Intelligent Dressing™ is the science of using subliminal messages of personal presentation to influence others and gain competitive advantage.

The phrase ‘Intelligent Dressing™’ is intended to reflect the power of the clothes we wear and the way we present ourselves. I am a business consultant and entrepreneur, and thought of the concept of Intelligent Dressing™ when I attended Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) training. NLP tends to concentrate on the language people use but ignores the ‘hidden’ messages we transmit through our outward appearance. This got me thinking, encouraging me to look beyond the language we use orally, to the impact of sartorial and visual language. My research has taken over seven years to complete but the basic tenet is that the more research, thought and analysis that goes into personal appearance, the greater the personal success.

Intelligent Dressing™ was originally conceived as Neuro-Sartorial Programming and was developed to use subliminal messages of personal presentation in order to influence the subconscious behaviour of others and to win competitive advantage. Although most people realise the importance of treating others fairly, in reality, research (especially in recruitment and selection) has time and time again shown that we will often favour people who are similar to us. If this is true, then it makes sense to use this information in order to make a favourable impact on people we want to influence. Many people are successful in securing the jobs, contracts, partners etc. they want not only because of their good interpersonal skills, but because they are able to influence subliminally as well. In my presentations, I state that the goal of Intelligent Dressing™ is: “To neutralise the prejudice that exists between people so as to improve their communication.”

When people challenge me on this statement my reply is that we all have prejudices – but smart people will recognise this to be true and will use this to their advantage.

Leading thinking on personal influence tends to centre on language and language patterns. I recognise that this is important but believe that this is only part of the picture – we are influenced by what people wear much more than we realise. In my presentations, I cite the examples of weddings, funerals and first dates – all occasions when people spend a great deal of time planning which outfit and accessories they are going to wear, in order to have a desired effect. I say that the same principles can and should be applied in the business world – that people’s business wardrobe should be carefully and cleverly managed to influence others, increase credibility and enhance professionalism.

The power and influence of Intelligent Dressing™ and the way to use it has until now been kept as my own preserve, however now I have chosen to share my findings with public audiences. I do this through presentations to companies and teams within companies. A recent recipient of a presentation said. “The impact that his presentation has been amazing. The team’s sales conversion rates are up over 60% and the overall “look” of our team has changed; we’re smarter in both the way we perform and the way we look inside and outside of the office” © Peter Landau January 2007



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Peter Landau has been developing the concept of “Intelligent Dressing” since 1999. The concept is founded on the experience he has gathered over many years in the commercial world. Having started his first business in 1967 Peter has successfully built and sold businesses ever since. In recent years he has advised over two hundred companies in the areas of business planning, strategy and business growth. As a trusted advisor to many company owners, Peter has frequently spoken on enterprise and entrepreneurship and has appeared on many occasions on radio, television and in the print media.