There are situations where advertising yourself or your company – even on as passive a level as wearing the work uniform for brand awareness – can hurt your credibility and limit your reach in generating new business relationships.
This years Search Engine Room conference in Sydney was my first attended business conference and there were few wearing company insignia; it didn’t seem like the right thing to do? I hope to explain for my own reflection why:
- The conference was of a professional development nature; not an industry convention
- Delegates were there to benefit from the sessions in the revenue of knowledge and insight; not harvesting sales leads
- Many of us were from directly competing industries; you don’t preach to the preacher
- Those leads that you did establish were without pitch or any impression that you were trying to generate sales; we weren’t sales-folk
- Many of those delegates from media agencies conveyed themselves best in comfortable casual clothing
Overwhelming contacts in your first impression with strict company insignia does not lend to supporting your image or allow you to unwind and do what you’re there to do; learn.
