You’re going to meet a potential new client to talk how your business might be able to help theirs. Do you turn up in jeans and a pair of trainers?

You’re attending a networking meeting, to meet local business owners who might like to pay you for their services. Do you grab the first thing that comes out of the wardrobe and hope for the best?

You’ve been invited to speak to an audience of potential clients. You don’t bother to pick out an outfit that really shows that you know your stuff, do you?

Making the right impression in business is as much about what you wear, as what you say. If you want to be taken seriously and win the business, you really need to pay serious attention to what you wear. If you want to stand out from the crowd and show people that you’re different to your competitors, you need to put a bit of effort into deciding what you put on.

I think there are two main things to consider – and this applies to men as much as it does to women.

What colours look good on you?

There are a number of different ways of working out what colours work for you. I like the ‘seasonal’ system that many image consultants use. I’m ‘Summer’ because of the colour of my hair, eyes and skin. This means that if I wear a black shirt I look ill; put me in a brown shirt and I just disappear into the crowd. However, let me wear a bright blue dress – or even a shocking pink one – and you can’t miss me! We’re all different and different colours work better for different people. The trick is to find the colours that make you stand out and that make you feel good. Because when you stand out and feel good, you can make a much better impression.

What style are you?

Many years ago, someone told me that my style was Natural Classic. Think Princess Diana (timeless elegance etc.) and that was me. However, recently I’ve found out that actually I’m more of a Classic Dramatic. This means that I can really get away with bright colours (the right ones) with high heeled boots, short skirts and chunky jewellery. Much more fun and it makes it much easier to make a great impression when you’re wearing the right outfit.

The outfits shown in this blog were sent to me recently by my new ‘style guru’ Liz Richardson, from One 2 One Personal Shopping. She helped me clarify which colours work best for me and how to add a bit more ‘dramatic’ to my ‘classic’ style.

So if you’re looking for ways to make the right impression – or a better impression – to really make your business stand out, think about what you’re wearing. Are you going out in the best colours and styles for you and your business? If you think perhaps you’re not – or you’d like someone else to help you make a great impression – then talk to Liz or another image consultant and see the affect it can have on your business.