Yeah....about that.... This was supposed to be a post about 'dressing the part', so I guess I'll just start there...

I find it hilarious that I just wrote a blog that was somewhat about how momentum is what was I was striving for to keep 2020 moving forward and to help bring clarity to some ideas and projects I was working on. Obviously all those orbits have been shattered, but I feel it’s necessary to just keep going in any way that you can. Oddly enough, that does - in some broadly considered ways - tie into what I had been working on for another post, so i’m going to edit it and throw it up here. Let me know if you can get what I was going for in this discussion!

all the pics above were taken either while I was working or on my way home, I promise!

Lately, I have been seeing random snippets in print and on TV concerning the topic of ‘dress for success’ and the advice of dressing in a way that conveys to people that you are worth them giving you lots of money and respect. I’m not here at all to contest that concept, or say that it doesn’t work - I absolutely believe that humans make assumptions regarding value based on the appearance of things, people, places, etc. I think what I wanted to discuss relates more to what that definition of ‘dressed for success’ means to me, and how the choices in what we wear convey what we are prepared to do for people.

Often we see the Power Suit as the only acceptable way to be dressed for success in a financial sense, but I look at someone in a Power Suit as someone that is woefully unprepared to do so many things that are necessary in my fields - whether that be showing a house, measuring a space, inspecting the conditions of a property or sitting at home at the computer. I see articles about Realtors that are at the top of their game, all dressed in tight suits and spiked heels and their hair and makeup just so, and I think of all the times I have had to climb a fence or shimmy behind a furnace to find an install-date sticker, or cross a muddy backyard to get a better view of the condition of a roofline, and I think ‘how ridiculous - or perhaps impossible - would this be if I had heels on?’ I prefer to dress in a way that conveys that if you as a client need me to climb a literal or metaphorical mountain for you, or even just a filthy staircase into an attic that might be hiding a structural deficiency, you won’t hear me complain in the slightest, and no one will worry about me spraining an ankle! I understand that this way of doing things isn’t for everyone, but it’s actually really important to me to dress the way that I do. We watch a lot of Shark Tank around our house, and I love all the sharks, but I always think about the ‘uniforms’ they wear, and how that compares to the way the pitch presenters dress. Being a woman myself, I especially notice that the female sharks are dressed in such a way that they can barely move, let alone get up and try any of the products when the contestants ask for someone to demo something. It makes my skin itch just to think that my outfit would prevent me from being able to jump up and try some weird scooter or a workout product or even just to easily walk over and taste test something. The entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are often dressed casually, in logo shirts, or any other type of clothing that allows them to DO things, express their creativity, move around, be the individuals that they are. I know this is all a TV show and there are production issues and whatnot driving the clothing, but some of the men on the show can easily hop from their seats and get involved, physically speaking, and I feel that is important! We need to be ready to pounce and get dirty all the time! I was asked by my husband what my ‘uniform’ would be if I had to be a Shark and wear the same outfit for 10 episodes, and I didn’t even have to think about it - a fitted tee shirt in a solid color and untorn jeans with the cuffs rolled up - because i’m REALLY short - and solid color running shoes or sandals. No debating.

On occasion, I could see that wearing my running gear to a showing or to measure a space might be overkill, but by the time i’m at that stage with a client, we know each other well and i’m more interested in impressing them with service than with my outfit. Besides, if the weather is good and I won't have time to change before going for a run on the way home, I am not a person that says ‘well I wasn’t dressed for it so I couldn’t exercise…’ I can’t imagine having missed out on chances to run on a perfect weather day or spend the commute on a Divvy bike or even jump in the lake after a busy afternoon of showings simply because I was worried about getting my outfit sweaty or ruining my makeup. It’s very likely that I have been passed over for work by people that choose not to talk to me because I don’t look like the real estate agents on TV or because I appear too casual, but maybe - just maybe - some of us that are professionals getting passed over because we don’t ‘look’ the part are actually much more prepared to do the dirty work that comes with the job?? I really do believe that!

Do you have a preference for how your professional service providers dress? I’d love to hear what people have to say about this! And if you like to go for runs or long walks or Divvy rides to decompress after you go house hunting or spend 3 hours talking about house plan options, now you know someone you’d enjoy working with! Let’s lace up our shoes, put on the compression socks, and get to work! ;)