Dress Like a Champion and Be One

You have probably seen dozens and dozens of articles about how to dress for success and how to make a great first impression. It still shocks me how many people just don't follow these ideas and how they damage their prospects in an interview, in a sales call and in life. I have about 45 staff and I can tell you that many times I have decided not to hire someone before I even got to the handshake. Appearance IS everything until you have spent enough time with a fabulous personality and demeanor to make it NOT everything.

Here is my list of critical dress for success tips that I hope are a little more practical that something you would read in a text book. Each one of these has a story:

1) Shine your shoes. Gentlemen, women always look at shoes so that means you need to pay attention to them as well. Anyone can put on an expensive suit but it takes care to shine your shoes. Ladies, the same applies to you. Great dress, bad shoes, bad overall.

2) Hang your jacket while driving. Nothing worse than arriving at a meeting and looking like you just took an overnight flight sleeping in your suit to get there.

3) Smell nice. Now gentlemen, I didn't say bathe in it. Ladies I don't mean you need to smell like a flower shop. Just recognize that a well selected scent has a positive impact on the people you are meeting with and their perception of you.

4) Have a Power Suit. Go out and spend some extra money on a dark suit or dress. It needs to be just one step nicer, better quality or more expensive than you normally buy. When you put this on, you feel like a closer, a boss, the person in charge, extra handsome or sexy. Your performance improves when you go in feeling incredible.

5) Make the clothes fit. I just re-learned this one myself. After working with a trainer for the last two years I keep having to take clothes back in to re-fit them to my new and improved body. Well fitted clothes are just as important as the quality of the clothes. This also applies if you need to let your clothes out a little. Better to have a larger waist size and look great than be squeezed into something too small. People don't know the dress size or pant size anyway!

6) Casual Friday is not that casual. I learned at an early age from my mother to always be over-dressed versus under-dressed. Many people have taken casual Friday to an extreme. Take it down one notch. Usually a tie guy, go without a tie. Usually wear a skirt, maybe try pants. A T-shirt and board shorts are not making the right impression unless you are in the surf industry!

7) Be Fresh. Invest in your clothes like they were a key part of your success (they are!). Find a pro at a store who can learn about you and take care of you. It should be a fun part of your career to constantly be looking great and coming up with new things. This does not mean you need to spend the children's college fund to look good. Shop smart and you can find all sorts of items that will help you make an incredible impression.

The Lost Generation ... Great Monday Morning Video

Hey I got this from a friend today and although I rarely fire off Youtube links, I sure liked the cleverness of this one ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA It is a terrific message that should make you ask, what am I focused on today and this week? It is moving you towards what you believe strongest in?