Originally published on September 20, 2010 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
It's lunchtime again here at SmallLaw. My goal for today is to help you prevent an unsuccessful outcome when taking a prospective client or referral source to lunch. The topic is personal hygiene. Personal what? Before you assume that this column does not apply to you — stop! Recognize that you might be the last person to know that something about you is off — way off — especially if you have surrounded yourself with people who won't tell you the truth.It's imperative that you know whether you're making a hygiene faux pas. We all form judgments. If something looks wrong, smells wrong, etc., it distracts us from absorbing further information. We simply stop. That's a natural reaction. Thus, when your referral source notices something amiss at lunch with you, he or she might be too polite to mention the problem, but you can be absolutely certain your source has stopped listening and isn't going to refer business to you.
It's easy to make a hygiene mistake. We can all remember someone making one of the mistakes I've outlined below. Not only do we remember the mistake, but it's what we most remember about that person. You can check some of these issues yourself, but some will require the assistance of a trusted advisor. You'll want to skip consulting anyone who has adjusted to you (your spouse) as well as those financially dependent on you (your assistant). Find someone you can rely on who will tell you the truth — maybe your sibling or your law partner (both are usually willing to say something mean to you).
The Top Eight Personal Hygiene Mistakes
- Hair in all the wrong places. Don't have hair growing out of places it shouldn't. Trim your eyebrows, ear hair, and nose hair. Do it yourself or pay someone to take care of it for you (your hair stylist).
- Stench. Don't stink. Use deodorant. Wear cologne or perfume if necessary. If you have an evening outing, go home and shower beforehand so you'll be fresh.
- Bad breath. Brush your teeth, try breath mints, and see your dentist or doctor if the problem persists. No one wants to tell you about your breath, and no one will. There is no question that your smelly breath will cost you business. It's just the way the world works.
- Smoking. Don't smoke. If you need to smoke, do it outside of the presence of referral sources. Avoid smoker's breath. Make sure your clothes don't reek of smoke. Smoking is at its lowest levels among highly educated, affluent people. It's not an appealing habit.
- Bad hair every day. Get rid of the dated haircut. If you're sporting the comb-over, it's time to leave the 1970s behind. If you're sporting the same haircut you had in college, it's time for a refresh. Get a decent haircut. It's hard to miss a bad haircut, and people make judgments about you when you've got it wrong.
- Smeared, gaudy makeup. Get your makeup right. If you're going to wear makeup — and there's no requirement that you must — get it right. Misapplication of makeup is worse than no makeup at all. I'm certainly no expert on makeup, but I'm told that it's fairly easy to receive instruction on proper application of these products in the cosmetics department of many stores.
- Oily, greasy hair. Wash your hair daily. Don't waste that nice haircut by failing to shampoo away the dirt. Keep your hair clean and shiny. You might be cleaning your hair properly but using a product that doesn't work for you. Consult your haircare professional.
- Creepy fingernails. Keep your fingernails trimmed and clean. Weekly trimming of your nails is essential. Don't let them get too long, and don't chew on them to manage their length.
Written by Lee Rosen of Divorce Discourse.
How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
