After years of conducting business negotiations, I finally realized that clothes have actually been "speaking for me" all along.
If you’ve never worked in business negotiations, you might find it hard to understand this:
What really makes us nervous is not what we wear, but how we are first perceived by the other party.
My current job involves representing the company in conducting business negotiations with partners from different regions and industries. Many of these meetings are not arranged weeks in advance, but rather:
- An additional meeting inserted into the middle of a trip
- Right after the previous meeting ends, I was immediately taken to meet the next decision-maker.
- The originally planned video conference was suddenly changed to an in-person meeting.
- Or having an important conversation in an informal setting
In this situation, you don't have time to "prepare your image", so you can only maintain your current state.
And clothes are part of that state.
The daily routine of someone who represents a company in negotiations is much more mundane than what is imagined by the outside world.
Many people think that negotiation work is about bargaining over prices and terms in a meeting room.
But in reality, I spend most of my time doing the following:
- Waiting for people
- Rushing from place to place
- Moving between different locations
- Building trust with people you’ve never met before
I might be at the airport in the morning, in a shared office space in the afternoon, and in the hotel lobby in the evening to continue the communication.
Clothes are constantly being put on and taken off, folded, and compressed — this is the norm.
The problem is that:
A negotiation will not lower its standards of professionalism simply because you have just landed from a plane.
Why did I start to become extremely sensitive about whether my clothes were neatly folded?
Once it was in Chicago.
The flight was delayed and I practically dragged my luggage directly to the meeting place. It was an informal but very crucial first encounter.
I remember very clearly that during the small talk, his gaze lingered for a moment on the front of my shirt.
He didn't say anything, but I knew very well that the crease was quite obvious.
That meeting did not fail, but I could sense that I spent more time "proving that I was reliable".
Later, I became increasingly aware of one thing:
In business negotiations, your external demeanor will determine how much "patience allowance" the other party will give you.
Traditional irons are not friendly in real business scenarios.
I didn't choose the hand steamer for clothes from the very beginning.
I also tried relying solely on the hotel iron, but the result wasn't satisfactory.
The more one travels on business, the more obvious the problems become:
- The iron is unreliable.
- Scale, dirt, temperature imbalance
- The operation is cumbersome and an ironing board is also required.
- High time cost and high risk of failure
For people who work in business negotiations, any tool that increases uncertainty will become a burden.
A hand steamer for clothes is more like a "professional tool".
The reason why I started to consistently carry a hand steamer for clothes was not because it offered "elegance", but because it improved efficiency and provided better control.
In my work routine, it is usually used during these periods:
- 15 minutes before the meeting
- Just taken out the clothes from the suitcase
- Shirts and coats need to be restored to their original condition quickly
- Don't want to rely on the hotel facilities anymore
Hang it up, turn on the steam, and go through the key areas.
No need to unfold it, no need to repeatedly press.
This approach is perfectly in line with the pace of the negotiation process.
From a professional perspective, the types of clothing I deal with most frequently are:
Shirts:The item that most easily reveals signs of fatigue.
The shirts worn by business negotiation representatives usually have restrained colors and simple cuts.
However, precisely because of this, the wrinkles tend to be magnified infinitely.
The problems that steam can solve quickly include:
- The crease caused by the seat belt pressing against the front part of the garment
- The wrinkles on the back after prolonged sitting
- The unnatural accumulation at the cuffs and shoulders
After the treatment, the person will appear to be "much more energetic".
Suits: No room for mistakes
I rarely use a traditional iron to directly touch a suit jacket.
The advantage of steam is that it can restore the drape of the fabric without damaging its structure.
This is particularly important for jobs that require a lot of standing, walking, and then sitting down to continue the conversation.
Jeans and Business Casual Pants
The trousers don't need to be overly stiff, but they must be clean and neat.
Steam can make the creases naturally return to their original position, rather than leaving any stiff marks.
To judge whether a hand steamer is actually useful, I only consider these factors.
These standards are all derived from real usage scenarios:
Is the steam continuous and stable?
I don't want to be forced to stop halfway and wait for it to "recover".
Is it suitable for vertical operation?
In the business travel environment, there are rarely complete ironing conditions.
Are the volume and weight reasonable?
Whether it can be kept in the luggage compartment for a long time is the key.
As for Nesugar, my view is simple.
In different cities and different places, I have used many devices.
Once, I borrowed my friend's Nesugar. To be honest, at that time I didn't pay much attention to the brand.
I only remember that the process was very smooth that time:
The steam came out quickly, there were no unnecessary steps in the operation, and the state of the clothes remained stable after use.
Later, I realized that the tools that are truly suitable for business scenarios often do not draw attention.
You won’t remember how “strong” they are, but only that they didn't cause any trouble.
The condition of the clothes will directly affect the allocation of attention during the negotiation.
This is my most profound experience.
When you realize that you appear decent, clean and reliable, you will focus on:
- The point that the other party truly cares about
- The underlying message behind the terms
- Control of the negotiation pace
Rather than repeatedly questioning in one's mind: "Am I looking really bad right now?"
For a task like business negotiations that requires a high level of concentration, reducing irrelevant distractions is itself an essential part of professionalism.
For those who frequently need to deal with external partners.
If your job requires you to:
- Representing the company's position
- Building trust with strangers quickly
- Make decisions within a limited time frame
So a hand steamer for clothes is not a lifestyle choice, but rather a professional preparation.
It doesn't determine the outcome, but it will affect your state of mind when entering the negotiation.
Conclusion
Over the years, when conducting business negotiations, I have become increasingly convinced of one thing:
Professionalism is not something to be displayed; rather, it is something to reassure others.
Whether the clothes are neatly dressed is just a minor detail.
But it is precisely these details that determine whether others will be willing to listen attentively to you until you finish speaking.
This is why, no matter how tight my schedule is, I always reserve a space in my suitcase for the hand steamer.
