I’m in a hotel in Nashville writing this. It’s early. I just got dressed for a session where the dress code is casual. Unfortunately, all I have is a suit and French-cuff shirt. When I was packing earlier this week, I didn’t know if there was a dress code and thought to myself: “You can’t go wrong with a suit, and I’ll just go open collar if it’s casual.” Well, when I showed up yesterday afternoon, I looked like Alex P. Keaton.
Part of our training in my first job was business dress, and most of it was parallel with the common rules we were taught while growing up. However, today many of those rules aren’t practiced as commonly as they were 20 years ago. Technology, social evolution, and a decreasing desire to build personal relationships has led to less of a need to use these rules on a day-to-day basis. I’m actually thankful for this shift in expectations because I fly so frequently – I love wearing jeans and a comfortable t-shirt on a flight. So, what do you think … are traditional dress code rules still important in sales?
Yes. You’ll never impress someone by breaking etiquette, but you might offend them. I might get made fun of later today, but that’s ok. If I showed up in shorts, no one would make fun of me because it wouldn’t be funny – it would be insulting. Being under dressed takes away from the event and illustrates that you don’t care. I’ll just look like a geek – I’ve done worse. Don’t risk it. Don’t be lazy. And yes, as your parents told you: “its better to be overdressed than underdressed.”
