Consulting – How to dress to impress
The English saying “Clothes make the man” could perhaps be seen as a business or fundamental truism, and in no industry is this more evident than in the consulting industry, where appearance and perception are everything.
Consulting as an industry relies heavily on reputation and branding, regardless of size. Whether your business is one of the global Big Four, such as Deloitte or KPMG, or a small sole operator or boutique firm, your credibility and pipeline depend on the success of your engagements and the resulting positive reputation and brand gains you are derived from them.
Consider the legacy of Arthur Andersen, perhaps one of the best examples of how reputation can make or break a deal. Andersen was known around the world as a top-tier consulting firm, serving clients across the globe from all business sectors, ranging in size from the SME market to the Fortune 500. However, after the collapse of Enron, Andersen was embroiled in a scandal in which it was alleged that they tried to pervert the course of justice by preventing federal investigations and destroying evidence, all in an attempt to avoid criminal liability.
The perceived reputational damage created by the investigation caused Andersen’s clients to flee en masse, seeking refuge with other, safer audit organizations. Then, when the company was found guilty of perversion, the company’s accounting license was suspended and tens of thousands of employees lost their jobs because no company would hire services from such a rotten apple.
After all, what would customers think?
Andersen’s collapse highlights that a company’s perceived image directly affects customer acquisition, engagement, and retention.
Today, large consulting organizations use social media, YouTube, traditional media, and commentary to alter, shape, and refine perceived reputations. In simple terms, we call this “branding”.
As employees, when we visit the client, we represent the brand of the organization and are living examples of corporate values, customer satisfaction and business professionalism. All of these factors combine to create a psychological impression on the client, which will ultimately determine how they perceive both the consultant’s effectiveness and the quality of their organization.
As a consulting manager, I have provided services in many industry sectors. In each, a company will have different expectations related to professional dress standards, stemming from company values, reputation management, safety, or even culture. Despite these differentiators, however, the consulting industry is a very different animal. When an outside consultant comes to the site, be it an auditor or management consultant, the client is seeking professional services in a business function that is high risk, highly complex, or not fully understood. As a result, the consultant is perceived as a problem solver, who will be highly educated, highly articulate, and capable of delivering services that will be understood and championed by all levels of the business, from coal worker to executive.
In such a game, perception is everything. For that reason, in no other industry is how an individual dresses and presents more important.
Traditional business attire is a must and should also be taken to the extreme. The “dark suit, dark tie” mentality of International Business Machines is probably the best starting point, however, a pinstripe suit is also known to be perceived in organizational psychology as displaying both power and traditionalism. For this reason, and to give an image of traditional conservatism mixed with power, a consultant should wear a dark three-piece suit, pinstriped, preferably in black, navy blue or dark gray; The fringe should be non-adversarial and should be vertical only, with no markings, with the tailor judging the width to provide a greater perception of height.
Women should not wear pantsuits, and should always appear in a pencil skirt, dark pinstripe suit, supported by natural or dark sheer tights. Research indicates that male clients have a significantly more positive reaction to women in power when they do not attempt to undermine “perceived male authority.” By emphasizing her femininity, the consultants take advantage of the innate bias of human sexuality and physical attraction in the reputation management game.
The shirt or blouse must be white, fresh and pressed or ironed before work. Colored shirts should be avoided as humans have partial reactions based on colors. An inappropriate choice could have a consultant labeled in different industries; for example, selecting a pink shirt while working with a petrochemical or mining client could easily label a consultant as gay. Such an etiquette will influence how the client perceives the consultant and also her work due to the strong conservative biases held by many employees in these blue-collar industries.
All men must wear a conservative tie, with a matching or contrasting pocket square, and all ties must be tied in a double Windsor knot. The tie must be worn under the vest at all times, and the tip of the tie must not be visible at the base of the coat. Women can have an open-necked blouse and are not required to wear a tie.
Shoes must be traditional, full leather, black, and handmade; they should be worn with dark socks for men and transparent socks for women. An excellent choice of shoe rack for men is Crockett & Jones from the UK, and women should consider a top tier manufacturer like Ferragamo; women’s shoes must be high-heeled in all cases and must not support a heel of more than four inches; in cold weather, heeled boots to below the knee are permitted. Shoes should be considered a high priority as more than 70% of customers will form value opinions based on shoe quality when meeting a person for the first time, for that reason shoes should also be maintained and kept highly polished throughout. moment. Once damaged, shoes must be immediately repaired or replaced entirely.
Coats, gloves and outerwear should be dark in color and made of a highly valued traditional material such as cashmere; the only exception to this rule is the traditional camel coat, which is also allowed. In colder climates, such as Northern and Eastern Europe, China, or Canada, full-length fur or leather is allowed. However, care should be taken to limit the use of full-length leather by men with Jewish clients, due to the perception of leather and its colloquial link to the Nazis. Furs should be limited to the full length of the fashion over a suit and should not be short fur jackets, which are often associated with evening wear. Outerwear must also be removed upon arrival at the client, and the suit jacket must be worn at all times, but may be unbuttoned for convenience.
Men and women can wear silk scarves in a conservative color in cold weather, or they can select a fur scarf. However, under no circumstances can fur scarves be combined with a fur coat.
Accessories are also critically important to a consultant’s appearance and should be part of a standardization process across companies. Under no circumstances should a Top Consultant wear or carry any product that is not made from a natural material. All folders, suitcases, briefcases, belts, and purses or other accessories must be leather, dark in color, and from a top-tier brand such as Mont Blanc, Gucci, or Louis Vuitton.
Jewelry is also an area where many candidates apply too much or too little to make the most useful impact on the client. Consultants must limit jewelry to yellow, rose or white gold and must not wear more than two rings at a time, limited to engagement, wedding, signet and class rings only. Watches must always be worn on the left wrist and must be able to fit under the cuff of the shirt when fastened with a cufflink. All watches must be from a top-tier producer, such as Omega, Panerai, or IWC. A men’s bangle or bracelet is accepted on the right wrist, also made of yellow, pink or white gold only.
Finally, earrings should only be worn by women, and they must be either a single stud through the earlobe or a small hoop style. Under no circumstances should any other form of body art, such as multiple ear piercings, body or facial piercings, or tattoos, be visible.
By using this level one dress guide, consultants will not only dress to impress, but will present themselves to the impeccable standards expected at the big four, or a management consultancy like McKinsey.