"Fit to be Tied: Business Is Back and So Are Ties for Men" - 06/02/21 Edition
Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen,

I'm a former designer for a major architectural and interiors firm and now a senior A&D salesperson at a major manufacturer. My A&D clients and former colleagues mostly working from home are starting to come back into the office, but wherever they are working from, they are getting busier and busier. That means we're also getting busier and busier as a manufacturer. My sales calls have primarily become in-person client presentations in our showroom and lots of lunches and dinners with clients outside.

I've noticed the most interesting fashion phenomenon in the past month: When my A&D clients bring their clients into our showroom, more and more of the men have ties on. Yes, ties!

Here's what I'm talking about: I just hosted a presentation for an end user who was brought into our showroom by a dealer principal along with two people from a major A&D firm. From the end user, (the actual customer,) there were four people visiting: two men, two women.

The two men both had ties and jackets on. The women were more dressed up than usual. The dealer principal also had a tie on, while the A&D people were dressed up but with their collars open nonetheless. Everyone on my end was neat and clean, don't worry, no post-pandemic hygiene problems here.

I just can't believe every man has been dressed up with a tie and jacket lately. I'm beginning to feel self-conscious because we were dressing down even pre-pandemic. Now, post-pandemic, I feel like I've gotten even more casual. The last four presentations I've felt caught off guard because I'm the only man in the room not wearing a tie. It's also not just because I'm an A&D rep. Even our global accounts reps and dealer reps are seeing the same thing. In other words, anyone who is in sales is finding their customers have been coming in lately more formally dressed than we expected. We are by no means sloppy in our presentation. I think we're dressed beautifully, and I'm not saying that every customer is necessarily wearing a suit, but every male customer is usually wearing a tie and jacket, even if they are also wearing jeans. Have you heard of this? Is this another one of the so-called new "new normals?"

Before Andi Owen at Herman Miller I heard a rumor that a big shot there used to call people wearing ties "clowns." Does this mean all of my customers are "clowns"? Yet now that I think about it, that guy is no longer there. About a year ago, I actually sold a lot of my ties on sites like TheRealReal, eBay and Etsy. I thought I'd never be needing those again — who knew! Isn't life crazy?

Let me know your thoughts,

- Fit To Be Tied
 

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Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group,
global executive recruiters located in New York.
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