Sounds ridiculous, a grooming tip making or breaking your next meeting, how can that be? Well, consider when you construct a presentation the importance of each word you’ve painstakingly chosen do drive home a critical point that helps you close on your objective (i.e. signing a deal, working towards a next meeting, cultivating a long term relationship or hoping for a referral) The last thing you want is your audience to be distracted by something as simple as unkempt fingernails or perhaps some overdue grooming of your nose hair. Starting to make a little more sense?
We all know when meeting customers or giving a presentation for the first or any time your credibility is being tested, not only with what you say, but, with you. Credibility is conveyed in how you present yourself and everything matters period.
So, we compiled a small list of tips that you can review every lazy Sunday evening. The good news, even if you have to act on every point, it will take you less than ten minutes:
Ok, off to the races and in no particular order:
1) Eyebrows: Big eyebrows are fine if you’re George Clooney. However, if your eyebrows become singular (as in a uni-brow) you've got a problem. Address the eyebrow hair bridge and separate the twins using a quality pair of round tip tweezers to remove the unwanted hair, but don’t over do it (See Video). Remember, plucking is the way to go, it really isn’t painful and when the hair grows back (and it will) it returns with feathered tip as opposed to a blunt hedge.
2) Nails: Need we say more, fortunately, that’s what we do. Most of us talk with our hands, hence drawing attention to our hands. What can be more distracting to an audience but to see a presenter with unkempt nails? As long as you give anyone a reason not to listen, they’ll take it.
In the case of men, we usually do not set a time aside each week to cut our nails, we tend to cut our nails after realizing they should have been cut a few days ago. Remedy, is to always carry a small Nail Clipper, ALWAYS!
3) Nose-hair & Ear- Hair: Be a mountain man on your own time, this is business and your sole mission is to clearly and concisely convey your message without distractions. Do yourself a favor and get small safety scissors to clip nose hairs. Yes, safety scissors they’re lightweight; silent and never run out of a charge or batteries. You want to be taken seriously, right?
A few more (non-grooming) tips that are worth paying attention to:
- Shine your shoes
- Always have fresh breath
- Smile
- Don’t chew gum (you would be surprised how many do)
- Tattoos and facial jewelry should not be showing (this is not the place to make your personal statement).
- Chest hair should not be making a showing outside your collared shirt.
This is not only to give a great first impression, but to help build trusting and lasting relationships, gain important strategic referrals and of course to leverage all your hard work.
Work and play at your best!