Image and Etiquette
July 2001, Success Tidewater Women Back to main list

Recently my husband and I arrived in Key West ready to relax after a thousand-mile drive. We had planned our trip carefully and made reservations months in advance at a well-known hotel chain. At check-in, I waited in line and waited and waited while a clerk chatted pleasantly with a guest who was departing. O.K., I said to myself, that's good company manners, but what about those two employees hovering in the background, socializing? Were they desk clerks, too? Tired of the wait, I stepped up to the desk and called out, "Can one of you help me?" "Oh sure, " one of the hoverers answered. Now I was really steamed. All that wasted time for nothing. My view of that hotel had soured. Would I stay there again? Probably not. In fact, mentally I placed that whole chain at the bottom of my list. We form first impressions quickly, but they last. It takes a lot of work to reverse them.

CREATING AN IMAGE
Businesses that want to stay alive in this competitive world realize that image is important. Studies show that impressions are formed in seconds, and most of our information comes from nonverbal behavior: 93 percent, in fact. Sandy Dumont, a corporate and personal image consultant in Virginia Beach with more than twenty-five year's experience, says that the impression we create is mostly below our conscious level. "Image is the essence of who you are," according to Dumont. "It's the sum of a 1,000 gestures. The way you smile. It's the whole package, not just the colors you wear."

Dumont, who owns THE Image Architect, a company she founded in Belgium, believes companies have a lot to gain by hiring an image consultant. "If you don't use experts to teach your staff about new equipment or procedures, you're behind the times. The same thing is true for your employees," Dumont advises. "You need experts to make your salespeople competitive. Your first-line people have to be head and shoulders above the others. They have to have presence." Dumont defines presence as the confident look and attitude people possess when they know they look good and are in control of themselves.

"When people look more professional and more successful, they are more confident," Dumont said. "And confident employees are an asset. They show off the company better." Dumont draws on her experience as a color and image consultant for many companies, including Belgian Radio and Television (BRT), ITT, Sheraton Hotel, Rolex, TWA, Wang, and Yves St. Laurent Cosmetics.

Dumont, who is writing a book tentatively titled "Power Dressing for Women", explained that image is more than selecting the correct color, tie, or scarf. Her clients also learn the importance of body language and the impact created by clothing, makeup, and grooming.

Businesses often hire an image consultant because management decides employees are creating an impression that does not match the caliber of the company. When that happens, Dumont is called in to train the staff in techniques for improving appearance, such as making correct clothing choices. In her training session, she shows employees how fashion, color; jewelry, and make up choices can make a huge impact. "If I tell them what to wear, there is no change. They will go back to their comfort zone," she said. "I need to show them how great they can look with a few simple changes."

I thought about my Key West experience, wishing one of these experts had trained the staff at the hotel where I stayed. If someone had smiled or acknowledged me or greeted me in a courteous way, I would have wanted to return for another stay. Unfortunately for that hotel chain, the first impression is the lasting one, and if I go to Key West again, I'll be hunting a new hotel.

Virginia O'Keefe is a freelance writer and the author of Speaking to Think/Thinking to Speak.

For more information:
THE Image Architect - Sandy Dumont, 428-3003 or Toll Free: (877) 245 5015.

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