First impressions really count - especially if you're in business. Image consultant Sarah Morgan can show you how to make a positive impact - the minute you walk in the room!

IF YOU’RE in business, what’s the best form of advertising?

Newspaper ads? Flyers? A sign-written van? Internet pop-ups?

Actually, the answer is literally under your nose (and quite often above it) – YOU are your own best advertisement, often overlooked though generally free.

I’ve worked as a style consultant and writer for some time and when I first started out I sat through all manner of seminars on how to optimise trade through advertising, marketing, business cards, networking…

All that’s important, but in reality, potential customers often judge us not on our headed paper but how they perceive the physical us. They make all sorts of decisions the minute they meet us – the way we dress, speak, shake their hand – but if that’s at odds with the image we WANT to present, we could be doing ourselves a real disservice.

This doesn’t mean putting on a show in order to impress. It simply means looking at ourselves as others see us – often not as easy as it sounds, which is where I come in.

For example, you may be running a forward-looking company with great ideas. But if your haircut and spectacles are out of the dark ages and your jacket belongs in the rag bag, customers may not immediately be convinced of your talents.

Dressing appropriately is important too.

Last week I went to a building society and talked to an advisor in a red spotty bra. Can’t remember a word she said because her underwear, clearly visible under her sheer white top, clean took my mind off things. Could I confidently take her financial advice when she was incapable of selecting suitable lingerie?

An unfortunate case of under-dressing, but you can overdress too. When my son was small, I was struggling to find a place in a day nursery. Only one wasn’t full to bursting – for some reason it wasn’t popular.

In desperation, I went along anyway. The owner met my son and me wearing an expensive-looking, tailored black suit - businesslike but austere. She may have wanted to present a professional image, but in reality she scared the pants off me - and the kids. That suit rendered her utterly unapproachable, especially to a three year old. Impractical, too.

Which was a shame because she was a lovely, caring person who ran a very good nursery. I convinced her to come for a style consultation and got her to swap her suit for cords and a sweatshirt. Strangely enough, numbers steadily rose…

So getting dressed and doing it right can be an excellent marketing tool – vital if meeting customers face-to-face. Looking your best will really boost your confidence - and it could knock a few years off too!

It doesn’t cost more to dress appropriately. You're going to buy clothes anyway – you may as well buy suitable ones in colours and styles to flatter you, your personality and the job you are about to do.

Who knows. Sales just might just go up too.