Tuesday, August 1, 2017

A Case Study in Image Self-Defeat

I recently encountered a gentleman who promotes himself as an exceptional specialist in his field, one that charges considerable fees.  I don't have any personal experience with or know anyone who has been able to speak to this fellow's competence, but I was instantly skeptical.

The clincher was the brochure.  It simply didn't look like it came from an exceptional, experienced professional.  It was home-generated on a loud, garish colored paper.  It used fonts that were hard to read.  Much of the text was written poorly.   It wasn't even folded into a neat trifold!

Was I unfair to the professional?  I don't think so.  It is one of the first tenets of marketing that you take the trouble to build the best possible image.  And for someone who has had some decades of business behind him, there's just no excuse for getting easy stuff right.  I looked at the brochure (and listened to a rambling and fairly incoherent presentation) and concluded that if he was that sloppy with his image, the advice I might get would likely be as questionable.

Bottom Line:  Take the time and expense to do the best possible image work.  Don't let easy mistakes happen that can cause a prospect to question you.  An image can be destroyed in seconds.

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