Does the suit make the man?

Posted In: Me | Running November 17th, 2011 divider No Comments »

Continuing on a recent theme of appearances, it always makes me laugh how I get treated differently when I’m suited up than when I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt or some Lulu’s.

When I walk into a store in proper attire, I not only get service right away but salespeople refer to me as “Sir”. When I walk in with casual wear, most of the time they barely pay attention to me. And this happens with both sexes.

Not that I want to turn this into a rant (I’m more than okay with the phenomenon), but does the person’s dress really make a difference in terms of how they should be treated? I know I’m not the only person that has noticed that and there are even studies on the subject.

I was listening recently to an interview with a great salesperson (I forget who) but he said that the best advice he ever got was to treat everyone equally since the teen who comes in looking for a car is almost as likely if not more to buy the car than the suited up gentleman.

The funny part is that I’m more likely to buy when I’m dressed casually since it probably means I’m not running to yet another meeting. But oh well…

I actually like to have it both ways. My corporate clients for the most part only see me in suits while my fitness clients almost exclusively see me in shorts or spandex. I love the fact that I get to do both but it’s still weird when the worlds collide…

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For something a bit more running-related, here’s a recent article in Canadian Running that shows that running could help you in your age. It’s almost like it’s an investment!