Image consultants are professionals who help to improve the image of their client whether that be a personal appearance or their professional persona. They do this by first evaluating a client’s goals, and then helping them enhance or upgrade various aspects of their personal and professional appearance and behavior so that these become consistent with their objectives.
An image advisor works with the client so that they can present the best version of themselves to the public, often helping them to improve their communication skills and their behavior professionally and personally. The three major areas where an advisor can help you improve are: physical appearance, communication skills, and behavior. This is the general description of an advisor, but there are many different fields where consulting is needed, so there are various types of specialists who perform this function for professional people everywhere.
How Do You Become a Consultant?
In the past, consultants or advisors may have started as stylists, makeup artists, pageant and modeling instructors or because they had particular skills at helping others to improve their appearance or behavior in public. It was just a natural transition into a profession. Nowadays, the need for advisors has grown tremendously, and that has given rise to educational institutions developing full-blown programs to teach the skills necessary to become an image consultant.
London Image Institute for instance, which started in the 1980s provides an entire program to help individuals use their natural talents so that their eventual clients can be transformed literally from the inside out. All the skills necessary to become a professional advisor are taught at these institutions, and to prepare them for a variety of different markets. By attending such an institution, a person can acquire all the necessary skills and if desired and be prepared to take a certification through the governing body of The Association of Image Consultants International. This allows them to be recognized as legitimate professionals in the industry.
Different Types of Image Consultants & Their Average Salaries
There are professional advisors for virtually every field nowadays because professional people from all industries often require soft skills training and polishing their images in order to be as successful as possible. Here are a few of the different types of consultants, along with a ballpark figure of their earnings:
- Political/Executives – Image consulting for politicians is a must, especially at high levels, since a politician’s popularity is directly tied to his or her public appearance, and the perception of the public about the candidate. Think about how critical it is during a Presidential campaign for a candidate to resonate strongly with the public in every aspect of behavior, appearance, and communication skills. That’s why top-level consultants often earn as much as $500 per hour for their services in this field.
- Fashion – Fashion advisors are also sometimes known as personal stylists, and they generally assist clients with the selection of clothes for different occasions, helping them to decide which are most flattering and which convey the appropriate message. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that a consultant working in this profession can expect to earn an average salary of approximately $73,000 per year. To do this however, it may be necessary to travel with the client, and to work evenings, weekends, or holidays, so the role can certainly be demanding.
- Agency work – Typically, a consultant in the US would sign up with an agent when they become platform speakers applying for big ticket corporate engagements, large sales meetings or other conferences. The agency usually requires a strong resume and a solid reputation in their field; relevant experience, a variety of videos and an impressive list of testimonials. The assignment fee can be several thousand dollars but the agency will take a cut of about 40%.
- Self-employed – Many consultants are self-employed, and in effect they must manage their own business development, sales and marketing in order to acquire clients. It’s considered necessary to have these skills as well as formal training as a consultant. In addition, it is wise to acquire a certification, so that clients will have confidence in their abilities. An average annual salary of about $57,000 can be expected for a self-employed consultant, although depending on the number and nature of their clients, they could earn considerably more. To earn a more professional fee, it is advantageous to offer packages or programs to strengthen your services and ensure your clients get sustainable results.
- Offering products – Frequently, advisors carry inventories of products such as makeup and skincare, jewelry and accessories and even direct clothing lines such as Etcetera and CAbi to boost their annual income. The mark-up can be significant for these products and many advisors can double or triple their income in this way.
- Corporate image consultants – Many advisors come from the corporate world and have long and rich experience of training, advising or speaking to groups such as entry-level, fast-trackers, sales, customer service, management and executives. As an independent advisor, they can earn up to several thousand dollars per day and securing a long-term assignment throughout the company can be very lucrative.
- Corporate coaching – A natural progression from consulting is to add a coaching certification to one’s portfolio. In such programs, advisors learn all the coaching skills and can start working with existing and new clients shortly after earning a certification. In addition, they have an immediate competitive advantage because unlike life or business coaches, they can offer the appearance, behavior and communication package of skills that coaches might not have.
It has become extremely popular in organizations to provide a coach to the management and executive levels. As mentioned, Professional Development or Professional Presence advisors can charge high hourly rates and offer packages that last for several months. The clients could be coached on personal branding, leadership, executive presence, presentation, communication and conflict resolution and many other crucial skills for today’s competitive environments. The work is well compensated and the coach can be in demand if the clients get results and the coach’s reputation grows.
- College Training – Some advisors enjoy working with final year college students or post MBA graduates to prepare them for interviews and the working world. Consultants can expect the compensation per day by colleges, (and non-profits) to be lower than corporations but the work can last from a day-long session to a week to several months. The students are normally very motivated to learn and the work is rewarding when everyone sees rapid results.
Begin Your Training Today
Since the 1970’s, when it first became a profession for some individuals, a great many people have discovered that they have the skills to help others improve their appearance professionally and personally. However, the nature of the business today is competitive. Consultants would be wise to acquire formal training and certification in order to become successful.
One of the best sources in the world for this type of training is offered by London Image Institute, where students’ natural skills are enhanced into full-blown professional talents. Contact us today about enrolling in one of our advisor programs, so you can embark on a rewarding career as a consultant.
