My son shows me his newest, coolest, Lego truck.  “But it’s more than a truck, Dad”, he says.  “It’s a boat, and has jets on the back end so it can fly.”  A child’s imagination has unlimited possibilities.  Yet, as an adult, my perceived expectations are met, so all I see is a truck.

Image works in the same manner. Based on our experience we imply and set boundaries for an individual, product, or service.  We are surprised when our perspective of the image is wrong, like the $15 dollar hamburger that tastes no different from the hamburgers on the dollar menu.  We associated price with quality, but we know that is not always true.

Having a professional image implies professionalism.  When you fail to deliver professional service or product, that is when you alter the customer’s perspective of our image. You just created the image of unlimited possibilities, which confuses customers.

Unlimited possibilities should be left to Lego’s and children’s imagination.  As a business professional, your image should be clear and defined.