Have you heard the saying, “ You only get one chance to make a first impression?” It is actually very difficult to change this impression as well.
Did you know that the color clothing you wear can affect this impression? Did you know that scents can actually trigger anxieties in people? There are several factors in building trust, but these two are the most subtle that people miss all the time.
I have been in sales for what is closing in on two decades at this point and it is interesting how much I have learned throughout this career. I didn’t intend on this becoming my career either, but was one of exploration as my career aspirations was to manage people. Yes, I wanted to be a manager and an advisor informed me that I needed to learn sales if I was going to lead others.
That is what kicked off my career in sales and I am glad I did venture into this sector of business. Many believe we need to be a certain kind of personality, good looking, have a strong sense of humor, etc, yet time and time again I have proved that to be incorrect. Yes, we need to have interpersonal skills and yes, we need to be able to laugh with others, but we need to do so much more and it does not mean we have to fit into one mold.
Since beginning in sales I have learned that there are some factors that impact likability and trust. The two I’d like to talk about today are clothing colors and scents. These don’t seem like they are impactful, but check out this data.
The Harvard Gazette posted an article in 2020 about how scents are associated with memories. Click here for the article. Basically, smell is the only sense in our body that does not have a filter to the brain. When we smell cut grass, we typically think of warm summer days. Unfortunately, some people like me are highly allergic to cut grass and the chemical released by the grass clippings. I go into sneezing fits and want to gouge my eyes out when I am around cut grass.
Others have scents that take them back to bad memories that when smelled make their body’s fight or flight mechanism jump into action. That means anxiety goes up. Now if we are the ones wearing that scent, then the people start associating the anxiety with us. They will associate us with danger and that first impression goes right out the window. Keep that in mind when you are spraying on your favorite cologne or perfume in the morning. We still need to smell clean though!
Colors are also associated with trust and likeability as well. Robert Caldini wrote a great book called Influence that depicts what each color does, why certain organizations used colors for their logos, etc. For help today know that light blues and whites promote trust and dark red power ties promote authority. Black typically means we are hiding something. Keep that in mind when trying to gain trust and likability. If we need to build trust and influence, we should be wearing light blues and whites when engaging others.
We do not need to be wearing power ties to show we are assertive and have authority. That does not lower anxieties. Power ties drives anxieties up. When leading people and trying to sell to customers we need the anxiety levels lowered. The lower the anxiety levels, the higher the likability and trust levels.
If we can not get past those two questions: Do I like You? and Do I Trust You? We will never obtain buy in for our cause, customers for our products, or an engaged staff for our cause. We need to take the focus off our wants and needs and focus on how we can connect with others.
I hope that helps! Have a great week and good luck shopping!
“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers. How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits? I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet
https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book
https://kevinsidebottom.kartra.com/page/5AF12 - Sales Process Uncovered Online Training
https://kevinsidebottom.kartra.com/page/68N10 - Trustworthy Online Training