Cars represent an external scorecard, at least, that is the way it sure seems! Why should I care what anyone thinks about what I look like driving down the road? Did I make it to my appointment on time? Did I get from A to B just as well as the dude parked next to me in the Mercedes? The answer is yes to all of these concepts, however, and this is one big HOWEVER, first impressions are said to be the most important, and also said to warp your relationship forever.
I'll confess, I'm the first person to judge a 20 something in a Bently and say "Thanks, Daddy!" judging, profiling, I don't care how un-PC it is we all do it and guess what, lots of times profiling is pretty accurate! Because my idea changes dramatically when I see a 40 something in a Bently, it's at that point a matter of, "Wow, what did she do so well? What business does she own? I bet I could learn a thing or two from her!"
Now I just took two extremes for example, and, therefore, I want to clarify my thinking. If you are driving a 16-year-old Honda, Civic rust bucket and you expect to receive any form of positive first impression you have lost your mind! Sadly, as discussed profiling happens every day, and whether or not its true, you are profiled into, "recently divorced, lost everything, probably can hardly afford to put gas in that thing." If you are in any business that requires trust ... I don't know of any business that doesn't require trust, you lost the trust getting out of that rust buckett. You are profiled to "you don't even have your shit together how can you possibly help me with ______."
There in lays the issue, I am a huge I mean HUGE advocate of cycling, in certain "biking communities" you will see the rust bucket with a cycle on the roof rack that is 2 or 3 times the cost of the rust bucket. A cyclist immediately profiles that person as someone they can trust! However, possibly only a cyclist will have that profile? Therefore, you are still risking everyone else in the world that isn't an avid cyclist.
You may be in the situation where you can choose your clients and do not need to earn more business, in which case, get properly profiled to your clientele. Do and act exactly how you would want someone asking for your business to do and act. I would call this the utopian marketing, where a car is indeed an external scorecard and means nothing but what it does to you internally.
For those of you reading that are saying I don't run my own business, I don't need to be concerned about this. You are dead wrong! Do you have a boss? You are your brand. If your boss sees you show up in a rust bucket, she's going to begin to question your work, as you are showing that you don't have your shit together at home, how can you have your shit together at work?
This is where the thin line comes into play, should we all be driving Mercedes? No, but you need to think about what your vehicle is saying about you.
I'll confess, I'm the first person to judge a 20 something in a Bently and say "Thanks, Daddy!" judging, profiling, I don't care how un-PC it is we all do it and guess what, lots of times profiling is pretty accurate! Because my idea changes dramatically when I see a 40 something in a Bently, it's at that point a matter of, "Wow, what did she do so well? What business does she own? I bet I could learn a thing or two from her!"
Now I just took two extremes for example, and, therefore, I want to clarify my thinking. If you are driving a 16-year-old Honda, Civic rust bucket and you expect to receive any form of positive first impression you have lost your mind! Sadly, as discussed profiling happens every day, and whether or not its true, you are profiled into, "recently divorced, lost everything, probably can hardly afford to put gas in that thing." If you are in any business that requires trust ... I don't know of any business that doesn't require trust, you lost the trust getting out of that rust buckett. You are profiled to "you don't even have your shit together how can you possibly help me with ______."
There in lays the issue, I am a huge I mean HUGE advocate of cycling, in certain "biking communities" you will see the rust bucket with a cycle on the roof rack that is 2 or 3 times the cost of the rust bucket. A cyclist immediately profiles that person as someone they can trust! However, possibly only a cyclist will have that profile? Therefore, you are still risking everyone else in the world that isn't an avid cyclist.
You may be in the situation where you can choose your clients and do not need to earn more business, in which case, get properly profiled to your clientele. Do and act exactly how you would want someone asking for your business to do and act. I would call this the utopian marketing, where a car is indeed an external scorecard and means nothing but what it does to you internally.
For those of you reading that are saying I don't run my own business, I don't need to be concerned about this. You are dead wrong! Do you have a boss? You are your brand. If your boss sees you show up in a rust bucket, she's going to begin to question your work, as you are showing that you don't have your shit together at home, how can you have your shit together at work?
This is where the thin line comes into play, should we all be driving Mercedes? No, but you need to think about what your vehicle is saying about you.
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