Wear something to promote yourself

The jacket in the picture to the left may seem like a simple jacket, but for me, it's been a HUGE conversation starter.  When my friend Dorothy Compton of Bee Embroidered made it for me, I told her I wanted something simple with my business name...but of course, I wanted it to be bright.  We decided on a bright color for the embroidery, and then Dorothy came up with the great idea of making the dot of the "i" in Brightfarm to be a sparkly rhinestone (which isn't showing up well with my camera, darn!). 

 

As I've been out and about wearing it, and I've been around people I don't know, many people have commented on how cute my jacket is!  And because Brightfarm is such a strange name, they naturally asked me what Brightfarm Productions is, resulting in a very simple opener to my introduction.  

 

Last Christmas I gave one of these jackets to my mother-in-law Kay, and she had a funny experience while wearing it.  Kay was out and about shopping, and as she approached the doorway of a store, a gentleman held the door open for her.  As she thanked him, he saw the Brightfarm name on her jacket and said, "Brightfarm Productions!  I recently saw a presentation you folks gave at a function.  Your video commercials are a great idea - I even told my boss about them!"  Now of course my mother-in-law doesn't actually work for us, but she then went on to chat with him about us!  (We're still waiting for the bill for that P.R. time she provided us!)

 

Wearing something simple, whether it be a shirt, jacket, hat, name tag or anything with your business or organization name can do the following for you:

 

Break the ice/start conversation:  Wearing something with your logo or business/organization name allows for the person you're talking to start the conversation, which will naturally lead to an introduction.

 

Branding:    It will also insure that people know exactly who you're with right from the get-go, and help them remember who you are and what you do.  Which is extremely helpful at networking functions where you tend to meet a lot of people.

 

Reflect professionalism:   Almost like a uniform, wearing something with your business/organization name helps to establish credibility, boosting your level of professionalism.

 

Possibly result in business:  Many of my first introductions as a result of wearing my jacket have lead to business, and I can't rave enough about such a simple, affordable way to promote and introduce yourself.  

 

Try wearing something to promote your business or organization and see what a difference it does for you in your networking efforts.

(c) 2009 Brightfarm Introductions

Would you like to use this fresh tip for your newsletter or website?  You absolutely can, as long as you use this complete blurb along with it:  Barbara Lopez, "The Elevator Pitch Coach" with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact.   Everything in business starts with an introduction.  If you're ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com.