One company I worked for insisted that I get a new professional head shot every year, for marketing purposes. The company used my executive photo in PowerPoint presentations and other marketing collateral.
I thought the annual professional photograph was a good policy, since a person's look will change from year to year. After all, in school we had an annual photo event. Why not get into the same practice for professional reasons?
Now that I am an independent business consultant, I think the yearly photo is still a good marketing practice. It demonstrates honesty to my prospects. A photo says, "This is the face of the business. This is who I am. This is who you will be dealing with."
You will see many independent business owners use their executive headshot on business cards and web sites. Realtors, insurance agents, financial consultants...
I often meet new prospects for the first time in public places --- coffee shops, airports, restaurants -- and they can pick me out of a crowd because they have seen a picture of me on my website.
What about you? How often do you get a professional photograph taken of yourself for business purposes?
