Your smile is your best business tool. A good smile will show interest, confidence and approachability. A bad one will display a lack of competence, reliability and self-assurance. Ron Gutman, author of Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act found that “not only do we judge smiling faces as more attractive than non-smiling mugs, but we also believe that attractive faces smile more than unattractive ones.”
Research also suggests that a woman’s smile has a magical effect on men, over and above mere eye contact and this can be used to your advantage in the business world as well as socially. Wearing a smile makes us look good not only to potential life partners but also to potential business people.
Early-stage investor Howard Morgan said that in his experience, smiling entrepreneurs are more likely to get funded. Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group says that, “ When an entrepreneur creates a culture of openness at a big company, it can make a big difference to employee’s and customer’s enthusiasm.” A smile makes us look and feel better (both to ourselves and others), but other than just improving our looks and helping us to entice the opposite sex, it can also improve how appealing our ideas look to others from a business perspective. Branson also says, “If you are negotiating with a tough investor or discussing issues with a customer, a smile will show that you’re willing to listen and eager to help. Some business leaders take their work very seriously; they think they have to be stern in order to get things done. This can create a culture of control and fear that trickles all the way down through the company, because if the boss is scary, senior managers will be scary, and so on. If you smile, you’ll encourage your employees to be more open, communicative and innovative too.”
Smiling doesn’t just offer a physical appeal. It makes us more likable, sociable, courteous and even more polite as well as appearing to be more friendly and easy to approach. There’s also evidence to show that when we’re smiling we’re perceived to be more efficient and even better performers in our professional industries. “There’s no question that smiling and laughing are clear indictors of how much you are enjoying being someone.” – The Power of Charm: Brian Tracy and Ron Arden When selling yourself, you want to portray the proficiency and ambition that’s gotten you to where you are now.
Your smile means business and with thousands of potential clients looking at your online headshot, it’s the best way to ensure you attract it.
