| Business Image | The Hamilton Spectator - December 1, 2005 | |
Before you dismiss that as pure pop-psychology drivel, consider if what you drive is affecting your business.
Does your car bolster or undermine your business image?
As long as there have been cars there have been people making assumptions about others based on the type of automobile they drive. Shallow? Perhaps, but it happens nonetheless.
Even if you believe a car is merely a mechanical conveyance for getting from A to B, -no hidden psychological meanings, no Freudian interpretations, keep in mind that when clients see you drive up in a particular vehicle assumptions will be made.
Consumers must make judgments quickly, explains Dr. Darren Dahl, associate professor at University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, so they use many things to make quick heuristic judgments.
“From a purely psychological point of view, what we buy, the things we have, are all a part of who we are.” he says. “This extends to the business format where consumers pick up on these small clues, -everything from a haircut to the power suit someone’s wearing. A car is just an extension of that.”
Like it or not, your business is judged in part on how you present yourself, and your car is a component of your professional image. In fact depending on what line of work you’re in, your vehicle may be one of the first things customers see.
A car can be many things: classy, boring, pretentious, modest, sexy, discreet, or ostentatious, ooze success or be a dilapidated bucket of bolts. Which best reflects your business image? With so many makes and models with which to make a favourable impression -or a major business faux pas, choosing the right car can be difficult. Often the job itself dictates which type of vehicle is suitable.
Although his profession’s tradition of driving larger upscale cars in order to chauffeur clients to viewings has waned somewhat over the years, real estate broker Al Robins’ choice of vehicles is still a little unusual.
Of his 2005 smart fortwo Passion coupe Robins says, “It’s an environmental thing, I’m usually alone in the vehicle, so it doesn’t make sense to drive a big car.
“Plus it’s good advertising. I’ve got my name and advertisement right on the door.” adds Robins who lives in Port Colborne, Ontario and finds people comment on the car wherever he goes. “Until they become really popular, my smart car is unique. It gets me some attention.”
The only drawback to the little 3-cylinder fuel saver? Robins has had to cut the stakes he uses for his real estate signs down from four feet to three feet in order to fit in the car.
As well as physical parameters, some occupations also demand a certain sense of decorum. From conservative or quietly dignified to outgoing and wildly creative, it can all be reflected in one’s choice of automobile.
Being in the sports or entertainment industry may make driving a sports car a natural fit, but those in a business based on tradition, reliability and security should choose a sedan, advises image consultant Karen Brunger, a director at the International Image Institute.
“If in a business, such as sales, where you’re driving to your customer’s homes make sure your car is no more than four years old, clean and in good condition.” she says, “If you’re involved in a business in which you are independent, want to reward yourself, don’t need to consider others and can handle some negative attention, you might choose a an SUV.”
Of course driving a convertible as opposed to a coupe, a Toyota rather than a Cadillac, isn’t always a guaranteed career breaker. A person’s knowledge and abilities are obviously the essential elements, but like it or not appearances do matter.
Consider that at DaimlerChrysler plants in Kokomo, Indiana the best parking lots are reserved exclusively for employees driving company-made vehicles, while those driving other makes are banished to other lots. Employees hoping for advancement presumably know which lot to park in.
King Mswati III of Swaziland has come under repeated criticism for his stable of extravagant royal vehicles, which includes a Maybach 62, a custom-built stretch Mercedes S600 limousine and brand new BMWs for his ten wives. All this while ruling one of Africa’s poorest countries where two-thirds of the population lives in abject poverty.
An extreme example perhaps but the lesson is clear: consider carefully the image you wish to project.
Pretentiousness is just one of a trunkful of ways to cause offense via your choice of vehicles. Stretching that successful image beyond credibility is of course never a good idea as it won’t take long for clients to discern the truth behind that Ferrari façade.
Wary of being seen as politically incorrect some in business will avoid driving a foreign-make or one of the so-called “gas guzzlers”. For others it simply comes down to understanding their market with demographics, locale, even their own age, dictating the rules.
While that Porsche 911 may hardly rate a passing glance in the big city, in a small town it’ll garner much more attention, which, depending on the particular circumstances can be a good or a bad thing.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that car owners striving for “successful” may in fact be viewed as ostentatious braggarts with observers positing: “Obviously she’s too busy cruising in that thing, not to mention squandering money, to take care of business.” Or, “If he’s doing that well he certainly doesn’t need my business.”
Think it doesn’t happen? Think again.
Most people in business do not have the luxury of totally dismissing clients’ perceptions and must take their image into consideration when car shopping. Ultimately it’s up to each business person to decipher all the variables in their individual situation, including the mindset of their clientele, before deciding which vehicle best suits their needs.
Driving a Hummer might not be the choice for everyone, but Terry Tykolis, owner of ZOOZ a zoological park in Stevensville Ontario, has driven his black Hummer H1, with it’s personalized ZOOZ plates, without experiencing any unfavourable reactions.
“I just bought the truck because I wanted it. It’s fine. I’ve had no negative comments.” He says. “It’s an eye catcher. Everybody wants a ride in it.”
Regardless of which vehicle you choose, microcar or Maserati, it had better be clean and tidy, for even the most automotively-ignorant client will recognize a pigpen on wheels.
Being a car slob translates into a lack of professional credibility: “If he can’t even keep his car organized and presentable, what kind of a job is he going to do with my account?
Why risk undermining all your other efforts by being seen stepping out of a dented filthy car with “Wash Me” finger-painted in the grime.
Appearances, both yours and your car’s, do matter.
Long ago Henry Ward Beecher opined, “Clothes and manners do not make the man; but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance”.
Today, an astute businessperson would be wise to add “cars” to that list as well.