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What is Professional?
A question I hear or read often is, 'is that professional
enough?' What is 'professional', and how is one professional and
what is considered unprofessional?
The actual definition of 'professional' is "Of, relating to,
engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and
other professional people." Or "Conforming to the standards of a
profession: professional behavior."
When considering whether a service or location is professional,
a great response comes from the dictionary again, which defines
professional as "A skilled practitioner; an expert." I have met
many skilled practitioners who are not very professional. I have
met many experts who I don't initially consider a
'professional', but who convey a very professional and confident
image.
Sounds confusing, huh? Yes. In my opinion, a professional person
is one who can convey their message or provide their service in
a manner appropriate for his/her clientele. When I worked at the
hospital, we were required to dress in 'appropriate professional
dress', but if we worked in the clinics, we were encouraged to
not overdress. We understood this to mean to not make the
clientele feel uncomfortable about their own dress, but be
'professional' enough so we were not wearing tube tops and mini
skirts.
When considering what creates a professional image, we must look
at two things; our appearance and how we act. Let's now look at
these two topics.
Dress
I still laugh when I think of one of the first topics covered in
class when I started my dietetics program; it was on how to
dress, wear our hair, and so forth. I even remember the
suggestion to wear glasses, just for the studious appearance it
gave us.
But the bottom line is this: When you attend networking events
or seminars, what is the impression you wish to convey to
others? The message you want to pass on about yourself will be
reflected in how you dress and present yourself. For anyone in
business, every person you come into contact with is a potential
client or referral source, and when this is most important is at
networking or business functions.
When considering professional dress, it's not just the style
that is important. You must also pay attention to color,
fabrics, fit, and accessories. Trends are good to follow, but
keep in mind the message you are trying to send. Extra-long
sleeves, short skirts and thick soles may be trendy and fun to
wear at casual events, but is that the appropriate message in a
business setting? The next event you attend, look around the
room at how people are dressed. Then observe their demeanor,
interaction in the event, and what they say and how they say it.
Several months ago I attended a marketing seminar. Most of us
dressed in what is today known as 'business casual'. Except for
one woman; she wore sweats... She was out of place and was not
conveying a message of power. I noticed that people did not go
out of their way to talk to her, either.
Does this mean that we must always wear a jacket? Not always.
However, according to Professional Imagine Consultant
(http://www.professionalimagedress.com/), there are six
occasions that all women do benefit from wearing a jacket. These
include;
1. When meeting a client for the first time.
2. When giving a presentation. 3. When attending meetings.
4. During an interview (including being interviewed by someone).
5. If you work in an office where clients drop in.
6. When you appear in court.
Accessories
Without sounding like my old professors who lectured us on hair,
make-up, perfume, and jewelry, let me make a few comments about
each, because these accessories play a big role in how
professional we appear to others. All should be low-key and
complementary to our dress, coloring and body type.
People
should not look at your hair and wonder how you got that color
(in a bad way), or wish they could escape from you because the
perfume is so strong. Your lip or nail color should not create a
topic for conversation. All of these should be subtle additions
to your total image. Yes, we want to be stylish and current, but
not to the point that we are inappropriate for our setting or
audience.
Business etiquette
Your appearance is important, but just as important is how you
act and interact with others. If you are dressed to send a
message of power and credibility, your actions must support your
visual appearance. I have no doubt that every professional
reading this article knows their area of specialty. It's your
delivery that will make the difference, however. In fact, 70% of
what others believe about you, personally and professionally, is
based on your image and your professional presence.
What exactly is business etiquette? Etiquette is about
presenting yourself with the kind of polish that shows others
you can be taken seriously. It is about being comfortable around
people and helping them become comfortable around you. It is
showing your self-confidence, or at least appearing
self-confident.
Business etiquette is being courteous and thoughtful to those
around you. It involves the little things, such as how to
address a person, how to introduce people, punctuality,
returning phone calls, avoiding interruptions, showing an
appropriate level of formality or informality, engaging in
adequate small talk to calm a new client, or avoiding it
completely.
Your professional image will continue to be impressed on clients
if your billing and services are organized and consistent. Do
you have a billing form? Do you have a policy to call new
clients as a reminder of first appointment? Are potential
clients able to leave a message if they call and you are not
available? And, do you return calls promptly? Are you able to
give your undivided attention to that person when you see them,
regardless of the setting? These are all very important aspects
of sending a professional image to clients or potential clients,
regardless of where you see clients.
In networking situations, collect cards from others and make
notes on the back of the cards, so you are able to remember
something specific about them. If they call you for your
services, you can look on the back of their card and recall
something about them in your conversation. That one little step
could lead to a new client, AND future referrals. If you tell
someone you meet at such an event that you will do something,
make sure you follow through. If you treat people as you would
like to be treated, you will never go wrong.
Ultimately, it is the message you want to convey by your
interaction and appearance, and the quality of service you
provide that will give your clients the sense that they are
working with a professional. You can project a very credible,
reliable, serious, professional image just as much in a health
club setting, yoga studio, coffee shop or a private home (yours
or the client's) as you can in an office setting. It's not the
location that will make the impression of what you have to
offer, but you and that first impression. Your clients will
remember what you did to help them achieve their goals more than
they will ever remember exactly what jacket you wore to your
first visit.
About the author:
Marjorie Geiser is a registered dietitian, certified personal
trainer and life coach. Marjorie has been the owner of a
successful small business, MEG Fitness, since 1996, and now
helps other nutrition professionals start up their own private
practice. Margie also offers CPE courses on small business
start-up. To learn more about the services Margie offers, go to
her website at www.megfit.com or email her at margie@megfit.com.
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