How to build a professional persona that helps your business
Want to impress the people you speak to and work with? Here’s how to build a professional persona that helps your business.
When people are choosing to work with someone, there are a lot of things they have to consider. Suitability for the job, qualifications, past experience, and a range of other important topics will be considered.
But one of the main issues they will think about is always your appearance. Whether you work for yourself or for another business, it makes a lot of sense to work on a professional persona that makes your colleagues and clients see you in the right light.
Let’s take a look at the different directions you can take when you are going down a path like this one.
Your appearance
Your appearance is one of the biggest parts of your professional persona. The clothing you wear, the way you style your hair, and the other work you put into the way you look will all paint a picture that can make you look like a true pro or a slob, depending on the direction you take.
Of course, it’s always worth considering the industry you work in before you choose to buy clothing for this, as people will have different expectations depending on your line of work.
- Clothing: Your clothing should almost always be formal when you are working. Unless your company has other rules, wearing a suit is a good way to appeal to people of all generations, whether you’re male or female. Ladies get more options here, with dresses and skirts also serving as good formal attire.
- Personal appearance: While most business people won’t worry about your face, making sure that you look appealing to yourself is important for your confidence. Options like losing weight or getting facelift surgery can seem extreme but often leave people feeling far more confident about themselves.
It can be easy to neglect your appearance in the world of business, though this can be one of the most important factors you have to deal with, depending on the customers you have. It always makes sense to consider this properly before you make big decisions.
Your language
The way you talk is also very important to the way that people view you in the world of business.
People will expect you to use the right language based on the format you are talking to them in. But you should also assess the way that others are communicating with you to make sure that you are using methods that will make them feel comfortable.
- Face-to-face: Talking to someone directly is easiest, as you can use facial expressions to show them what you are thinking. You must always make sure that your tone and language are professional.
- Phone calls: Speaking on the phone can be tricky when you’ve never met someone before, but you can often overcome this issue by simply sticking to a rough script. This will ensure that you always come across in the right way, avoiding issues because of miscommunication.
- Emails: While writing short emails can be hard, most people want to receive messages that only contain the information they need. This means that you have to take a different approach to language in this format.
Your organization
People never want to work with someone that seems unreliable, and this means that you have to make sure that you show that you are organized and in control whenever you are showing off your professional persona.
This can be tricky, but there are loads of tools to help you out and it should only get easier as time goes by.
- Time management: You should always work hard to make sure that you are in full control of your time management. Tools like Asana can make it much easier to keep yourself working to the right schedule.
- Files and data: Cloud services should always be used to store your important files and data. You never know when you have to access this information, and it will make you look good if it is instantly accessible.
Not everyone finds it easy to organize themselves, and it can be worth working on this area for a long time if you can’t quite nail it.
You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but you should at least be there to impress the people you work with when they need it.
The materials that come with it
There are a lot of tools that can make you look more professional, and many of these come in the form of physical materials that you can take with you wherever you go.
Some of these can be given away, while others can be used to show your clients and colleagues just how on top of your work you really are. Of course, though, as a big part of this, you may have a spend a little bit of money to get everything you want.
- Business cards: Something as simple as a business card can make a real difference when you are trying to sell yourself. It’s always worth spending extra to get something high quality when shopping for something like this, as this will impress your clients more than something basic.
- Storage: Whether you want to give it away or not, having storage space on you at all times will make you look very professional. Sharing files is easiest with a direct transfer method, and options like portable SSDs have become far more powerful than they used to be.
- Notepads and laptops: Branding the tools you use is always a good way to make you look professional. Replacing your laptop’s logo with your own, for example, will show your clients that you have the resources to show off your brand, making you look very professional in the process.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of building your professional persona. Many people struggle with work like this, finding it hard to know what needs to be done when they don’t get taken seriously. We hope this article has helped.
Photo by Adam Winger
