The Clothes Make The Man...and The Landscaper

[Sean Adams]

Whenever there are simple things you can do to hep you stand out in a crowd, jump on them. When there are simple things you can do to give people the right impression, do them.

There is an old saying - "The clothes make the man" which basically means people will often judge you by the way you dress.

I recognize this is a blue collar field and we do blue collar work. No one expects you or your employees to start the day wearing white pants and a white shirt and return 10 hours later in the same clean white clothing. You're going to get dirty. Understood.

But that is no excuse to look disheveled, unprofessional and unaware of the concept of hygiene.

This is especially important for your employees.

Uniforms - matching shirts, tucked in, khaki shorts or pants, shave your face, use some deodorant - look serious.

Which guy are you going to hire?

[Arvydas]

Haha, those pictures are great. I agree. I always have a*shirt tucked in, wash my clothes regularly and wear decent looking footwear. It makes a big difference.
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[alldayrj]

Making the move to company t shirts was a great accomplishment for me this year. Now i see guys working and i wonder if its a real company or just some guys doing work on their house and cringe at how i used to look. I always keep a polo in the truck for estimates after work.

Ps how did you get that pic of me mowing my yard?
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[LawnMan19]

Yes appearance is very important. I am a firm believer in uniforms my guys get matching company tee shirts and khaki dickie 874 work pants and shorts. But while appearance is important you can dress well but if you don't deliver a quality product ever time, and do the best job you can customers won't care if you're dressed well they will use the other guy even if he isn't.

[alexschultz1]

My guys wear torn boots, mud stained jeans, and worn out logoed shirts. I've never lost business because of being a little dirty.
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[123hotdog]

Last year was the first year I went with uniforms. I am an owner operator with two part time employees. I purchase 12 shirts for like $120. One of my employees had one on stopping for fuel on their way home from work. I got one call and the shirts paid for themselves. It really makes a huge difference on the job as well. I don't put us in pants cause I wear bibs ( the bibs is how some customers recognize me ). They are like a trademark now and I could never change that.

[dllawson]

The only way to still look professional without wearing a shirt is to dangle a cigarette while you mow.

It is also still winter, everyone knows this is tank top weather.

P.S. At least the guy on the right is wearing proper ear protection.

[tonygreek]

Originally Posted by alexschultz1

My guys wear torn boots, mud stained jeans, and worn out logoed shirts. I've never lost business because of being a little dirty.
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But has it potentially prevented you from gaining more work? If there is no approachability, there is zero chance for the potential sale.

Good post, Sean. In my area, the grungier crews handle the rentals and low-value mow-and-go properties, while the uniformed, more professional looking crews handle the high-value properties and clients. Appearance for appearance's sake pays off.

[adam.neusbaum]

Last fall I purchased several nice solid colored 100% nylon button down fishing type shirts because they are much cooler than T-shirts & dry out in 1/4 of the time. The problem is that my part time help can be so sloppy that they still show up in some ugly old T. I ask, don't you have a clean new one to wear? Oh, yeah I do. Ok, now drive back home & get it. This spring I'm going to request they drop them off so I can have them washed & ready every work day. They only work with customers 2 days a week & are working off the grid 2 so they have 5 solid days to make sure they have their work shirts ready. Really can be irritating insomuch that now I'm calling them the night before and saying to remember the 3 S's before coming to work tomorrow. Shower, Shave, Shirt. Not like I asked them to buy their own. Shower because they seem to just run out the door after wallowing in a stinky bed all night so if don't want to smell my own self I sure don't want to sit next to a stinker. Shave because they think they are out camping or something 7 days a week. I'm not going to spend all my time & effort to build a reputable company just to have a couple guys look like bums. The 3 S's, very important.

[yardguy28]

throw a shirt on that guy on the right and I'd choose whichever guy does the best quality.