As a real estate professional, you can come in contact with hundreds of people every day -- in meetings, at lunch, or traveling from place to place. Your image is talking even when you're not. You and your business may have all the substance in the world, but if you don't project a strong, professional image to go with it, people aren't going to respond the way you want them to.

To back up your image, you also need a good product, extensive knowledge, and strong communications skills. Your image creates the expectation. Your substance confirms it.

Your public image represents who you are and what you do. It is a reflection of your private self image. If your self image needs an occasional boost, you can start by improving your public image. When you portray yourself to the world as confident and competent, you actually increase your self confidence and credibility. You achieve optimum results because people respond more positively.

Your ideal image should be so supportive of what you're saying that people can look past you to your message. We have all run into people whose appearance and actions are so distracting that we can't concentrate on what they are saying. Consider a man with a bad hairpiece or combing his hair over a bald spot. Does he realize how odd he looks? Or a woman in a very short skirt - will she be able to sit and still look professional? We become so engrossed in our own thoughts that we fail to hear their words.

Four Minutes

Leonard Zunin, author of Contact: The First 4 Minutes, says, "Four minutes is the average time demonstrated to grab someone's attention and establish credibility and rapport." Many of us decide even sooner. When you're making your way around the TV dial, how long do you pause at each channel to see if it engages you? In a world of quick sound bites and 30-second commercials, consumers can form opinions almost instantaneously. Your strong first impression is what gets you your four minutes.

Which Image?

Today, you have choices. That's both a powerful plus and a potential trap. Gone are the days of conservative-clone outfits, dull but very safe. Now you can present the image that best projects you and your particular business. However, this new range of choices can be confusing, challenging, even frightening, and not without pitfalls. Should you go for the cutting edge of fashion? Or for the most conservative? Or something in between?

This depends on the culture of the real estate industry, even within your city, and neighborhood. When I did a seminar for PG&E, you could tell which floor people worked on by how they dressed. "Business Casual" can be anything from a company-logo T- shirt and artfully torn jeans, to $1,200 silk separates. Do your homework.

Image Don'ts

An image enhancement seminar I conducted for the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Francisco featured "Image Do's and Don'ts," modeled by their employees.

Published: October 29, 1998

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Diane Parente only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.