How to Dress for Sales Meetings 

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1. Take into account how your prospects dress.
This just might be the most important point when it comes to how to dress for sales meetings. That’s why it comes first.
As a general rule, you want to dress similarly to your prospects. Take into account the type of clothes that your prospects typically wear.
2. Disheveled is crushing.
This is about your general appearance. I see so many salespeople, particularly in the trades, who just never fully take care of the way they look. Even on their best days, they’re still looking really disheveled. Looking disheveled essentially exudes a lack of professionalism.
Looking disheveled could mean that your shoes are really scuffed up, or your hair is unkempt and flying all over the place. Or maybe your shirts are just really wrinkly, right?
3. Be better dressed, but not mismatched.
Typically, we want to come in a little bit above our prospect’s level of dress. Now of course, there are limits to that. If you’re already selling to people who wear suits, then you’re just going to match them. You’re just going to wear a suit, and if they’re wearing a tie, you’re going to be wearing a tie as well.
You want to come off as just a little bit more well-dressed.
4. Pay attention to the details.
This is probably my biggest pet peeve about how to dress for sales meetings. Most salespeople don’t pay attention to the little details that can cause them to come off as careless and thoughtless in the way they dress.
A lot of tradesmen will come in wearing a nice company button-down shirt with khakis...but then the shirt is untucked or it’s hanging out on one side. Or someone will be wearing really wrinkled clothing or their shoes will look really worn. While the prospect is not necessarily looking at these details on a conscious level, on a subconscious level they’re taking in the totality of what they see. They’re making instantaneous judgments.
5. In the moment, match them in small ways.
This is one of the most powerful tips for how to dress for sales meetings. I’ll give you an example of how I might implement this is my own selling.
When I go to meet with prospects, I’ll literally get onto a plane and meet with CEOs of companies to discuss six-figure consulting projects. I’m always going to show up in a suit, even if I think that they’re going to be in jeans and a t-shirt (which very few of my prospects ever are). What I will do though, if a prospect is dressed casually, is take off my coat. And if they’re really casual, I might even take off my coat and roll up my sleeves. I might even let out a button at the top of my shirt.
That way, even though we’re dressed in a way that’s not entirely matched, I’m going to match them in small ways to make them feel a little bit more comfortable. When you do this, you’ll get the credit of looking professional, but you’ll also create a better connection with the prospect by making an effort to appear more similar to them.
So, there you have it. Now you know how to dress for sales meetings. Which of these tips did you find most helpful? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below. I’ll do my best to respond to every single one.