The Modern Sales Professional By Len D’Innocenzo,  co-author of The Agile Manager's Guide to Customer Focused Selling 2nd Edition How do your customers and peers perceive you? What is the image you project to them? What do you want them to see when they look at you?

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Perhaps you feel you know the answers to these questions. You think you know how your customers and associates perceive you. If the messages they send back to you indicate acceptance, competence, respect and even admiration, you're probably very pleased with the way you're being viewed. That's good and you should feel proud.

If you're not 100% sure of how you're being perceived, or if you want to make sure you're doing all you can to make sure you're projecting the image of a modern sales professional, the following ideas will help.

You will receive many long-term benefits by projecting a professional image in person and on the telephone. A professional image is a necessity if you are to be successful in a career in sales. There are a few simple things to remember can differentiate you from the competition. You'll be able to leverage your professional image into positive actions with your customer base and with your sales team.

• Enhancing Your Professional Image

Enhancing your professional image is directly related to your attitude and self-image. You will present a successful professional image if you:

• Are driven from within to look and act professional at all times
• Have a positive mental attitude about your abilities and your company
• Know how to add value to your customers
• Know how to differentiate yourself from the pack

• Why Enhance Our Professional Image?

There are many opportunities and rewards in business today for salespeople who are motivated, knowledgeable, professional and able to add value to their customers. Our professionalism coupled with top performance provides us with an incredible sense of well-being and accomplishment. For some of us, this might be worth the effort if well-being and a sense of accomplishment were the only rewards we receive for superior performance. There are of course many other rewards available from top performance. These can include career enhancement, job security, increased compensation, respect and recognition from customers, superiors and peers.

• The Most Important Perception of All - Self-Perception

What we think of ourselves will certainly influence how others see us. Think about a successful professional person you know, a doctor, judge, nurse, business executive, clergy member, accountant, etc. Most of these professional people will have a very healthy ego. Not that they think they're better than other people, although, some do project this feeling and we all know the negative affect that can have.

True professionals transmit their confidence to others by their appearance, demeanor, words and actions. They expect other people to recognize and respect their strengths and abilities. They are usually good role models and good people to study.

We can often be our own worst enemy by being too tough on ourselves. Don't underestimate your abilities. By paying attention to a few simple basics, your ego will be strong and you'll feel better.

1. Good Health - Your appearance is enhanced because good health creates a pleasing image. It brightens and animates your presence. It's also good for you. Some regular exercise and watching your diet will help you live longer while it enhances your professional image. Sounds like a reasonable thing to do for yourself anyway.
    
2. Dress the Part - Studies have proven that when people dress in business suits, they are treated with more courtesy, respect and attention than those who conduct business in casual clothes. They project professionalism and efficiency. You can argue this is not true, but we are talking about image and perception. Distracting clothes send the wrong messages. This doesn't mean you have to lose your individuality or look drab.
    
3. Good Grooming and Hygiene - This is not just for kids. It's the basic things that mean a lot in projecting a proper image. You can leave your home in the morning looking great and smelling clean. But if halfway through the day you've lost that neat look and clean scent, you project a much different image. Check yourself out through the day. It's just as important to look neat and clean for the late afternoon meeting as it was for the first of the morning.
    
4. Sight and Sounds - First you're seen, then you're heard. What you sound like and what you think you sound like have a tremendous impact on the image you project and the impression you make on others, especially the first impression. The sound and tone of your voice, your diction and annunciation, your use of vocabulary and language can be great pluses or unnecessary impediments. Unnecessary because offensive or distracting vocal communication habits can be easily corrected once the problem is recognized and a decision is made to do something about it. Ask the people you respect to let you know if they think you're using slang, profanity or incorrect grammar or if they think you talk too loud or soft. We all have blind spots and need the input of others to help us improve.

• Appearance and Conduct

1. Present yourself in a neat, clean, well-groomed businesslike manner.
2. Your appearance and personal conduct should bring a favorable reaction from the customer.
3. Make sure your clothes fit well, collars or sleeves aren't frayed, colors are well coordinated, shoes polished, fingernails clean.
4. It is best to dress on the conservative side and select clothing that resists wrinkling. Stripes will make you look taller and more slender, while plaids will have the opposite effect.
5. Men should only wear functional jewelry, use cologne sparingly and hair should always be clean, neat and combed.
6. Women should avoid large jewelry, strong perfumes, excessive makeup and exotic hairstyles.
7. hen in the presence of a prospect do not do anything to cause criticism of yourself or your company.
8. Your vehicle should be clean inside and out and your brief case neat and organized.

• Your Words Are Important

1. Eliminate the grunts. Um and Ah and Uh! Be comfortable with the silence and resume speaking when the thought is there. People who use um to illustrate their thought process may appear less sure and less knowledgeable.
    
2. Sorta, kinda, shoulda - what? These words make you sound unsure of your ideas. Casual language sounds unprofessional and sends the wrong message.
    
3. Avoid absolutes. When you use absolutes, you are asking to be proved wrong. Substitute often for always and rarely for never. Use absolutes sparingly.
    
4. Avoid slang or rough phrases. Avoid using slang like ain't or rough phrases like that sucks. They make you sound very unprofessional. Find another way to say what you mean.
    
5. Stop the hard sell. Ending each thought with You know or You know what I mean? Come across as the hard sell and are annoying. People who abuse these phrases are seeking support for poorly explained ideas.

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The Agile Manager's Guide to Customer Focused Selling 2nd Edition by Jack Cullen and Len D’Innocenzo, two principles at CRKInteractive, have been sales managers for such companies as Zenith Data Systems, Okidata, and NCR. They now head CRKInteractive, a training and consulting company with offices all over North America. 128 pages. To order, please call 1-866-260-2055 or visit www.crkinteractive.com.

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