In the early 1970s, when I was a young restaurant manager working at the Philadelphia Marriott, the company founders, J. W. Marriott and his wife, Alice, came into the coffee shop one morning. Mr. Marriott walked right up to me and looked at my badge, which displayed my name and title. “Cockerell, are you the restaurant manager here?”
“Yes, sir,” I answered.
He looked me in the eye, grabbed a fistful of my hair, which was hanging over my ears, and said, “Why don’t you get a haircut and look like it?”
After I recovered from my near heart attack, I went right down to the hotel barber and got an emergency haircut. The shock and embarrassment made me realize that while long hair may have been in style among my peers at the time, it was not the style for successful professionals. From that day on, I paid more attention to my personal appearance. Instead of looking like the guys I once hung out with—guys who were primarily unemployed, playing in bands, and living in their parents’ basements—I chose to look like the people with steady jobs and successful careers. I even studied the photos in the company’s annual report booklet to see what the top executives looked like, because I wanted to become one of them one day. And I did.
In a perfect world, what you look like, how you dress, or even whether or not you comb your hair would have no bearing on what your customers think of you. But the world is far from perfect, and the fact is that people will make assumptions about you in the first few seconds they spend with you. The average customer is no different, and not only will customers be quick to judge you, they will judge you based on the way they expect a person serving them to look. If your appearance and demeanor are professional, they will assume that the service you provide is professional. If not, they will take their business elsewhere.
If you work in a big company, you’ve probably been told exactly how you’re expected to dress and look. You may not like those standards. You may protest, “That’s not me!” Well, maybe it’s not you on your off hours, but it is you at work—if you want to do your job well and advance to the next level, that is. Think of it as a costume for a role you’re playing in a show, and play it to perfection. You can be as quirky and trendy and individualistic as you like when the curtain comes down.
If you’re not sure about the personal appearance standards in your workplace—either for yourself or for the people you manage—take a close look at those who are most successful in the field or position you’re in. How are they dressed? How do they present themselves? Does their demeanor suggest that they’re glad to be there serving customers or wish they were somewhere else? In most cases, you’ll find that successful people never look sloppy, unkempt, or disheveled, and you will never see them slump, frown, smirk, or look bored, tired, or sullen. Looking sharp is not just about clothing or grooming. It’s also about how you present yourself. So make sure both you and your employees display appropriate body language at all times. Everyone should look alert, attentive, energetic, happy to be there, and eager to serve.
When it comes to service, energy is vital. You may look sharp, but you won’t feel sharp if you lack physical, emotional, and mental energy. Think about the people you come into contact with on a daily basis. Do you like to do business with those who greet you energetically or the ones who stand there yawning and looking lethargic? Be one of those high-spirited people who wake up raring to go. And if you’re in a position of authority, hire people with alertness and vitality—people who look as if they have the energy and drive to go the extra mile for your customers.
If you look sharp, you’ll feel sharp, and you’ll provide sharp service. At the very least, customers will perceive your service as better—and grade your performance higher—simply because you look right for the part. This may not be fair, but it’s the way it is.