A friend and I were talking after an awesome Social Media event we both attended this weekend called PodCamp AZ. (#podcampaz on twitter)…We were talking about the great time we had, the wonderful people we met, and some of the things we observed when I brought up something that I thought was very interesting about the whole event.
It’s what I call “Split Testing in Real Life” and it is exactly what it sounds like! I don’t know if I’m the only person that does this, but every time I mention it people are like, “Wow, I never thought of doing that…I’ll have to try it!”.
Let me frame it in a better context so it makes perfect sense and you can choose to apply this technique if you are so inclined 
Split testing is the practice of taking a marketing piece or an idea of some sorts that you make 2 versions of, and test them against each other. For example: If I use Google AdWords to advertise online, then I must write an ad for it to show when people search. If I wanted to split test that ad, I would simply write the same ad, but change just the headline. It’s the same ad, but only one thing is different.
The whole goal of split testing is to really see what works best for you and your business. If you have a webpage with a blue background, put another version of the same site up in red, and see which one converts better and “Voila!” you have yourself a split test!
Now, what do you do with the results of a split test? This is the fun part…Whichever ad, or color on your website etc. works better, converts higher, and just plain performs best you keep. Throw the other one out as you don’t need it! Now, make ANOTHER ad (or use another color), and change one different thing from the ad that is what you would call the “master”. Put the two ads up again and see which performs better. Rinse, Repeat
Now that you have a decent understanding of what split testing is, I am going to share how I use it in real life and how you can too!
My test: How do people treat me at a seminar or conference based solely on how I am dressed when I meet them for the first time? The results were kind of shocking…
Whenever I attend an event in the internet marketing world, or any public event with networking involved, I always “dress up” for the first day or two. That way, the rest of the time I can dress down without affecting another persons opinion towards me in a negative way.
I decided to switch up my game a bit and try something new…Reverse that process!
I was curious about how anchoring a first impression is at all times. Trust me, it is more important than you think lol
I chose to wear something comfortable to this event first, and then “dress up”. This is what happened: Even though my personality had not changed one bit, my hair was the same and the only difference was in my attire, opinions that were formed on the first impression were considerably different from previous events.
I dressed in a nice fitted Tshirt, black cargo shorts, and my totally awesome Le Parkour Freerunning shoes that are blue, green, white, purple and black
It was interesting to see peoples reactions to me when I spoke about the industry, mentioned some big name friends I have, and the caliber at which I teach. They treated me like a kid! They ignored me for the most part, didn’t pay attention to what I was saying, and walked by without a second glance like I didn’t exist even though they had just met me 2 minutes prior. I have to mention that the women who attended also treated me like a “nobody” at the event and “shooed” me away lol. It’s OK…Really, I’m secure…:-P
Then it got even better…
The next day, I get all fancy dressed up with fitted Guess jeans, a very nice Oakley dress shirt, and some awesome and stylish pointy shoes that are studded and leather tribal design on them (they are my Rockstar shoes). Boy did I notice a difference!
As soon as I showed up, everyone treated me completely differently! I had numerous people ask what time I was speaking at the event and what I would be teaching! The response was considerably-and more positively-different. The ladies took notice, and of course they flirted more with me instead of ignoring me. People payed sharp attention when-no joke-I spoke about the SAME exact thing I spoke with them about the previous day lol.
When we went out the first night, it was just me and a couple friends eating, and we had no luck finding a group to “click” with. The next night at dinner, we were at a large table of people having a great time, laughing, and treating me like someone of importance!
Human beings fascinate me…
It was quite interesting to see the massive shift in social behavior of an entire group of people based on how I was dressed. The fact that we were at a Social Media/Web 2.0 “Unconference” (which totally rocked if I didn’t already say) made it even more ironic! That was the single most interesting thing for me out of all of this: to observe the social psychology of a group who thrived off of social proof and social communities online. It’s amazing how people judge you on so many levels off of their first glance upon you.
What did I accomplish here with this “Real Life Split Test”? I found out that I was doing things the right way to begin with and that I will from now on dress up the first day or two of an event to solidify a professional, stylish, and attractive anchor to me in another attendees’ mind right from the start
Then, when they have that positive, professional, stylish, and attractive anchor of who I am in their minds, when I dress down over the rest of the event, their positive views of me are amplified with them subconciously feeling more at ease by me “trusting” them enough to be comfortable with them so soon. Powerful stuff here…A little heavy, but extremely powerful!
So-how can you split test in real life? Seriously, think about it and come up with something you can try today no matter how little it may be. You could try a new route home you have always been curious about to see if it is faster or not. You could go to a mall (or even a Wal-Mart) dressed one way, and then go back (even the same day!) and be dressed completely differently. You can read a book first one morning, then read email first the next, and see how the rest of your day unfolds because of that change. There are soooo many ways you can do this, and it is so much fun to analyze the results and tweak things here and there. You will become more productive, more intellectually stimulated, and in turn more creative the more you play with this idea.
Go on! Get out there and start split testing in your life! You will have some confusing yet interesting results, probably have a few laughs, and will definitely learn a few things along the way I know I did, and my friends that have adopted this idea already have had the same experience.
Happy Split Testing in Real Life, and make sure to post things you have tried and your results in a comment on this post! This is so much fun, and I look forward to hearing some interesting stories lol 
4 Comments
Hey, Caleb
That’s one thing that bothers me a little. I never dress up. I spend very little money on clothes, and I never felt the need to impress anyone. Now that I have to deal with people on a level where all of their pre-conceived notions are relevant to me, I am not prepared to deal with it. I actually have to have someone pick out clothes for me because I have no idea what is stylish. Jeans and t-shirts is all I’ve ever needed. So now the question is this: Should I continue to be true to my own personal style and such, or should I attempt to portray myself as something I’m not in hopes of impressing these other people? On the other hand, dressing differently doesn’t mean you’re selling out or trying to trick people, does it? Hmmm….
I do love the experiment. I’d try it, but I’d have to spend a few hundred dollars first!
hi Caleb, I think it is quite “sad” that people judge people for what they look like or are wearing.
Yet I know exactly how that feels imagine this for one second, mum drops her son off at pre-school for the first time gets a few “hellos” and smiles.
However, when mum goes to collect her son from pre-school she now has her other three children in tow. Guess what, people look and stare but No “hellos” this time why? Because their pre-concieved ideas about that person are not what they wanted them to be. That person doesn’t fit into the so called “model”. They are out of the ordinary. As far as I am concerned that out of the “ordinary” or not looking/dressing “how you should” is a far better reason to talk and listen because you may actually learn something. And that is what I believe everyday is about….learning something new.
Thanks for sharing that info Caleb! Your experiment was VERY interesting… Human conditioning and behavior is a fascinating thing to delve into. Looks like we have to play the part in this good ol’ business world
Keep sharing your insights! They are very much appreciated!
@Caleb — I hear ya. I can witness the very same impressions between other folks and you. I am quite giddy at the idea of a real-life split test… sometimes the results are anomalies and sometimes they are scientific. Success comes in numbers and averages. Glad to hear the results were so significant.
@Dave — I believe that people naturally will object to those who are unique from social standards. I don’t think that attire is the only variable here… it can also be the level of interaction in conversations, posture, and the ability to have good ideas/topical content.
I agree that we all should consider trying real-life split testing to optimize our interactions with people to our desired level. Trust me, its not always dressing up which counts — dressing down often increases your approachability.
~Joe