I admit it. I’m a slob. I’ve been known to work in my pajamas until noon. So it may seem strange, even hypocritical, when I advise you to dress for success.
But I’m not talking about what you wear in your home office.
I’m referring, instead, to the image you convey to prospects and clients. When they visit your website, see your portfolio samples, or talk to you on the phone, do they get the impression that you’re a successful professional? Or someone who falls a little short of that mark?
It’s an important distinction.
Because, all things being equal, a client is more likely to hire the professional who appears to be a success in his or her field.
Here’s an example of what I mean …
Say you need some landscaping done. You go shopping for contractors and, eventually, meet with two candidates.
The first greets you wearing jeans and a dirty T-shirt. The brochures he shows you are dog-eared. His truck is caked in dirt. Although, judging from his portfolio, he seems to be a talented contractor, he doesn’t look like he’s a particularly successful one.
The second contractor, by contrast, has success written all over him. He’s well-groomed and friendly. His truck is clean and has a professionally-designed sign on the door. The brochures, samples, and other materials he shows you look crisp and well presented.
Which contractor will you hire?
My guess is the second guy. He looks like a successful professional — or, at least, someone who is serious about becoming one. It’s easier to trust that that contractor will make the right recommendations and do a quality job.
The same holds true in freelance copywriting.
So take a critical look at every aspect of your communications with prospects and clients. Your website. Direct-mail letters. Samples. And even the way you answer the phone. Make sure everything you do, show, and say conveys the image of the successful professional you are — or want to become.
Dress for success. Even when you’re in your pajamas!
