Dress code in the office... for Independents

Same…

Not quite “independent”, but I’m an Ameriprise P2 so its close…

I get out of the office a lot around town (small town), so I never wear jeans or anything real casual.  I will sometimes go without a tie, btu I always have a dress shirt and dress pants if not a suit.  I almost always wear a jacket unless it’s the middle of summer (but I have it with me).

Suit everyday without a tie.  I’ll put a tie on for prospects and some clients.  I’m an RIA and former wirehouse guy (where I wore a suit and tie every day).  I’m in a major metro area, so I think prospects and clients have certain expectations about how a financial professional should be dressed.  I also think it sets the right tone for me.  I don’t want my office to be the place where I’m kicked back and relaxed in a pair of jeans.  It’s a work environment and I’m there to do business. 

I’m in a high rise and I wear what most of the people I see in the elevator wear. After too much coffee, I tend to be chatty, so I sometimes will chat on the elevator -I don’t want to look like a maintenance worker.

Usually -I am in kakis and a golf shirt. I usually get the comment -going to play golf? Then I give them my pitch and why I get to dress the way I want.

After working in a bank for the past 10 years always a suit and tie.

Khakis, golf shirt and docks.

Suit and Tie.

[quote=on my own]

I think the bottom line is not WHAT you wear, but how you LOOK.  If you wear really nice, well-tailored casual clothes, and have a well-appointed office, you will be better off than the guy in a 12 year-old suit two sizes too small (or too big) made of “no-wrinkle blend”, with the fake-silk (poly) tie bought at Walmart, and socks that don’t coordinate, working in a stinky little office with bare walls and piles of paperwork everywhere.

[quote=B24]I think the bottom line is not WHAT you wear, but how you LOOK.  If you wear really nice, well-tailored casual clothes, and have a well-appointed office, you will be better off than the guy in a 12 year-old suit two sizes too small (or too big) made of “no-wrinkle blend”, with the fake-silk (poly) tie bought at Walmart, and socks that don’t coordinate, working in a stinky little office with bare walls and piles of paperwork everywhere.

Never a tie or suit and definately not jeans.  I often get mistaken for a golf pro as I always wear golf pants and a golf shirt or sweater. 

[quote=SometimesNowhere]



[quote=B24]I think the bottom line is not WHAT you wear, but how you LOOK. If you wear really nice, well-tailored casual clothes, and have a well-appointed office, you will be better off than the guy in a 12 year-old suit two sizes too small (or too big) made of “no-wrinkle blend”, with the fake-silk (poly) tie bought at Walmart, and socks that don’t coordinate, working in a stinky little office with bare walls and piles of paperwork everywhere.

Humn, so lets take this another step...

My clients always notice my watch and a pen.....

What do you use?

I usually wear a movado or a submariner copy to the office. I remember my biggest lesson was when I was a greenpea, 6 months in, met with a client that came as a result of cold call. 1mil investable. The first meeting that I put on a nice watch... vs a decent fossil, the client's wife noticed and made a comment.

As far as pens, I always have a decent pen, mostly keep a few metal parker pens that are like $25 bucks or so... nothing more expensive, dont want to lose them. At the very lease, a few nice roller balls.

Mak, I agree.  I consider pens and watches to be “accents” to your office and wardrobe.  I would shy away from the Rolex thing (sends the wrong message), but something tasteful and “mature” (as opposed to the “Swatch” watch from 1985 - sorry I know some of you weren’t born yet…).  Same thing with pens.  Although I don’t like the cheap Cross and Waterman sets you get as gifts at Christmas.  They look like something you could buy at CVS behind the glass display.

I agree. Clients size you up in the first 10 seconds…then they validate their first impression by your actions and what you say. You have to look professional/successful but not too over the top.

Depends on the area, on the account. I upgraded my car to an Audi A4 - used. The SBO’s I dealt with noticed, and not necessarily in a good way.



I wear JosBank suits/ties, a nice gold watch (Baume Mercier) - but noting I need a high class pen, now - … but my office is as basic EJ as you get. My awards, my degrees, the articles written about me are on the wall on the way to my desk but that’s it. Again, I’ve had clients suggest the reason they came to my place specifically was because I didn’t have the leather seats, mahogany, etc. Every time they come in, their name is big letters on the big grease board, sitting on a tripod, with an agenda about what we’ll be talking about.



Now, I don’t do the alphabet soup clients … but they are definitely HNW. They don’t appreciate people that put on airs, because they don’t. The attraction, needless to say, is mutual. Everything I do, is about them … and I think they “get” that.

[quote=Spaceman Spiff]

Depends on the area, on the account. I upgraded my car to an Audi A4 - used. The SBO’s I dealt with noticed, and not necessarily in a good way.

