I agree that dressing up in a full suit and tie is a bit much. Especially since you are in the "technology realm" people don't expect you to be like that.

What I've found works for me is to wear dress shoes, a nice pair of jeans, button up shirt (untucked, no tie) and a sport coat / blazer. It gives a professional image without coming off as too "salesy".

-Ben

There is no question about this one...dress to your prospect. If I met with one of my millionaire clients and WASN'T wearing a suit and tie, then..well, it is likely they wouldn't be my client. If I went to the outside part of my county and WAS wearing a suit and tie, then they would likely just laugh at me. Having said THAT...if you get to the point where your RESULTS speak louder than your clothes, it really won't matter...but, if they don't know you and it is a first meeting, I would make sure you are aware of who they are and what they expect. Business casual though is the safest route as Ben says if you want to just adopt one particular style.

Hey Scott,

Tattoo sleeves are really cool, but you are absolutely right they might put some of your older generation as they still have an old mindset and are not as progressive as the new
generation.

Meeting clients for the first time is a little tricky, because you don't know exactly who they are, what they are all about, and what they want. That being said, something that
seems to work is casual beige pants (Khaki but a little lighter) and a long sleeve white shirt. This does not scream Sales Person and still shows that you are professional.

Try it and see how it goes.
Send me a quick reply how it goes. Always happy to help a fellow warrior.

Talk Soon,
Sander

I've got to go with Mac on that...Dress for Success -
but dress to your prospect as well...
It is a job interview after all...
You want to appear professional, successful and confident, well put together...
but comfortable to the client...Who would they look to for advice?

I have seen some major fashion miss statements -
but if you know what you're talking about - it can be overlooked.

But think about that first few secs before you open your mouth...what do you see?

Wow,

Thanks for the overwhelming response!! I thank each and everyone of you for responding to my post.

I Will be sure to check out my prospects before I visit them in person, just to make sure that I am dressed appropriately.

I like the idea of business casual most of the time - a nice pair of shoes, shirt, nice pair of jeans or casual beige pants and a blazer. However If I feel that I need to dress up a little and adopt a tie and suit then I will.

Thanks again, I'll be sure to let you know how I get on.

Scott

In my life before IM, I was in sales with a company who had people who study these types of things. And yes, the correct answer is to dress one level up (which also means you've gotta know your client). If you're not sure what level that should be, dress two levels up...it's pretty hard to look "too professional."
Something that always seemed to strike a good balance for me was a sport coat with no tie, or even a suit without a tie. The presence of the coat was almost always dressy enough, and if it turned out to be too much, it was very easy to take off the coat and roll up my sleeves.

Since we are on this subject - no one has yet to discuss FIT, and quality...
If all this is new to you, ask a tailor, get measured proper.
You are English, the cut of your jacket should be sharp - not some big baggy jacket, long sleeve cuffs, etc. -
better to look like James Bond than James Herriot...
Well tailored - Think Saville Row (not that you actually have to SHOP there...) but you can certainly look "natty" in England...
"he" who thinks "RL walks on water" (that's the 2nd time you've said that! - lol :p)
is right on about the blue blazer...it is the key item in your business wardrobe.
Dress,Casual,Slacks,Jeans, dress shirt, polo, sweater, even a good t-shirt looks good with it.
Get a good one that will wear well.It shows. A few good items will do you better that a lot of shoddy ones. If you are on a tight budget - get your measurements and check ebay...you might be surprised what you can find...you can find any line from Armani to Zanella...
( unless you attend Eton, or are in the Bahamas - you may want to for-go the shorts/blazer combo...but I know a lot of guys who wear a Nat Nast type shirt and slacks for dress casual when it's hot...)
Just my 2p

Just a quick aside.

Goodness, I didn't notice that you are English. Well, to quote my fellow dandy above, "better to look like James Bond than James Herriot." I agree, however I tend to prefer King Edward VIII. Indeed, some of his clothes are in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I know exactly how you feel - I'm just pullin' your threads..
you probably feel like a fish out of water in OK sometimes....:rolleyes:
Ralph has been a staple of sensible good design for decades...there's fashion, and there's style...Ralph has style. Fashion changes - style is enduring.
But I have laughed at Polo from time to time - when they ask 145.00 for a pair of Army cargo pants exactly like you get at the PX for 15.00 for instance - or an ad I saw one time where a cowboy poking a fire on a trail drive had a herringbone sport coat on underneath his duster...
(gee - I plumb forgot mine on the last roundup :rolleyes (I know, - it's only an ad - but it's still silly.)
(Here's a quick anecdote I read you might like - Ralph Lauren was driving through west Texas one time, and saw a grizzly old cowboy driving a well worn 50's pickup truck - Ralph loved the look of that pickup so much he turned around and followed the guy to his stop, and asked him how much he wanted for his pickup - the cowpoke thought he was some crazy big city idiot for wanting it - he threw out some crazy figure like 25,000 dollars...and Ralph got his truck.)


Or if you want another English example - think Jason Statham in "Transporter" - impeccably attired tough guy - he always takes his jacket off before he kicks somebody's butt! (and keeps a spare pressed shirt in the trunk in case they get blood on him :rolleyes

if your confident about yourself you can wear formal or casual as long as you can project yourself in a manner that you can convince your client about you product.
if you feel good, you will look good.

dress 1 level above your interlocutor.
You 'll feel more confidence.
He 'll feel more trusting (who's gonna give a check to a disheveled savage anyway?), partly because you'll look more professionnal and successful.
As always in sales, trust between suppliers and customers is half the job.

In real estate, my customer ranged from low budget single persons to high end executives willing to buy a top $2 millions French Riviera villa. business suit without tie, clean shoes, discreet perfume, clean shave and hair cut has always done the trick for high profile customers.
For low key customers, I usually tone it down with a pair of jeans, for them to feel at ease and be less formal.

Yes mate - definetly get dressed before ya go....... jeeez want some advice on what after shave to wear?..... chuckle

Good tips all - it boils down to dressing for your audience...it's a uniform - dress for the game...you want to look like a million bucks for a million dollar deal, but too much and a small business may think he can't afford you. - dress to impress, not to impose.

Invariably, albertosm summed it all up simply -
"if you feel good, you will look good."
Confidence is what really needs to shine - (but shine your shoes too...:rolleyes: )

I wouldn't wear jeans under any circumstances. It's better to be a bit overdressed than eliminate yourself from the get go by being underdressed.

I prefer slacks or Docker style khakis, patterned or striped button down shirt with a bit of color and a solid color blazer. If I was meeting a major company I'd know their dress culture and most likely wear a charcoal or navy suit.

There's a funny bit from Curb Your Enthusiasm that sums it up for me

CurbYourEnthusiasm - Casual Friday - YouTube

That's hilarious. I used to do more on a casual Friday than 4 days put together because I was comfortable!

Told myself I would never wear the monkey suit again once I left corporate environment except for a wedding or funeral and even the wedding I have dressed in jeans (farmville style wedding).

I wear dressy jeans (almost always DARK black) and a dark shirt (usually button down or polo) to hide the sweat stains (yeah gross but try sitting in a pizza place for an hour when its over 100 degrees). Will be doing a logo on the shirts and offer statement on the back soon. More important is the shoes. I have a really nice pair of dress shoes that makes up for the rest.

OK, saying this, never had a complaint on dress but man when you have a clip board it is like the person thinks you are coming at them with a knife! Leave the clipboard at home...always!