side, and in defense of smelly people everywhere; this can also be said of sales people who take a shower in cologne or perfume.

Think about the house again for a second. The reason I'm sure that property hasn't sold is because nobody can envision what their building will look like there because every time they do, they see this nasty looking house that get's in their way.

I think you get where I'm going with this - let's just say if you create distractions for your customers, they aren't able to fully focus on what you are presenting.

Conclusion

Your appearance definitely has an impact on your sales. Of course there are a variety of other things that may impact sales performance, but how you present yourself is the easiest to change because you can do it as early as your next shift. Give it a try and see what happens.

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Question: Have you had an experience where appearance (either yours or someone else's) has impacted you positively or negatively? Share your experience in the comments below!

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Comment by Michael Cirillo on October 29, 2012 at 5:29pm: Thank you Marsh and Tom. Your insights are greatly appreciated!

Comment by Big Tom LaPointe on October 29, 2012 at 4:07pm: I think the personal attire should be appropriate to the brand...and climate. I've worked with staff who dressed at level '10' who couldn't sell water in the desert and sloppy dressers who led the board every month (not that i agreed with the attire). Having a staff in a suit and tie at a Nissan tent sale in the gulf states may not be most appropriate when it's 100 degrees out and buyers are actually uncomfortable because you are covered in sweat.

And polo shirts in Manhattan probably wouldn't be a big hit in a luxury brand, either. That said, we in the car business aren't always necessarily hollywood types when it comes to appearance. I think it was on Discovery Channel that they showed women a photo of a man they said worked blue collar making $40k a year and like 40% said he LOOKED like someone they might date. Using the SAME photo, but with a wall street job and $150k income - the percentage jumped to higher than 70%.

The morale is that appearance will ALWAYS make a difference - but that also applies to facility and even staff interaction with customers AND each other. IMHO, of course.

Comment by Marsh Buice on October 29, 2012 at 4:02pm: Michael, great share my friend. In sales we portray how we wish to be conveyed- dress seriously, and people will treat u as such. You made a great point, buying a vehicle is the 2nd biggest decision people will make-why not look and smell (breath included) the part.

Comment by Melanie Colley on October 27, 2012 at 6:58pm: Ohh very well said. I've taught my boys....the way you present yourself is the way you are perceived.... !!!!

Comment by Shawn Lawson on October 27, 2012 at 6:01pm: Some great points here and lovved the comment by Joe Webb that followed. My question is, what do you think about companies (car dealers in particular) having a weekly "Jeans Day"? My opinion initially was "oh great I get to wear jeans today", and found that a casual day was pretty comfortable to work in. However, after a few months and a number of different experiences with customers and some not so positive comments my opinion has changed a little. Yes, they are comfortable and when you are cruising through the shop or washing a fresh trade-in for pics on your website, they work great, but I feel they downgrade your proffesionalism a little, and I feel customers don't take you quite as seriously on these days. Thoughts?

Comment by Michael Cirillo on October 27, 2012 at 12:56pm: Interesting. Thanks for reading Joe. Loved the debates at DSES bytheway.

Comment by Joe Webb on October 27, 2012 at 12:55pm: In the book SuperFreakonomics, there was a study conducted that showed salespeople rated higher on the attractiveness scale (8 or above if I remember correctly) more than tripled the profit of salespeople rated a 4 or below in looks. It was a hilariously granular book that I strongly recommend. So yes, the better looking you are, the more successful you are historically at sales.

Comment by Michael Cirillo on October 27, 2012 at 12:48pm: You got it Doug. Thanks for the comment. It's important to take a variety of factors into consideration, but at the end of the day, it's all about being professional and presentable.

Comment by Doug Davis on October 27, 2012 at 12:33pm: I have sent salespeople home because they were not presentable. On a couple of occassions, I have sent people home for body odor. It is embarrasing to have to do that. Because of that, I made it clear, that it better not happen again.

I'm now in Phoenix. You simply can't expect a salesperson to wear a tie, regardless of the product line, in the summer here.

I don't think that I own a dress shirt that isn't a cotton pinpoint oxford, that will take heavy starch. I never had appearance issues in my department. They take their cues from their managers.

Comment by Michael Cirillo on August 8, 2012 at 5:27pm: Thanks for the input Daryl. You and I are riding the same wave. It's definitely important to think of your clientele in order to ensure that you create a comfortable experience for them. "Presentable" is always the word that comes to mind.