This is a contributor’s blogpost …
When it comes to business success, it’s half about how intelligent you are and half about how confidently you carry yourself and whether you seem like someone worth doing business with. It’s not the nicest thing in the world, but it’s simply the truth. As such, if you want to get ahead in the business world, you need to stand out from the crowd. But how do you do this, especially when you’ve been banking on your intelligence to get you through your business dealings?
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Looking the Part
If you’re Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates, you can dress however you wish. They’re so successful that no one will be influenced by what they’re wearing. You, however, are probably not instantly recognizable as a super success, and as such you need to make sure that you look the part of a successful businessman. Everybody wears a suit. Maybe you could wear a tailor-made suit, with matching shoes to go along with it? There’s a lot of emphasis put on how sharp a person dresses in the business world, so always make sure you look the part before you leave home.
Acting Confident
That being said, having the world’s most beautiful suit won’t really count for all that much if you’re obviously timid when it comes to meeting people. You need to stand tall, stare people in the eye, and act confident when you’re doing your business dealings. If you’re not a naturally confident person, use the old trick of ‘fake it till you make it’. It really works. As you bluff your way through an act of confidence, you’ll slowly acquire genuine confidence. This can be worth much more than the right suit, or even having the best business!
The Extra Details
If you really want to stand out from the crowd, you’ll want to make sure that you’re giving people something to remember. One of the best ways to do this is to send them home with an item with your name on it. Personalized pens, custom USB sticks, and coffee mugs will go a long way toward making the right impression. Additionally, make sure you always have your business cards with you. You never know when you’ll run into a person who you want to contact you later, and a business card is much better than digging around for a pen and paper to write your details down.
Show Stopping Personality
This last one is harder to acquire, but it’s worth thinking about. A big personality, one that draws people in, can make a success of people who otherwise, without their personality, would not get anywhere. You can’t manufacture personality, but you can train it. If you’re failing to make an impression with people, look at developing interests and hobbies. You’ll be giving yourself more things to bond with people about (and having fun at the same time). If you can impress people and make people like you, they’ll be more likely to remember you long after you’ve separated.
