A big challenge a lot of young entrepreneurs face is being taken seriously – you’re young and don’t have the 25 years experience in the industry so why should I trust you?
Depending on the product or service you’re selling it can be much harder to gain the trust of your customers if they are a lot older than you.
With my first company I was selling software into multi billion dollar NASDAQ companies and started off when I was 19 years old.
Here’s how I did it.
1. Don’t start face to face. My initial contact was almost always made through email or phone. It’s almost impossible for someone to tell how old you are this way and if you know your stuff you gain their confidence before meeting them face to face.
2. Don’t put your picture online. We only profiled our CEO online who was the oldest from the three of us and while our names might have been there, nobody ever saw my face on the website. I was 5 years younger than my partner at the time who was the CEO.
3. Grow a beard. To look older I grew some facial hair that added a few years to my appearance. I met another young entrepreneur who wore glasses even though he didn’t need to – all in an effort to look older and more distinguished.
4. Wear a suit. It can be hard for people to take you seriously so the first step is to take yourself seriously. When you’re meeting with a prospect, client, partner, media, investor, etc. wear a suit. Make sure that it fits you and isn’t too big for you. Even if I knew the people I was meeting were going to be dressed casually I would always make sure to be in my suit to give the professional appearance.
5. Know your stuff. It may be harder to get the door opened but if you can help them solve a problem and you know your stuff people will listen to you. Make sure to have practiced your pitch and have the answers to the important questions.
It worked out for me. We landed deals in over 30 countries and ended up moving the company to California. Now that I’m older and have a track record I don’t have as many issues with my age but it was a bigger obstacle when I was first getting started.
Make sure you dress and act the part and follow these five rules to get people to take you seriously.
Do you have any other suggestions for our fellow young entrepreneurs?
Evan Carmichael
