Every day in business, we face new opportunities to make money, grow our careers and grow our business. But are you optimizing these opportunities? Whether you are working for a company or out on our own, you may miss out on money and opportunities without even knowing it.

In a recent episode of her podcast Beyond the Business Suit, Kailei Carr, CEO of the Ashbury Group, discussed five ways you may be leaving money on the table. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we'll share a summary of Carr's key points.

  1. Your outward appearance is not congruent with what you have to offer. Carr says that 11 judgements are made within the first seven seconds of meeting someone. These include perceived credibility, competence, trustworthiness, sophistication and level of success. Therefore, if you are meeting a new client or senior leader for the first time, you want to reflect the quality of your work. While the quality of your work might be stellar, it's often not enough. People are human and they'll judge you personally if you show up looking sloppy and not professional. So make it easier for people to give you business, referrals and other opportunities by reflecting a professional look that is consistent with what you bring to the table.

  2. Your LinkedIn profile is not updated or optimized. How many times have you seen a LinkedIn profile where the picture is out of date or inappropriate, or there's no picture at all. LinkedIn is the mainstay for recruiters who are sourcing candidates, for business consultants and other professional services, and much more. Often, business relationships start from LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is not up to date, does not comprehensively and accurately describe your work experience or does not include a profile photo commensurate with the caliber of work you do or would like to do, you may be leaving money on the table.

  3. Not sharing what you do with others. Many of us try to keep our personal and professional lives separate, but you never know who you'll meet with a connection that can benefit you. Get in the habit of sharing your business, your work aspirations or future goals with others. They may be able to help you and you can help them. You won't know if you don't bring it up.

  4. You're not positioning yourself as a subject matter expert. Many of us are excellent at what we do and are great at communicating our expertise, but we shy away from this due to lack of confidence or fear of appearing arrogant. Think of how many people you could reach and help by sharing your expertise in a blog, on social media, while speaking on stage or through other media. When we leverage media to share our expertise we can not only reach more people, but our image is also immediately elevated (assuming we present ourselves in a polished and professional manner). And this attention can lead to paid speaking engagements, new job opportunities, business opportunities and more.

  5. For entrepreneurs: your website does not properly reflect your brand. Just like your LinkedIn profile, your other digital assets need to reflect a high-standard of work as well. If you have your own business and have not updated your website in months, this will not give confidence to potential clients about your attention to detail. Develop a method for keeping your website updated regularly. Again, you may be leaving money on the table if you don't have a website that speaks to the caliber of the customer you want to attract.

Source: Power presence expert, Kailei Carr, coaches and advises women leaders and aspiring leaders on executive image, presence and personal branding. Her signature approach to developing and defining a polished, professional image has helped high-potential women to make it all the way to the C-suite. She also hosts and produces the podcast, Beyond the Business Suit.