When most think of image consulting, they naturally think of color and body analysis, hair and make-up tips, and professional presence advice. These are all key tools of the trade but there’s more! Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, you need a foundation of business skills too. What sets the most successful image consultants apart is the ability to think like a business-owner and entrepreneur. Before embarking on an image consulting career, it pays to develop a full range of consulting and business skills. At London Image Institute (LII), we help potential image consultants focus on the skills necessary to build and sustain their business.
Here’s a few of the topics covered by the instructors at LII as part of the comprehensive and certified image consulting training. These are the key skills that separate the best personal image consulting professionals from the rest of the pack:
Management
Management skills are often associated with managing people and staff. In an entrepreneurial context, you’ll also need to know how to manage your time, space, as well as the people you will work with.
When you’re running your image consulting business, there are many demands on your time. Prioritizing your time and ensuring that it’s spent on the worthiest initiatives is key. It all starts by getting the absolute most out of your time. Balance time spent with clients with time spent marketing and promoting your business. Spend time organizing your business so that administrative tasks take as little time as necessary. Record your hours spent with individual clients so that you have a good handle on your true profitability.
We all have the same 24 hours, but only some are able to get the most out of them.
Marketing
You can hire a marketing firm to assist you, but developing your own marketing skills is important since you represent your own brand. Develop a marketing plan and be specific about who you’ll market your services to; how you’ll reach them and with what message. What region do you want to tap into? Who are your potential clients? What marketing messages will most appeal to them, and which communications platforms will you use to reach them?
One of the key learning modules of LII’s course instruction focuses on ways to extend your services and grow your business by presenting seminars and tapping into the corporate market. This activity helps to create repeat business and new business opportunities. As an image consultant entrepreneur, it’s important to always be thinking about ways to generate new business. A great image consultant entrepreneur always wears her marketing hat!
The business name and logo that you select will pay major dividends. Make sure you choose a name for your business that has yet to be copyrighted. The website that you create must be helpful, too. There will not be a high click-through rate if the prospective client cannot learn basic info about your company or schedule an appointment.
Communication
Personal image consulting is all about communication. It’s key to building rapport with your clients, understanding their vision and bringing their vision to fruition. Communication is how networking takes place and how new, lasting relationships are built.
The image consultant and their clients must have a strong understanding of one another. This is how collaboration is born. Once both parties agree, working together and developing the necessary image is much easier. An image consultant is there to serve as a vessel for their client, which means always remaining open and communicative.
Frequent communication is a must in this industry. The top image consultants create a strong name for themselves by remaining available, being open to new ideas, and being collaborative. These traits make gaining credibility and growing your business a reality.
Creativity
Finally, creativity is a must. It is the spark that helps image consultants transform their clients into the best version of themselves. Each client will come with thoughts, opinions, and values. There is no one size fits all plan appropriate for different clients from different backgrounds. Working with an array of clients requires creativity.
The solutions you come up with must be tailored to the client’s specifications. The best policy is to develop a customized program or package for each client. In our opinion, there are three basic image services that should be delivered first: color, style and figure analysis. After that, everything else can be created anew and afresh.
Creativity is not only essential to helping clients realize their image aspirations, it’s a critical tool for running your business. The skills discussed above, from managing your business to marketing your business to communicating about your business are all fueled by healthy doses of creativity. Your creativity is the tread that runs throughout your business, and sets you apart from the rest!
To learn more about the necessary skills for successful image consulting, please contact London Image Institute. Our experienced professionals are here to get you on your way to building a successful image consulting business!
www.londonimageinstitute.com
