Appearances When Marketing

13 replies
I was reading an offer a short while ago but an introductory video on the registration form stopped me in my tracks.

Some guy with a ZZ Top'ish beard, multi-colored hair, and looking a little thuggish ...

Go ahead and rip me (my teenager probably would if she read this), but that is not my circle of friends. Not the type of person I normally do business with. Frankly, we meet on the street and my first thought is not this is the nicest guy in the world -

- which he actually may be.

He claims to make a lot more than I do, so I could probably learn something.

Still. I wasn't comfortable so I hit the back button.

I should add the offer involved a half-hour gratis of personal coaching by phone.

Writing this, I almost feel like an idiot for appearance judging. But it is my comfort level.

If one is going to be marketing an offer that probably includes a $5k coaching pitch at the end, requiring ongoing personal contact for an extended period of time, one may want to consider likely buyers and who they normally buy from.

.
#appearances #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author PatrickP
    My guess would be he has/makes plenty of money and has decided to dress and look the way he wants to even if it means he is going to lose out on some business.

    I do the same thing myself. It is a nice feeling to know that you can pick and choose and if you miss out on some business it isn't a big deal.

    BTW you said your teenager I am willing to bet I am actually older than you as my 'teenagers' left the house a long time ago and have children of their own.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
    Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

    Some guy with a ZZ Top'ish beard, multi-colored hair, and looking a little thuggish ...

    I should add the offer involved a half-hour gratis of personal coaching by phone.
    Brian,

    Sounds like you should stay away from those dating niche sites...

    ~Bill
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
      Depends on who your market is. Maybe he attracts the ZZ Top segment of the market.

      Myself, I once received an e-mail from someone telling me what a scruffy person I am and how I should look more like Eben Pagan. My reply was, why would I want to be a clone. Pagan has his market. I have mine.

      Would I ever shave off the beard or cut the hair? No. I have many members who like it, my wife likes it, it's my style.



      Again, it all depends upon who your market is. If I was selling life insurance door-to-door my look might be a hindrance.

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      Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan

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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        Kevin,

        I agree with you completely, just be yourself!

        PS: I know why you live in Japan Kevin!

        James Bond 007 You Only Live Twice Sexy Japanese Girls Sean Connery - YouTube

        Oh yeah! I still need some brain storming if you have time!

        Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

        Depends on who your market is. Maybe he attracts the ZZ Top segment of the market.

        Myself, I once received an e-mail from someone telling me what a scruffy person I am and how I should look more like Eben Pagan. My reply was, why would I want to be a clone. Pagan has his market. I have mine.

        Would I ever shave off the beard or cut the hair? No. I have many members who like it, my wife likes it, it's my style.



        Again, it all depends upon who your market is. If I was selling life insurance door-to-door my look might be a hindrance.

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      • Profile picture of the author Nicole G
        Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

        Depends on who your market is. Maybe he attracts the ZZ Top segment of the market.

        Myself, I once received an e-mail from someone telling me what a scruffy person I am and how I should look more like Eben Pagan. My reply was, why would I want to be a clone. Pagan has his market. I have mine.

        Would I ever shave off the beard or cut the hair? No. I have many members who like it, my wife likes it, it's my style.



        Again, it all depends upon who your market is. If I was selling life insurance door-to-door my look might be a hindrance.

        Good on you!

        While I initially trust people dress like him (as many people do), if I'm totally honest I've actually had better luck trusting the people who dress the way they want to.

        Clayton Makepeace is a masterful marketer, and dresses a lot like a biker dude, 'cuz that's what he likes. He views himself on some level as a biker dude. I wouldn't immediately vibe with that, but I've come to see it as beneficial that he's not hiding as someone he isn't.

        There's something more honest about dressing how you like, and something dishonest about dressing in some fake way to hoodwink the masses. That dishonest way of dressing has been programmed into us as being more honest, but it's really not, is it? It's a homogenized cloak. A lowest common denominator gambit to manipulate us.

        There's more than 7 billion people in the world. You can't sell to or be friends with them all. By dressing according to your personality, you really do attract and repel just the right people. With experience, you learn that's it's good to have an audience that matches you. You serve them better, and lead a better life yourself.

        Lovely pic, btw, Kevin. Your pic actually makes me wanna check out your products. I'd love to have a lifestyle that allowed me to live in or hike in beautiful parts of Japan! Seeing that slice of your life probably attracts me as much as it repels someone else. And that's okay.
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  • Profile picture of the author PatrickP
    HA Kevin that is awesome.

    Let your freedom flag fly brother!
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  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    I am going to say it is always safer to be conservative when you are targeting the masses.

    How many people selling "how to" info, (i.e authors on television), go on tv looking like they just go out the gym. Most wear casual wear to do their interview. There aren't too many instances in which someone can market themselves the way they want unless they are a brainiac, and, virtually invent/set trends, that fascinates us.

    The saying that, "a smart person can play dumb, but, a dumb person can't play smart" is true.

    We are programmed to look for expert indicators. Voice, appearance, looks, smile....intellect. etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
    That's why I love Frank Kern and Gary Halbert (R.I.P).

    Frank, mostly for his attitude. Gary for his work, and for the fact that he pulled stunts like showing up to speak at a premium priced seminar in shorts, a fish-tank top, and a baseball hat that says: "Clients Suck!".

    Still made sh!t10ads of cash!
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  • Profile picture of the author ladymd
    I agree that it definitely depends on who your market is. But you can never go wrong with business casual.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Maschke
    Sounds like the guy is living life on his own terms, and has the lifestyle he wants.

    Magnetic personalities are like real magnets, they will repel a lot of people, but
    they will also attract a lot of people too.
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    I

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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    I think if that zztopish guy saw this, he'd say, "Good, I don't want to do business with someone that judges me so harshly on my appearance. Good riddance."

    If you didn't like the looks of him and that causes you not to buy, you have every right to do that. But if he's happy with who he is and he's doing great in his business, if I was him I wouldn't give a rip. Can't please anybody and no reason to fit into a box of who others think you should be, even in business.
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