Thread by @D0uble_ess

I was taking a class one day and we took a short break, when I came back into the class, I was holding a bottle of cold water. I took a swig from it and then asked the class a simple question, what am I drinking?… #Perception
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“Water, of course” they chorused and looked at one another like what's this guy talking about.
“Oh, really, then why is it sweet?” I said to them, then they weren’t sure anymore, they even look confused #Perception

I waited for someone to come up with a better explanation, none did. What they didn’t know was that I emptied out a 75cl bottle of water, turned a 50cl bottle of Sprite into it and topped it with about 20cl of water #Perception

They didn’t know, or better still, they COULDN’T know because no one would see clear liquid inside a bottle of water and think it wasn’t water, right? #Perception

The symbolism of my action is embedded in the theory of Perception. What do people take you for when they take a first glance at you? Who do they see when they look at you? #Perception

You may never get the chance to explain yourself to some people, but what they perceive of you must be what you want the world to know you for. In branding, #perception is everything

Note that as a startup or business person, being small is not a handicap. Small but effective is a good sell anytime. As a matter of fact, some clients prefer to deal with budding companies if they’re sure to get value for their money from you #Perception

So what do you need to work on to get positive perception from your clients or customers? #Perception

1. Your Online Appearance: Your social media pages, blog or website must exude SERIOUSNESS. When visitors come to your page they must find busy-ness, right from your bio to your timeline. They must easily identify what you do without much ado #Perception

I learnt one thing from Funmi Victor-Okigbo of @NoSurprisesNG: your online presence must reflect what you're doing per time. If you learn a new skill, update, if you change jobs, update. If you get an award, update. Make it a duty to update ur social media info weekly #Perception

2. Your Physical Appearance: My former boss, Akin Ariyo of Open Hands tutored me about appearances. He said “Seun, people’s perception of you starts with what you wear, before you say a word you’d have been scored on your appearance” Oga is a slayer by the way #Perception

When going for ANY meeting, no matter how casual/inconsequential it may seem, wear your best. You’ll create a #perception of seriousness & people will listen to you. If you have only 2 good shirts, no one will know if you wash, iron & starch them thoroughly before you step out

3. Your attitude to work: Tayo Oviosu of Paga said one of his biggest assets while starting Paga was the connection he made while he still had a paid employment, he said his former bosses could easily rally support for him because he “did an excellent job for them" #Perception

If you have the opportunity of landing a job, do more than is expected of you. If you can, do more than the client paid for and make it obvious enough. I bet you they will remember you in a conversation one day and you’ll definitely get referrals #Perception

4. Your attitude to people: whether you’re at a meeting or you’re executing or delivering a job, treating people well or not goes a long way in how you’ll be scored or perceived. You may never know who’s taking notes of your actions to see if you’re of good character #Perception

Anywhere you go, your attitude speak volumes, your response to queries and even criticisms says a lot about your character. I know someone who got a job just by responding calmly to harsh criticism on Twitter #Perception

The employer was impressed and, after checking her bio, discovered she fits who they wanted and she was promptly called for an interview. In his words “We need people with your kind of levelheadedness in this organization” #Perception

Also remember, the small stuff matters. Things as little as your email address, your business card or letterhead papers, company logo, grammar and diction on your promotional material are indices you’ll be measured with…and judged by #Perception

Thanks for reading, kindly RT the first tweet to your timeline, and please drop plenty comments. The End

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