bythemethod.com blog

These days we have a very short time available to us to impress people. For instance on the Internet you have less than 1 second to get peoples attention before they go somewhere else.

I’m told that if we want to communicate something 30% of that communication will depend on words the other 70% will be down to appearance or the visual. It’s a disturbing statistic but I’m sure it’s true. I’ve seen this happen time and again in business where a lesser product wins because it is better looking.

My own personal conviction is that you shouldn’t judge something by the way it looks – it is definately what is inside that counts – however just because I believe this does not mean it is the way the world works.

So to succeed you have to adapt to the way the world works and perhaps when you are successful enough you will have a big enough sphere of influence to make a difference. For now we have to ‘play the game’.

So if you are going to meet someone new make sure your appearance is neat,tidy and appropriate. For instance if you are required to speak in front of a group of people you need to dress like you are an expert – not the same as them. People believe what there eyes tells them and if you look dressed down they will assume you take this same approach to your subject. It’s far better to be overdressed than underdressed. The only exceptions to this are if you are such a household name that everyone knows you are an expert before you start. Sadly there are very few people who fall into this bracket.

But it’s not just the way you dress.

Visual is about how you present yourself and your case. If you are in business what does your packaging tell others about you? What does your logo say? What about the letterhead you send out? Everything you use for your business says something to others about the way you run your business. You may be the most professional business in the world but if you have a website that looks like your six year old son/daughter produced it prospective customers will assume you are not professional.

So don’t neglect the visual in your striving for success.