Your Packaging and Presentation

It does matter.  Especially when you want people to co-operate with you.  And people do instantaneously judge you on how you look and come across, even if they say they don’t.  They judge your look relative to what role you’re supposed to be playing, or what you’re claiming to be able to do for them.  And most people behave differently in front of different looking people.  We’re all at it, and we can’t help it.  Even if we agree ‘you can’t judge a book by it’s cover’ we still do it.  And we do it for products we buy too.  The packaging and presentation give signals to us about the product and it’s quality, and ultimately make us feel a certain way.

I try my best not to judge people when I first meet them.  But try as I might, my subconscious still decides a few things about them and what’s important to them, and how likely they are to co-operate with me.  Of course, I might be completely wrong, but regardless my mind still guesses.  Can’t help it.

When I took my broken Mac in to a computer repair shop and got served by a young guy with rings and studs all over his face, I have to admit I wasn’t sure about the professionalism of their service.  The look of their customer facing employees certainly wasn’t important to them.  As for how good a job they’d do with my Mac, I wasn’t sure, as nothing yet gave me the signals I was looking for.  If there was a repair shop next door, I may have checked them out for signs of professionalism and credibility.

My point is, it’s true you can’t always judge people correctly, but we still judge nevertheless and our judgment influences our behaviour and decisions which impact the person we’re judging.  Others do the same to us.  It’s easier to get people to co-operate with you when your packaging supports what you want them to do for you (eg when you want them to offer you a job). And if you insist that your packaging should remain as it is, and it’s not in line with your work, then perhaps you’re in the wrong line of work?  The only exceptions I know of are when people have already built a reputation for doing excellent work.  Sometimes they have earned the right to dress how they want because enough people know they’re good enough.  But if you’re not in that position, then definitely give your packaging some thought.

I believe your packaging has a direct effect on your performance, how people perceive you, quality of relationships and co-operation from others, and your overall results. It’s a major part of your personal marketing. Decide what you want, how you would rather people judge or perceive you, and then create your message through your packaging.

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