What is Business Attire?

I have been in Telecom sales since 1999 and my first Telecom Job required me to wear a suit or at the very least dress slacks and a tie, every day. Khaki pants were not allowed, except on the rare "casual day" which we would get once or twice a year. Following that, I worked for a small local company and one of the owners was a VERY accomplished sales professional who decided to strike out on his own. In my 2+ years working for him I noticed that he NEVER wore a tie. He would put a jacket on at times, but never a tie, and he presented to some very significant clients. I asked him about it one day and his answer was very simple & powerful. "Mike, wearing a tie just isn't me. If I were to put one on just for appearance it wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be sincere. My customers buy from me because of my sincerity, because of my sincere desire to help them. If I can't be comfortable with who I am, how can I expect my customers to be comfortable with me?" That, is what is commonly referred to as an epiphany. This is an absolute breakthrough concept to grab with both hands and hold on to with every last bit of energy you have, so I am going to repeat it.

"If I can't be comfortable with who I am, how can I expect my customers to be comfortable with me?"

Now the flip side of this is I see people all the time that want to conduct business with other companies and they look like they just rolled out of bed or they are off to a summer BBQ. So it is important to strike a balance and go through a mental checklist.

Who is your target Audience?
If you regularly engage law firms and doctors offices, it makes sense to wear a crisp white or blue pressed shirt and dress slacks.

If you own a landscaping company, it is perfectly acceptable to have on a polo shirt with your company logo and clean pair of jeans that aren't used for field work.

If you have employee's that engage your customers it is always a good idea to wear clothing with the company logo and to have some form of ID badge that can be worn around the neck.


Here's a hint, flip flops are NEVER acceptable business attire. Same thing goes for men in shorts.


I am not going to even try to tell women how to dress. I will say there is an important distinction between dressing to impress and dressing to seduce. So I am just going to leave it there. I will give you one hint ladies, if you have to ask "is this appropriate? " The answer is probably "No."


So in summary, you must be comfortable with the way your present yourself so you can present an air of confidence. You must also be cognizant of your target customer and what they expect.

Thanks for reading today




Mike S.


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