You have a stain on your shirt

Imagine your perfect customer, you’ve got the opportunity to talk to them face to face about what it is you do. You’ve been preparing for this moment most of your working life.

Your team is ready, you have the policies and procedures at the go. You’ve got the best tools and equipment that money can buy and spared no expense to ensure you can get the work done.

You’ve arrived for your meeting 10 minutes early so you’re prepared, opened your notepad and pen, and are ready to make the deal of a lifetime. This opportunity will secure your business and set it on an astronomical journey for the next 10 years… in walks the customer.

...

You had everything right, you were perfect, you had all the answers to their questions but something wasn’t right, they seemed distracted and uncertain. Almost distant and non-committal. It doesn't make sense because you have the right team, systems, processes and policies.

You decided to take 5 and head to the bathroom to splash some water on your face and regroup

And there it is, how long has it been there? Do you think it was there the whole time? Is this why they didn’t seem engaged? A huge dirty stain from the breakfast wrap you had on your way to the office this morning.

Perspective is an incredibly powerful force and if we’re not in control of it, it’s left to the other party to draw their own conclusions.

Do you have stains on your shirt?

What are the risks if we ignore taking care of our perspective, leaving your shirt stained and grotty. Are we going to miss important conversations, are we going to be invited to meetings. Will we be respected for the content of our person and not simply disregarded for a stain on our shirt.

Think about this situation: Same scenario but instead of a prospective customer its a long-term friend, do you think they would tell you about the stain? Yes? but why? Because you have a meaningful, long established relationship with them and they already understand and respect you, they have an educated perspective of who you are and know that the stain is not an accurate reflection.

But for those who don’t know you and are seeing it for the first time, they’re more than likely to lead to their own conclusions about who you are, and what defines you. They will form their own perception of you. They leave having said nothing, then go and share the experience they had with 10 others. This experience can spread, and can begin affecting relationships you have never imagined, nor conceived however there is already now a perspective, accurate or not, that you’re the grub with stains on our shirts.

Even mates can be unreliable at times, they can either relax and assume you already know it’s there, or turn it into a practical joke for a laugh... so what should you do?

Well you could manage it yourselves but do you have time each and every day to stop what you’re doing and go and check in the mirror. If you’re focused on managing resources, projects and business development opportunities, does it make sense for you to also take regular breaks and go find a mirror, or alternatively carry it with you everywhere you go?

If you’re not taking the time to check, you honestly have no idea whether or not those stains are there and therefore no idea what kind perception you’re creating for people to see.

So what else can you do? You can hire an expert. They are trained in the art and strategy of stains and their removal. They can ensure all your shirts are pressed perfectly, check that they’re matched with your outfit and not one thread is out of place. The expert has tools and capabilities that enhance your wardrobe to ensure if something even looks like it might stain your clothes or is out of place, preventative measures are taken.

The best part? You’re not aware it’s happening. What you are aware of is that you’re having great, meaningful conversations with your target customers more often. They’re listening to the content of your discussions and are engaging more frequently with intent and purpose. You have more time, not worrying about how you might be perceived anymore.

No longer should you worry about how a prospective customer might perceive you, because you have your expert in control of that. Getting stains on our clothes is inevitable if you take your attention off what you’re doing for that split second. It makes sense to let an expert take control of your perception, and work together at creating meaningful conversations, and doing business with purpose.

That perception is your brand, your clothes are the touchpoints of your business, are they clean?