The primary investment is instruction in the arena of image skills in order to ensure a persona that is judged to be polished and professional. At a single glance, your image must evoke trust and credibility. It also must be state of the art so that it will be assumed that your products and services are the same. There is also another factor. You must be distinctive. Cigarette companies realized long ago that their clients were not loyal to a particular brand because it tasted better. Taste tests in the1949s and 1950s disclosed that no one could tell the cigarettes apart. Thus, they were among the first to learn that their clients bought the mystique, not the taste. They smoked Lucky Strikes or Camels because of the image associated with the brand.  
Today, corporate giants such as McDonald’s and Nike are aware that their customers are not buying products, they’re buying the experience. They know that brands exist in your heart, not in your head. Branding is about how products and people make us feel. When it comes to people, we want to be able to point proudly to our “expert” and brag “that’s my banker” or “that’s my car salesman.”
Whether we know it or not, we choose our bankers, our insurance agents, car salespeople, brokers, real estate agents and other professionals the same way we choose our soul mates: It is emotionally based love at first sight. Something about the way they look emits trust and credibility but also a certain uniqueness.
Once you have established your signature image you must maintain consistency. In both corporate branding and branding for individuals, trust and consistency go hand in hand. With McDonald’s, that means that if you buy a hamburger in Tokyo or Topeka ,Kan., it will have a consistent presentation and taste. You also can trust that the fries will be crispy, the children will be happy and the restrooms will be clean – consistently.
For individuals, consistency doesn’t just mean wearing a suit. It means that your image or persona has a head-to-toe consistency that establishes instant trust and gives your immediate credibility. In plain language, it means that all of the components of your appearance are in sync. If your hairstyle or clothing look dated, it will be presumed that your products or services also are dated. Poor posture, scruffy shoes, negative body language, colors that detract – all these things undermine credibility. Even in casual attire, at the company golf match for instance, you must look like you just left the polo match, not like you’re ready to clean out the garage.
Brands have power, but it is power that has been earned. If your image is not on par with your products or services, you may be playing Russian roulette with your future. At the very least, your credibility will be diminished.

Source: The Virginia Pilot
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