Dress like an entrepreneur, not like a public official

Richard Branson. Photo credit: unbiasedwriter.com

Entrepreneur Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and author of some rad business literature, says that you don’t need to wear a tie anymore. This guy is seriously awesome and you should listen to him.

It follows, why are a lot of planners and other public officials still sporting the traditional suit and tie combo? The problem is the public doesn’t trust public officials, so you shouldn’t look like one. When I worked at DOT, I often got mistaken for a consultant for how I dressed – and I took this as a compliment. “Yes, I do work here.” – HA HA!

You certainly don’t want to go to a public meeting in skinny jeans and a t-shirt. But I think that updating your wardrobe and aiming for a more relaxed and modern style is crucial in coming across as above the traditional bureaucrat. You want to be viewed as innovative and fun, not part of the status quo.

Ideas: Wear blazers, colorful fitted open collared shirts, dark washed jeans or slim fitting flat fronted black trousers with nice oxfords or a modern boot. Ditch the khaki pants, they’re too pedestrian. The blazer is key to maintaining your state of authority so get one that fits well.

And as you start inviting people to your public meetings who aren’t the usual suspects, they’re going to expect more from you. Dress like an entrepreneur.

Committees are not your best friend

Your best ideas happen when you’re at a bar scribbling on a cocktail napkin or sitting on the toilet. Therefore, the internal committee is no ally in your creative process.

But if you allow a committee to create the plan, that in no way ensures that it’s the best working product. Therefore, it’s important to view any committee, internal or external, as a tool to get your ideas off the ground rather than a starting point for those ideas. And certainly, the committee shouldn’t rewrite the plan.

Planners don’t have the privilege of creating their ideas in a vacuum and sending them out into the market without a stamp of approval. But I do believe we underestimate how much committee can be controlled or ignored. Sometimes we give the committee information it doesn’t need to hear. This is often driven by fear. We need to address all these issues if we’re to become more effective marketers of our plans.

With these concerns, you should understand that the committee is just like any other customer and your job is to dazzle them or at the very least, get them to like you so they’re more likely to gloss over your ideas they don’t like.

Following some of the ideas on this blog, I will teach you how to leverage the committee to get what you want.

Public meetings are exercises in seduction

Think of a public meeting like a dude going out to a bar to meet women. To achieve optimal pickup success, he needs a few components.

Pregaming
I usually pregame by watching a good episode of Seinfeld because it puts me in an irreverent mood. LOL, I wouldn’t drink before a public meeting, but you certainly want to go into a public meeting with a fun and social attitude. You want to project that you’re a likable person, that you are positive and confident. So that means if you spent the hour before the meeting complaining about it, you’re going to project a shitty vibe.

Good wingmen
I mentioned the need for an entourage in a previous post. Truth be told, you don’t need to roll with a huge crew to meet a nice girl, but I think it can help in certain situations. As a planner, you’re not trying to seduce just one person, but an entire audience. So rolling with a proper crew in this case makes a lot of sense. You can only do so much on your own.

A great story
Don’t keep it all logical and dry. You’ll never pick up a woman if you can’t touch her emotionally. Likewise, your plans can’t be sold on the dry facts alone. You’ve got to tell a great story to build a connection with your audience. The story is perhaps more important than the facts.

Boldness
Women like guys who are bold and take risks. And with an audience, you shouldn’t try to be a boring people pleaser. People see right through that. Be blunt, be honest, be bold – and you’re audience will respect you. Call people out when they’re saying ridiculous things. Play nice and be likable, but don’t be fake.

Confidence
You’ve got to project that you’re a confident guy to attract good looking girls. The same goes for running public meetings. If you project confidence in your plans and public speaking, others will take you and your plans more seriously.

The right venue
50 percent of pick up is just choosing a venue that works for you. This is where a lot of planners fail because they just have the public meeting anywhere that’s free without realizing how important a venue can be in establishing cred, attracting a diverse audience, being comfortable, and remaining in control. This also includes designing the venue so it works optimally to seduce your audience.

The proper visuals
In the case of picking up women, this is obvious. You need to put forth an image that attracts, which at bare minimum means great swagger, clothes that fit, a good haircut, and shoes that demonstrate power and masculinity. For planners, being a stud muffin helps, but I am thinking more in terms of the presentation. How many planners rely on dull bullet points to get their points across? Your presentation should have attractive images and infographics that visually gets the point across and makes the audience tingle. Think of a TED Conference. You want to make your presentations like that.

Good followup
If you number close at a bar, you need to have a good process for following up to set a date. The same goes for public meetings. You certainly don’t want to leave a public meeting and wait two weeks to e-mail the people that attended. You’ve got to keep them engaged. There is a window of opportunity to keep them interested.

Lots of practice
Certainly, if you’re only going out once a week its going to take you a long time to get good at picking up women. You need momentum. Plans don’t speak for themselves and even attractive guys have got to work to sell themselves.  So take every opportunity to practice public speaking and running meetings. It can only make you better and more confident. The same goes for meeting beautiful women ;).

Why planners need an entourage

Planners should have entourage that follows them to every public meeting and major event. Who are these people? Why do they matter to your work? What makes a good entourage for a planner?

They know people
Half of the problem with public meetings is getting people there so it’s a legitimate venue for public input. Some members of your entourage should be community members you’ve befriended well in advance who know people and can invite them through word of mouth.

They have leverage
The community listens to the people in your entourage so they listen to you. Your entourage provides social proof of the soundness of your ideas.

They make you look good
They may not be pretty, but they compensate for things you can’t represent on your own. They may provide racial/gender balance. They may make you seem in the know. They may qualify your do-gooder status or make you look like a real rabble rouser bent for change. Regardless of the angle, your entourage helps you achieve public support.

They back you up
When someone gets out of line at a public meeting, your entourage flexes their social muscle and makes things right.

They’re unofficial
Your entourage should not just be coworkers, but respected members of the community, jazz musicians, and agents of cool that are friends. If they are coworkers, bring them in from another department/division. Shake up the usual suspects.

They bring skills
You need someone to hook up the projector, work the crowds, or be a good showmen to entertain and engage.

They are perceptive and outspoken
If the seating arrangement sucks or if your speaking too softly, they’ll bring it up and help you fix it.

They’ll go out drinking with you afterwards
Your entourage are as committed to you as they are to your plans. They like you. They want to chill afterwards and decompress. This is important for building group mojo.

So there you have it. Work on getting that entourage together and see your plans soar.