Packaging for people.

Tiffany's has this one figured out. Just by handing a person one of their signature turquoise boxes you establish your expertise as a gift-giver.

So does Mont Blanc. The box containing one of their pens is as exquisite as the item contained within it.

Nordstrom's offers free gift wrapping with every purchase and they add little flourishes that make your package shine. You feel good about buying with them.

People need to think more about packaging themselves. And not just dress, hairstyle, and body language. While these are very important, I think communication skills are the most important part of presenting yourself as a professional.

Good communication can help you close a deal, make an impression, get promoted, make a connection and drive change. It can be written or verbal and it involves body language, facial expression, and voice as well as your words. 

 Just look at the number of job postings on Monster.com that mention communication skills.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I was a staff accountant at Deloitte in Greenville, SC when I got a sixth month review. It was on the standard blue form that Deloitte used to grade each of its staff people. It included a letter grade and details of performance across a number of areas that related to an accountant's job.

I got my review from the partner that day. My overall score was a D and I received low scores in every area of the review. I was devasted. While I had performed the requisite tasks at an appropriate level, the partner told me that he had given me this score because of my trouble communicating. I was timid, unsure, and lacking in confidence. That lack of confidence pervaded every task that I had to complete - calling clients, talking to partners, writing memos. And he advised me to work on communication if I wanted to improve. 

At the time, I didn't quite know how to work on those skills. It wasn't until much later that I discovered that I enjoyed public speaking and began studying in earnest - by reading everything in sight on the subject, taking classes and listening to all of the great presenters I could find.

People are very surprised to find out that I used to be shy and quiet. In fact, one friend asked me "who let the Geni out of the bottle and how can we get her back in?"

If you want to make an impression with clients, customers, future employers, co-workers, please work on this one critical area - read about writing, write about reading, take public speaking classes, listen to speakers on TED or other great sites, take speaker training classes, but whatever you do, work on it.

Don't ruin your chances by wrapping your stellar professional self in soiled newsprint.