Looking Successful: Faking it to get ahead!

Freelance working – you get to be your own boss, go to work when you like, answer the phone how you like, dress how you like – right? Wrong! If you want to get work, that is.

The role of the freelancer/self employed technician is to look/sound/behave like they work for a large, professional, dedicated, disciplined and well run establishment. If you’ve not heard this before, I can imagine you’re thinking – ‘come OFF it – I might as well just go and work for someone else then’. But then think about it a little bit more. If you’re self employed, or working freelance, you need to convince others that you’re a success. And how do you do this? One of the ways is to look like you are a success. And that means dress like you are.

One of the pieces of advice I was given when starting out in my career was ‘Dress for the job you want, not the job you have’ (you can see this ethos wouldn’t work if you worked in an office and fancied yourself as a nurse/Police Officer but you get the point) which, for me meant suiting and heeling up each and every day, rain or shine. But it does work. People look at you and think that you are a success, if you look as if you are, and are dressed like the manager/owner of a successful IT company. Even better, as first impressions count, if you’re suited and booted and well groomed, you start off on a winning streak as you’ve made a good first impression without even opening your mouth! The flipside is, if you look scruffy, even if your clothes cost more than a week’s salary, you have to fight to hold your own.

Why does what others think mean anything at all? Well, I know that I trust people who look like they can do the job. I’d be more inclined to let a guy in a white coat do my brain surgery than someone in beachwear. That principle applies when getting my computer fixed. I (and most/all other IT users) would much rather have someone who does this all the time, has lots of experience, has insurance if things go wrong, and can deliver on their promises, has access to machinery, knowledge, parts and spares, and is, or appears to be, experienced and professional.

In practice, that might mean a suit (with a tie and everything) for potential customer quotations and business meetings and an own-logo shirt for call outs or similar. Business cards and printed invoices are also key components in the spirit of presenting a professional image, as is making sure that you answer your phone correctly, with the name of your company and a general ‘can I help you’ or whatever you decide is going to be your script. An answer phone, loaded with a business message for when you are not around, also adds to the illusion of success/company size and, of course, makes sure you don’t miss any valuable calls.

A company email address adds to the general appearance of professionalism, as does having a website with a company-matching domain name. On the low-tech side, letterheads for quotations and communications also help to present your service as a professional and well run one.

Basically, you’re a mini, one-person empire, or, to your customers and potential customers you are. And to appear like that, you need to use all the etiquette of business, and not leave anything to chance.
Buy a suit, a shirt and a tie, dark socks and smart shoes, and wear them when dealing with business customers or potential customers.

If you prefer to be casual when working on machines, get a shirt embroidered/printed and substitute that for your normal shirt.

Get a dedicated line for your business calls, and make sure that you have a script for answering it, and an answering machine for when you’re not there, or the calls forwarded to a mobile that YOU answer. (“Whatsup?” won’t do!)

Invest in some business cards with your name and contact details on, and print/create some invoices/headed paper for communicating with customers.

If you can, have a domain name and email addressing for your business.

Be charming, helpful, and deliver on your promises, and before long, you’ll be doing the job you’ve dressed for, and empire-building merrily!