RULE 52

See yourself as others do

If your plan towards wealth means you’re going to sell anything – your time, your products, your services or anything else – you need to be the kind of person people want to buy from. If you want to be seriously wealthy, you’ll need to think about yourself and how you come across very hard and very honestly. You’ll need to know how other people see you, and if necessary adapt it to suit your line of business.

Would you buy a pension from someone wearing torn jeans, a hoodie and flip-flops, and chewing gum? No indeed. Would you sign up for surf lessons from someone in a three piece suit and a comb-over? Of course not. But swap these two round … now we’re talking.

And it’s not just about the way you dress of course. It’s about your personality, your manner, your attitude, your punctuality, your integrity, your communication skills, your level of organisation, the car you drive, whether you hold your meetings over breakfast or with a drink down the pub, how open and honest you are, whether your paperwork is efficient, scary or non-existent, how fast you return phone calls, whether you market yourself aggressively or subtly, whether you’re arrogant or self-effacing, what you promise and whether you make people laugh. And more.

Every aspect of your ‘brand’ should be conscious and considered. Don’t leave it to chance. Ask friends (who you trust to be honest) to tell you how you come across, and listen to feedback from colleagues and work contacts too – whether it’s direct or implied. They might not be totally honest of course – get ready to read between the lines.

And whatever you do you must be sincere too, because that will show. No it’s not difficult because you shouldn’t be constructing an entirely artificial personality – you’re just making sure that you’ve got the right skills (easy to talk to, good with numbers, or whatever) and then you make sure you show the bits of your own, genuine, personality that people want to see. If you’re having trouble with this, what on earth are you doing in the job?

I have very dear friends, a couple, who are among the funniest people I know. They amuse me endlessly with their sharp-witted, slightly subversive humour. Evenings spent with them are always hilarious. Their job? They’re funeral directors. When they’re at work, they hide the sense of humour unless their clients clearly appreciate it. But another aspect of their personalities shines through – their caring, thoughtful, compassionate side. That’s just as honest and genuine a part of them. It simply isn’t the whole story.