A few years ago I met a guy at a networking event who told me that he helped make good companies great.

As we were talking my senses were assessing him.

He had a frayed shirt collar; a button was missing on his button down collar. His tie had coffee stains and his top left pocket bulged with pens (chewed plastic pens) which made it sag. There was dandruff of his shoulders.

His suit was so old that the pockets were deformed and sagging outwards. Oh and the trousers of the suit and jacket had mismatching shades and fabrics of black and the jacket was too big.

His shoes were old and un-shone.

My nose meanwhile was flipping cartwheels as his smoke heavy breath made me turn my head to the side.

He was rough shaven to the point of being scruffy.

The above factors were important for me, because I made decisions consciously and unconsciously about this man’s ability to do his job and make my company great- or not!

He could actually have been brilliant at his job but the messages I was picking up, that were formulating my opinion were contrary.

Often we do not decide consciously whether we like or dislike people. Believe or don’t believe. Trust or don’t trust. It’s a number of factors we have had drummed into us since child hood about what’s acceptable or not.

In a world that is highly competitive and especially where we are selling a service not a physical product we need to reflect on how we are representing ourselves because we are the first thing that people buy.

What other things do you pick up that effect your decision process?