Several times each week, I post a question to the EntreArchitect™ Facebook Group and we have a discussion among the 500+ group members. This past week, I posed the question, “Formal? Casual? Or something in between? What do you wear when meeting with clients?”
We always have a big response and this question was no different. About 20 small firm architects posted their response and the answers were mixed, but certainly leaning toward the casual.
That was not a surprise to me. Small firm architects, many of whom are working solo from home offices, tend to dress for comfort over fashion. The longer we work from home, the more casual we become.
I am no different.
For about two decades I dressed in formal slacks, button down dress shirt and very often sported a jacket and tie. Since moving to a virtual studio business model, my clothing has shifted dramatically toward the casual. I’m still well-dressed, but the slacks have become fitted jeans and my ties are gathering dust on the rack. I still wear a jacket, but it too has become much less formal.
It’s Not About You
Whether you’re wearing jeans to meet clients or buttoning up a suit, there is no right answer… for you.
It’s not about you.
It’s about your business. The clothes we wear should be determined by what makes us the most money. What leads us to the most sales? What helps us garner more referrals from clients? The clothes we wear as architects are as important as the uniforms worn by police officers or the company issued attire of our favorite franchise employees.
The way we present ourselves is a chapter in the story of who we are. It’s a a significant part of our brand and our choice of clothing will add to our success or contribute to our failure.
So, how do we know what works best?
Three Piece Armani?
“If you could increase sales 10 percent by doing something as simple as wearing a blue suit, would you do it?”
That’s a question posed by Michael E. Gerber in his book, The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
“For three weeks, wear a brown suit to work, a starched tan shirt, a brown tie (for men), and well-polished brown shoes. Make certain that all the elements of your suit are clean and well-pressed. For the following three weeks wear a navy blue suit, a good, starched white shirt, a tie with red in it (a pin or a scarf with red in it for women), and highly polished black shoes.”
Which combination do you think resulted in more sales?
Gerber continues, “The result will be dramatic: sales will go up during the second three-week period! Why? Because, as our clients have consistently discovered, blue suits outsell brown suits! And it doesn’t matter who’s in them.”
“Is it any wonder that McDonald’s, FedEx, Disney, Mrs. Field’s Cookies, and many more extraordinary companies spend so much time and money on determining how they look? It pays! And it pays consistently, over and over and over again.”
Now I am not suggesting that we all scrap our wardrobe for a closet full of three piece Armanis, but I ask you again, if you could increase sales 10 percent by doing something as simple as wearing a blue suit, would you do it?
Think about what you wear. Be intentional. Test what works. Set controls and quantify the impact of one style of clothing versus another.
Our story in the minds of our client is our brand. Everything we do, everything we say, as well as everything we wear, adds to the story we tell.
Question: If you could increase sales 10 percent by doing something as simple as wearing a blue suit, would you do it?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / artjazz
You didn’t even touch on the obvious architect “uniform.” C’mon Mark…all black y’know.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression!” As stated on Facebook, I wear a button down collar, my wife has learned it is a waste of money to buy me a dress shirt without them, I roll my sleeves up to the inside. A friend in the production end of a business taught me this, as they don’t get caught on anything. Dress slacks, khaki, dark blue, or black. Comfortable solid black New Balance walking shoes (but I make sure they don’t have the big “N” on them). The only time I button up my cuffs or wear a tie is at church or funerals. I have always told clients, “What you see is what you get”. I tell them they are hiring “Tim Barber who is an architect, not the Architect, Tim Barber”
I am very casual at the office (aka, my guest house). But when meeting with clients, more so if it is a first meeting, I dress well. I have a lot of very nice clothes that I spend way too much money on from my corporate days, so I am happy to dust them off every once in a while. I think it is important in our profession, we are supposed to make buildings look good, so showing good taste, and a sense of style in clothing does matter. I don’t think it has to be a suit, we are not lawyers. But definitely something that shows our style, that may even transfer to our architectural style. No pin or scarf with red for me, but I get what you are saying 😉
We once followed a besuited team of competitors in an interview with an organization that was building a casual culture. We wore something less formal – khakis and sweaters or sport shirts and jackets – but weren’t bums by any stretch. The clients, when they called to tell us we’d been selected, said the other guys didn’t “get” them, demonstrated to some extent by their attire. Have to draw the line somewhere or risk your integrity, but if it’s truly not about you, It makes sense to take some cues from the client, before and after winning the assignment.
Khakis and a button down. Right now favoring tight plaids, but love when fall lets me pull out the corduroy. Merrill work great for metrics, job site and comfort. I’m on my 3rd pair!
A mentor gave me a good piece of advice. When meeting with clients- wear what they wear. If they wear business suits, wear a suit. If they are business casual, dress in your business casual best!
I have to credit my wife for this insight. She had figured out what my clothing style should be when I started my own firm: Professional Artistic Relaxed. Usually this works out to dark jeans, a banded collar shirt (no possibility of a tie) and a suede blazer. Sometimes I wear low heel cowboy boots, sometimes slip-on Merrils.
There are many interesting ideas in both the post and the comments. Kudos for raising the topic — it is probably more important than most people think.
In my experience, it pays to match or exceed the level of formality of your client (it’s OK to for men to wear ties even if the client has a jacket and open collar), but not necessarily to dress like them.
What you wear communicates a lot about you. If you dress in a box-cut blue blazer and red repp stripe tie, it sends a message about how you think and the way you look at the world. So if you want to convey a more creative image, feel free to dress the part! There are plenty of ways to do so and still come off with all the polish and professionalism you would like to convey.
It’s usually obvious when you carry yourself one way and dress another. You have to feel comfortable in your skin and clothes.