Are you thinking about a career in image consulting? If you have talent, an innate or practiced sense of style and you love to help people succeed, you would be wise to consider it. Today, many professional as well as non-professional people benefit greatly from a little image management; many organizations have groups who say they have learned a great deal from image and soft skills.
Anyone who is in the public eye needs to consider the services of an image consultant. Today, the media moves fast. People can easily have their entire careers taken away from them if they aren’t projecting the right image online. But many people have no idea how their image could be adversely impacting them.
The world is changing and lately we have realized that a lot of business can be done online. Image consulting is a future-proofed industry that is growing fast. If you want a job that is relevant now, and in the future, it’s going to be in a field that relates to people’s growth and development and also uses online media and social media to its advantage.
The Difference Between Image Consulting vs StylingÂ
Many people think that image consultants are stylists and fashionistas. Actually, there is some overlap on the one hand and quite a difference on the other. One is not superior to the other.
Stylists dress their personal clients for special occasions and events. Some also style outfits for catalogues, magazine photo shoots, videos, headshots, traditional and online publications and social media. They can also work on the styling and organization of fashion shows. Stylists tend to be fashion and clothing oriented.
Image services encompass more than styling and event dressing. We work with personal clients on strategic and day to day dressing and our clothing selections match and enhance the color harmonies, shape, structure and proportions of our clients.
An Image Consultant can also be a coach, consultant and trainer. We frequently work in-depth with individuals and groups on behavior, verbal and non-verbal communication skills of our clients: etiquette, presentation, leadership skills, TV appearances, interview skills and public speaking. We train entry level personnel in soft skills and workplace practices. We consult individually with executives or with groups such as management, sales and others in Personal Branding and Executive Presence. Image Consultants are lifestyle, goal and people oriented.
Image Consultants Provide a Variety of Services
Fast-trackers, celebrities, sportspeople, entrepreneurs, interviewees and everyone in line for promotion all need our executive presence services. Our roles are many and varied. When we, as business owners continue to grow and learn myriad skills ourselves, we can deliver a holistic service to the client.
If we don’t have the skills personally, we can partner with other expert associates to help us work on every aspect of a client’s executive presence. These specialists might include hairstylists colorists, voice trainers, graphic and media specialists, makeup artists, writing experts, CV writers, professional organizers and business coaches.
Image Consultants Meet Interesting People
Image consultants work in many industries. From C-level executives to entry level Fast Trackers on their way to leadership and management positions. An image consultant might work with actors, speakers, sportspeople, a podcast host or an on -air TV personality. More often, we work with women and men in transition: women re-entering the workforce, young people out of college or university, people interviewing or in line for promotion, divorced folks and those interested in dating.  Image consultants are able to meet interesting people and in interesting industries. You can find a niche that you love and fill it.
Image Consultants Are Home-Based
There are few positions that are as flexible as image consulting. We can operate completely independently and at home. This is fantastic for stay-at-home parents, and those who just don’t want to be tied to an office. As an image consultant, you can also travel to your client. If you become a member of The Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), you can meet and connect with people all over the world! An appealing prospect to those who hate the regular 9-to-5.
A lot of people want to work at home because it affords them more free time. If you already have another job, you can work as an image consultant part-time. Many fashion gurus work as stylists on the side. This also has another benefit: with training and experience you are able to start your image consulting career without quitting your day job. As with any entrepreneurial business you are building the business at first. However, it’s likely that you would be able to become a full-time image consultant by building sufficient clientele and saving enough to support yourself financially through the first few years. Luckily the overhead for Image Consulting is low and you could outfit a room with good daylight in your house to be a perfectly appropriate studio.
Image Consultants Are Completely Independent
Image consultants usually work for themselves. As an image consultant, you’ll be in charge of your own hours. You’ll be your own boss. You can work as much as you want. You can take as many clients as you want, and choose exactly who your target markets will be. As an independent individual, you can have full control over your entire career. Yet another reason why image consultancy is growing in popularity: you can create your own company and your own brand, and you don’t need to rely on anything but hard work and dedication.
Many people just don’t want to work for a company any more. While that great corporate job afforded you a nice salary, a company can downsize and lay you off at any time. If you’re tired of having to work for other people, image consultancy is a great way to grow yourself, expand your own capacities and help others gain confidence and credibility. For most of us, we love the job so much it doesn’t even feel like work.
Image Consultants Can Package Their Services
As an image consultant, the amount that you earn is essentially under your own control. You prove your own abilities by being trained in every facet of the business including online marketing and sales if necessary, along with the image technical skills. As you gain experience working with clients your packages can expand and grow exponentially. As you progress in your career, you’ll be able to charge a professional consulting fee and add in extra services, creating continuous and predictable income. Â Whenever a client shows massive improvements, looking, sounding and acting with more confidence and credibility, you can quote testimonials and display photos if permission is given. In this way, your reputation is polished and your results speak volumes.
Image Consulting Fees
Surveys show that the fee range for image consultants nationwide is $50-$400 + per hour with the average fee settling at $100-$200 + per hour. Most seasoned image consultants work like coaches and bundle their services together over several months, a lucrative strategy, especially when you can duplicate the essential template and customize the individual services. Â Online courses, services and coaching can also be included or sold as their own program.
Image Consulting: How to Start
Image consulting is about drive, passion, and instinct. It’s also about training in the technical skills to differentiate yourself and to assure the general public that this process is based on sound design, color, psychology, sociology, coaching and other known and honed principles. These include color theory and analysis; technical body proportion and figure analysis, facial and body shape, bone structures; shape, scale, fabric, pattern, and texture, among many others. You must have an innate understanding of dress and visual image of course, but other skills and experience can also add value to your services. Over the last 10 years, the visual, verbal and non-verbal aspects of Personal Branding have gained enormously in popularity. In-person and online verbal and visual presentation, video training, confidence building and interviewing skills are areas of expertise which the most successful in our industry have mastered.
Certification
Every Image Training school will issue its own certificates. Some training schools such as London Image Institute have also attained a high enough standard to award Continuing Education Units from AICI, required by members to retain their Certified Image Consultant and higher Professional levels. For the first level, CIC or Certified Image Consultant, you have to submit a portfolio of requirements including client evaluations and you also have to pass an exam on the applied technical, artistic and design aspects of visual image and etiquette practices. Go to www.aici.org and look up Education and Certification.
Other Careers can Lead to Image Consulting
Since image consulting is so vast a discipline, covering an enormous array of skills, you can easily pivot into it from other areas. A personal stylist, celebrity stylist, branding specialist or social media manager, bridal consultant, boutique owner, beautician, hairstylist or makeup expert are all good backgrounds and experiences from which to expand into the image world.
There are a plethora of other opportunities that can grow from being an image consultant, especially for those who enjoy careers in media.
In short, image consultancy is a rapidly growing industry with a lot of flexibility. If you want an exciting career, consider connecting with London Image Institute today.