I wear JosBank suits/ties, a nice gold watch (Baume Mercier) - but noting I need a high class pen, now - … but my office is as basic EJ as you get. My awards, my degrees, the articles written about me are on the wall on the way to my desk but that’s it. Again, I’ve had clients suggest the reason they came to my place specifically was because I didn’t have the leather seats, mahogany, etc. Every time they come in, their name is big letters on the big grease board, sitting on a tripod, with an agenda about what we’ll be talking about.

Now, I don’t do the alphabet soup clients … but they are definitely HNW. They don’t appreciate people that put on airs, because they don’t. The attraction, needless to say, is mutual. Everything I do, is about them … and I think they “get” that.

Both great points. My area has a lot of wealth (southern New England coastline), but much of it is hard working business owners, people that inherited family businesses (“working” businesses like marinas, farms, etc.), and some very good life-long savers (quiet millionares). Many of them drive minivans, pickups, SUV’s, Subarus, etc. Yes, there are some Audi’s and Lexus’ and the like. But I am often amazed at the lack of visible wealth among some of the very wealthy in my area. Some of them get very annoyed with a few guys at MSSB/ML/WS, etc. that drive “fancy cars” and have the plush offices and brag about it. However, they also appreciate people that are experienced and know what they’re doing. So there is that balance between being “polished” and “successful” and simply appearing being arrogant.

Yeah. He makes 100k a month though so its nothing.

http://www.amazon.com/Blancpain-Fifty-Fathoms-Tourbillon-5025-3630-52/dp/B002BH37F0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=watches&qid=1259360570&sr=1-4

is more my style. =) Plus its 30% off on amazon. =)

[quote=Omar]

[quote=Squash1] [quote=Omar]

I agree re: Brooks Brothers.  Their clothes don’t fit me very well.  I
really like Charles Tyrwhitt.  Great quality and reasonably priced. 

Hate to see what you consider expensive…

[quote=Squash1]Hate to see what you consider expensive…[/quote]

4 dress shirts for $200.  I don’t think $50 per dress shirt is too much to spend for something high quality that looks great and will last.  You can get a charcoal striped suit for $350 and an Italian herringbone for $600.  Decent prices for the quality in my book. 

Not trying to sound like a snob, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Men’s Warehouse or any other discount suit stores.  I’d rather pay for something that will look sharp and last for years.  I consider it an investment in my business since, as others on this thread have noted, appearances do matter. 

That said, I think you can go too far. $3000 Armani suits are inappropriate and can look too slick.  Every advisor and market is different, so to each his own.  What I wear might not fly in a suburban area.  Whereas khakis and golf shirts would definitely not fly in my market (major metro area). 

Really, this is a pointless discussion.  There is no one size fits all answer.  Tailored suits, BMWs and a gold watch wouldn’t fly in my market and I seriously doubt I ever lost a prospect based on my attire.  My market accepts dockers and a decent button shirt (I’m not a golfer, but I’m sure they’d accept that also).  One of my best accounts was transferred from a top-100 Merrill broker in a major metro market.  This client is literally worth probably 70-80 million dollars and his attire of choice is jeans and a button shirt.  I’ve had an appointment with him on a summer day when I rode my motorcycle to work wearing jeans.

indyone, what market is that? 

Rural midwest.  Trust me, you'll never get a second meeting with a lot of these guys if you're wearing a suit.  A lot of folks in my market simply don't trust suits.

[quote=Indyone]

Rural midwest.  Trust me, you'll never get a second meeting with a lot of these guys if you're wearing a suit.  A lot of folks in my market simply don't trust suits.

I think it depends on who you dealing with and where you are… East Coast probably need a suit… South… a nice jacket… West Coast… flip flops(just kidding)… Midwest is tricky because it is a hodge podge, You have Chicago and suburbs but outside of that Indyone is probably right, a lot of these people hold blue collar jobs where distrust of people in suits(management) comes with the territory…

Even in New England (CT/MA/RI, not NH/VT/ME), most of the independants I know are casual dressers.  However, the caveat to that is the little “solo” indy’s are generally casual, but there are a few monster indy’s (one is like 700mm,. the other is over $2B), and they are pretty much just like wirehouses in terms of dress - they are all in suits.  So it depends on location as well as firm size.  I think one of the reasons is that most small solos only have a few hundred clients at most.  The firms I mentioned above probably have a few thousand clients (they serve HNW as well as the masses), and 20+ employees (the bigger one has over 40) so on any given day may have dozens of clients come through the doors.

[quote=Indyone]

Rural midwest.  Trust me, you'll never get a second meeting with a lot of these guys if you're wearing a suit.  A lot of folks in my market simply don't trust suits.

[quote=B24] [quote=Squash1] [quote=Omar]

Whoever wrote the comment about dressing like a golf pro and talking about your passion for golf when people notice, I can totally relate. I feel all dressed up in golf clothes, and have taken to wearing nice jeans on phone appointment days ( which is most days now).

Indy, suburban west coast sounds like the Midwest. If you don’t lose the tie, you’re a loser. Not a pointless discussion at all, though. It’s nice to validate what comes naturally.

http://www.milyunair.com