Phil Kessler of Norfolk, Virginia, is an I.T. expert and thought it wasn't necessary to dress professionally. After all, most of his clients dressed casually, so he didn’t want to appear over dressed. Occasionally Phil wore a jacket, but never a tie.

After an image makeover session, Phil saw that people accorded him more respect and listened to what he had to say. He got his foot in the door more easily, so his business increased.

In his image session, Phil learned that the way you look and dress announces the outcome other people can expect from you. When it comes to information technology, things change rapidly, so your skills must be state of the art. To command immediate credibility, you need a state-of-the-art image. Furthermore, the I.T. field is a highly competitive one, so your image needs to announce that you are head and shoulders above the competition. Ultimately, casual attire suggests a casual attitude.

Phil also discovered that the colors he wore made him look tired, even older. He was happy to see that wearing a tie in a dynamic and classy color enabled him to look friendly and interesting. Previously, when Phil thought of ties, he thought of straight-laced businessmen that looked too serious. He was delighted with the ties that Sandy suggested, and he felt they reflected his free-spirited personality.

Sandy suggested he trim his hair a bit, so it wouldn’t suggest carelessness. For both men and women, hair that looks straggly or disheveled announces that you are disheveled.