EP #61: How Personal Style Shapes Buyer Trust and Perceived Expertise with Alexa Urrutia-Comas
As your business grows, does the way you present yourself still reflect the level of expertise you bring to your work?
I've talked quite a bit on 7-Figure Copy about making sure your brand messaging matches the caliber of the business you've built. But recently, as I've been doing more in-person networking, I've been thinking about another part of that equation: how we show up visually.
That's why I invited Alexa Urrutia-Comas, founder of Elevated Shift with Alexa and a personal stylist for executive women, to join me for this conversation.
Alexa approaches personal style as a communication tool, which has some interesting parallels to the work I do with messaging strategy. While I'm looking at how your words communicate your expertise, Alexa helps women consider whether their personal presentation reflects who they are and how they want to be perceived.
In Episode 61 of 7-Figure Copy, we explore the connection between personal branding, buyer trust, and perceived expertise, along with practical ways to become more intentional about how you show up. Listen below:
How Personal Style Influences Buyer Trust
When you walk into a networking event where nobody knows you, people begin forming impressions before you've had an opportunity to explain what you do.
The same can happen when you're meeting a prospective client or joining a Zoom call.
Alexa explains that the colors, textures, and clothing choices we make can communicate something about our personalities and how we want to engage with others.
For example, she talks about how softer colors may help someone appear more approachable at a networking event, while adding interesting textures or accessories can create a more memorable impression.
Of course, none of this means you need to dress a certain way to be taken seriously.
I've met women wearing jeans and a blouse who immediately come across as polished and established. Their confidence and the intention behind how they present themselves are evident.
The point of this conversation isn't to judge how other women dress. It's to consider what our own presentation may be communicating and whether that reflects the expertise we're bringing into the room.
When Your Personal Brand Hasn't Kept Up With Your Business
One of the things Alexa and I have in common is that we both work with established women whose businesses or careers have evolved.
In my work, I often see a disconnect between someone's expertise and the way her website communicates it.
Alexa sees something similar with personal style.
She shares how, earlier in her career, she developed a reliable work uniform of black pants, a black blouse, and a colorful blazer. It worked for years, but after a promotion and other changes in her life, she realized that her wardrobe no longer reflected how she wanted to show up professionally.
That experience eventually led her to work with a stylist herself.
What I found interesting is that her transformation didn't require buying an entirely new wardrobe. She learned how to use color, texture, and accessories more intentionally while choosing pieces that felt authentic to her.
There's a clear connection here to premium positioning.
As your experience grows, the way you're presenting yourself may need to evolve as well. That applies to the words on your website and the impression you make when someone meets you in person.
Your Brand Messaging and Personal Presentation Should Work Together
Think about what happens after you meet someone at a networking event.
You have a great conversation. She's interested in what you do and decides to visit your website.
But when she gets there, the messaging doesn't reflect the expertise she experienced in person.
I've seen this happen with established business owners whose websites make their work sound far more ordinary than it actually is.
The reverse can happen, too. Someone may have excellent website copy and professional branding but present herself quite differently when meeting prospective clients.
This connects to what I discussed in Episode 58: Does Your Sales Page Make Buyers See You as the Expert? Authority positioning involves helping people recognize the expertise behind your business, rather than expecting them to assume it's there.
Alexa and I also discuss how website photography plays a role in that experience. The images you choose for your homepage should support the message you're communicating, particularly when you're positioning yourself as an established expert.
Your personal style and brand messaging don't need to look identical everywhere. But they should feel consistent with who you are and the level at which you're operating.
Practical Ways to Be More Intentional With Your Personal Style
One of my favorite parts of this conversation is how practical Alexa makes personal styling.
She doesn't believe looking polished requires expensive clothing or an entirely new wardrobe. Instead, she encourages women to understand what makes them feel comfortable and confident, then build from there.
Some of the ideas we discuss include:
Choose clothing for the occasion. Think about where you're going, who you'll be meeting, and how you want to engage with people.
Use color intentionally. Consider colors that complement you and support the impression you want to make.
Add texture or accessories. These can make an outfit more interesting without requiring bold colors or dramatic changes.
Pay attention to your appearance on Zoom. Necklines, scarves, jewelry, and other details around your face can help create visual interest on camera.
Prioritize comfort. If you're distracted by uncomfortable shoes or clothing that constantly needs adjusting, it's harder to focus on the conversation.
Alexa also reminds us that experimenting with personal style can feel uncomfortable at first. Finding what works for you is something that develops over time.
Listen to Episode 61 of 7-Figure Copy
In this episode, Alexa and I discuss how personal style intersects with professional presence and the messages we're communicating about our businesses.
We also get into her own confidence journey, my experience with color analysis, the difference between expensive clothing and intentional styling, and what women can do before their next networking event.
It's a slightly different conversation from our usual discussions about website copy and sales pages, but the underlying question is familiar:
Does the way you're presenting yourself reflect the caliber of your expertise?
And if you're thinking about how your business is perceived, you may also enjoy Episode 60: Why Your Copy Makes Buyers Compare You to Cheaper Competitors, where I explain how unclear differentiation can cause buyers to underestimate the value of your work.
Connect With Alexa Urrutia-Comas
Alexa is the founder of Elevated Shift with Alexa, where she helps executive women develop a personal style that feels authentic and supports how they want to show up professionally.
You can connect with her on Instagram at @elevatedshift_withalexa.
Does Your Website Reflect the Expertise People Experience in Person?
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During a complimentary 30-minute Copy Chat, we can talk about whether your website is communicating the caliber of your work and what might need to change.
We'll explore whether Message Recalibration, new website copy, or another strategic next step makes the most sense for your business.
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🎧 Listen to the Podcast
If you’re an established, expert-led female business owner whose work is exceptional but your website copy, sales page copy, or messaging no longer reflects the caliber of what you deliver, 7-Figure Copy is the podcast that helps you fix that.
Listen to the show here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YnnSzPKEUa1Ma3o7GoIXq?si=27fea47f00384981
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/7-figure-copy-conversion-copywriting-messaging-strategy/id1779815201
Produced by Cardinal Studio. For more information on starting your own podcast, visit www.cardinalstudio.co or email mike@cardinalstudio.co.