#JTInTheRaw Show 29: Facial Hair Ruins Your Chance Of Sales & Price Presentation Tips

Guaranteed today that my rant will create some action on my Facebook feed and even some discussion in your work place.  But someone has to say it!  So this week on #JTInTheRaw we have a JTRant!

I’ll also cover this week an interesting lesson on pricing that I experienced and think we can all learn from and ensure it doesn’t happen in our businesses.

Plus a late shout out in the show before finishing up with a cracking quote of the week.

Thank you to everyone who shared last week’s show on social proof. I think I hit a sweet spot as this was one of my most shared shows.  If you missed the 5 types of social proof and how to collect them you can watch it by clicking here.

So lets get cracking with #JTInTheRaw show 29 and here’s my rant.

#JTRant

I think my rant may just piss off a few male watchers but someone has to have the balls to hold the mirror up to your stubbley face men or rather boys!

I’m going to say it . . . I think stubble looks unprofessional. I think bum bluff looks unprofessional. I think neck hair looks unprofessional. And I think a combination of stubble, bum fluff and neck hair looks unprofessional and impacts your brand and your business.

Men when you have patchy stubble fluff on your face it looks like you lack self pride and shows me you are too lazy to shave. I then draw the conclusion you lack self discipline which then means I would not hire you to train me or work for me.

Let’s get something straight . . .

I am ok with beards. I am ok with hipster beards. I am ok with bush ranger beards.  But if you cannot grow a full on beard then start shaving.

The personal trainers, sales people and more recently business coaches who don’t have a full face of whiskers, you know the ones with patchy facial hair you simply look disheveled.  And unless the brand you are trying to create is a homeless guy, then get serious and use a mens beard trimmer – EVERY DAY!

I understand personal grooming is exactly that ‘personal.’ But your grooming impacts your personal brand and quite often the brand you represent.  It is a critical component to marketing.  It is often over looked by individuals and business owners because it too hard a conversation to have, so I am having for you.

Shave and get the hair of your face!

I wondered if it were just me with my private school up bringing that felt this way.  So I Googled ‘can men with stubble be trusted?’

In my research there was resounding support for stubble being sexy!  So great guys grow your stubble to get laid but if you want to make sales or get a job think again!

One study from 2013 where researchers asked both men and women to rate photos of a man with various stages of facial hair (Dixson & Brooks, 2013 found:

• Both men and women tended to view light stubble as the least attractive.
  • Ha see . . . I was right! Light stubble will not get you laid or get you a sale!
• More facial hair = more masculine.
• Clean-shaven and full beards received higher ratings on perceived health,
• Light and heavy stubble received the lowest ratings on perceived health.

Gillette commissioned a study of over 500 HR professionals on grooming and employment. The survey found that:

• 84% agreed that “well-groomed employees” are more successful than those who are not well-groomed.
• 90% agreed that a well-groomed candidate projects confidence.
• More than half believed a poorly-groomed candidate is projecting that they are not interested in the position.
• 83% believed that being clean-shaven is “at least somewhat important” in making a good first impression.
• “HR professionals cited facial stubble as one of the biggest red flags when meeting a job candidate for the first time.”

So boys unless you can grow a beard, you are a doing yourself a dis-service in business by not shaving every day!  Save your stubble for the week end, when you want some action!

JT Rant Over!

If you know someone who could improve their personal grooming, this could be a subtle way to have them improve, so tag them in the comments.  Their grooming may be the difference between them making a sale or not.

Oh by the way, if you are thinking “You old fuddy duddy JT” or “Who cares what you think JT?” Well consider this . . . if you are trying to market your product or sell to an educated father in his mid 40’s, who is brand loyal, who likes to have the premium level of products, indicating he would be a high yield go nowhere client, then you may well find that this type of customer feels exactly the same way as me.

Now my rant is over!

Pricing Chat

Last weekend I did an amazing job of bluntening – is that even a word – my dad’s chain saw blade. I took it the local dealer to get the blade sharpened.

I asked the guy, “Can you sharpen this blade for me?”

“I sure can. Just not right now.”

“When?”

“Not sure”

Foot note in this story.  This is about pricing not about service! I think you’d get the idea around improving service by now!

“Oh, why”

“My sharpener is buggered.  Not sure when it will be fixed.”

“Oh. Are there any other options?”

“Well you could go to another store.”

“Ok thanks.”

Pause

“Wait I could replace the blade for you.”

“How much is that?”

“I’m sorry but it would be around 30 bucks.”

“So how much is sharpening the blade then?”

“Around 20 bucks.”

“Give me a new blade.  How long do you need me to leave the chain saw to get it fitted?”

“Walk to your car and back.”

OMG . . . what would you do if this conversation occurred in your business today?  I bet to some degree it does and does every day.

Above and beyond getting to know your customer, taking control of the sales process and providing quality service here are my insights:

• Don’t EVER be apologetic about what you charge for anything! If you hire towels for $5, don’t apologise.  If water is $5 a bottle, don’t apologise.  If personal training is 50 bucks a half hour, don’t apologise.  The price is the price so believe it.

• Don’t EVER put your definition of value or expensive on the customer. We are all different and we all have different definitions of what we consider expensive.  Expensive for a millionaire is very different to expensive for a homeless person.

• And when your customer is in pain, recognise that pain and make the sale! Tell them the solution to solve their pain.  For me, returning the chain saw blunt to my dad would be more painful than having my finger nails removed with pliers! I probably would have paid 60 bucks for the chain.  Unless you truly understand the pain point of the customer, you cannot sell me what I need.  To get this understanding, ask questions! Build a conversation, ask more questions and I guarantee the yield of your sale will increase!

I have heard the tone in personal trainer’s voices when they say how much they charge.  I have heard a tremor in a sales person’s voice when they mention the weekly fees.  Both of these indicate to me an internal value proposition challenge.

You and your team have to realise that what you deliver is awesome value.  Perhaps even too cheap!  Your staff training may need to focus on changing or improving the mind set of your Team on your product.  If they don’t believe your product or service is massive value – either as a price or as a product – then they won’t sell it.  In deed that can’t sell it.

If you think this real world example of service, pricing and understanding your customer would help someone please pop their name in the comments below and they’ll be tagged to watch this video.  And I’ll be grateful.

Shout Out

A late shout out in the show today is for Eugene and Tian from Gym Click Media.  Yesterday we filmed 20 videos and nothing was too much trouble for them.

When I am working on my personal brand or the Active Management brand, I am fairly pedantic and I found Gym Click Media sensational as their OCD tendencies meant we both were striving for perfection in delivery, lighting, background and sound.

Video is now a critical element in your marketing arsenal.  You have to have it!  The best thing about Gym Click Media is they get video and they get the fitness industry.  If you want an intro to Eugene or Tian, then pop Gym Click Media in the comments below and I’ll connect you.

Quote of The Week

Thank you for all your support of this part of the show.  The little thumbs up and hearts for the Quote of the Week give me that hit of dopamine, so if you like this week’s quote . . . hit the thumbs up!

“Never apologise for what you charge. If your product solves the customer’s pain, it is great value for them.”

Check out all previous shows here: http://www.activemgmt.com.au/category/jt-in-the-raw/