Dress For Success

Best Practices Series

“How should I dress for a client meeting?” That’s a really common question and the answer varies, particularly for people in the agency world.

Twenty-plus years ago, the answer was clear: you dress up. For guys, that was a suit and tie. For women, well, it was the equivalent in women’s attire. However in recent years, with business attire trending more towards casual, the question about how to dress has become less clear.

The rule of thumb I’ve always followed is: dress as good or better than your clients.

• If your clients wear suits, you dress up and wear a suit.

• If your clients are business casual, say slacks, maybe a jacket, but no tie, then you should wear a suit and tie or a suit and open collar shirt.

• If your clients are even more casual, like jeans and t-shirts, then you should go with slacks and an open collar shirt or jeans and a jacket (the “agency suit”).

One caveat to all of this is if the client tells you what the attire for a meeting or event is, like they say “don’t wear a suit” or “we’re casual, jeans are fine”, then follow their lead.

The rule of thumb I’ve always followed is: dress as good or better than your clients.

If you follow these best practices, you’ll earn a track record of being responsible and accountable. Your relationship with your team and your client will continue to improve — trust will be earned. And that is always an aspiration for any agency and anyone in client services.

Feel free to share your comments on this topic, including any personal experiences you’ve had with dealing with difficult situations with your clients.