Brenda s Best Tips & Formulas

Transcription

1

2 Is your image consulting business your own best-kept secret? Are you ready to take your career to the next level? To be successful and sustainable in this business, you need to keep educating yourself and honing your skills. On the other hand, you also need to slow down and take time to dream about your career and your goals. My wish for you is that this guide will help you with all of that! One of the beauties of this business is that there s room for everyone. There are so many different niches for image consultants. The more you know about the niche you want to specialize in, the greater the chances your ideal client will show up at your doorstep. I m a big believer in getting to the source of great clients and then doing everything you can to keep them happy. Make it a habit to check in with us at Brenda Kinsel E.T.C. ( and see if our classes, programs or products will help guide you to the career of your dreams. In the meantime, enjoy this free guide full of tips and formulas based on my own successful career. See if the following suggestions offer something new you can do today to reach your goals in this wonderful, gratifying business. 1

3 Do You Want a Jobette or a Career? What are your goals? When I started out, my image consulting business was my jobette. It helped pay for pretty dishes, linens with high thread count, and family splurges. But when I got divorced, I needed to bump my jobette up into a career. How I ran my business had to change in order to make that leap. What do you want from your career? Before your dreams can become a reality, you need to create them! You can start by looking at numbers. Do you want to earn $20,000, $50,000, $75,000, or $100,000 a year? More? Write the number down. Do you want your clients to be private or corporate? Do you want to do seminars or workshops? Would you like one-on-one clients? What does your career look like? Write out the details of your dream career as best as you can see them right now. You ll want to go back each year, or even each quarter, and update your career vision. Where Are You Now? Where Do You Want to Be? On the left-hand side of a piece of paper write Where am I now? Take stock of your business including the type of clients you have, how many of them you have, your marketing strategies, your income, your hours spent each week and anything else you can think of. Write it down the way it is right at this moment. On the top right-hand side of the page, write Where do I want to be? and start writing down all your big ideas for your business. Don't be shy or conservative. Put it in a notebook. Look at it everyday. 2

4 You Need Clients to Make Money Envision your clients and they will come. Be bold and build your client base around your ideal clients. Who are they? Male? Female? What do they do, where do they do it? How old are they? Single? Married? Entertainers? Professionals? Corporate? Entrepreneurs? Do they have families? Do they travel? By getting clear about the people you d like to serve, you can begin strategizing about how to get yourself in front of people like these. The more you have a sense of them, the more you can gear your marketing messages to them. Actions Speak Louder Than Words If you say you want to make $85,000 a year, what do you have to do to make that happen? Are your actions today consistent with what you say you want for your future? Ask yourself today, What am I doing now to bring in business? What can I do to get business two months, six months, one year from now? How will I bring in revenue during slower times? Set goals and come up with an action plan. Do it on paper. Look at it often. As I turned my jobette into a career, I made a practice of continually asking myself these questions. 3

5 Service Equals Money More Than 30 Ways to Provide Service Service comes in many packages. Your job is to constantly perceive your client's needs. What s next for her or him? Here are some ways to provide service to your clients: Color analysis Style assessment Initial closet appointment including assessing, weeding out, organization Initial shopping trip Closet work post-shopping trip integrating new things with old things Packing for trips Sourcing wedding clothes for bride, mother-of-the-bride, husband, etc. Holiday and resort clothes shopping Exercise clothes shopping Date clothes shopping either in stores or in a client s closet Maternity clothes shopping New job/interview shopping either in stores or in a client s closet Casual business shopping either in stores or in a client s closet Black tie shopping "Theme" or costume party shopping Working with cancer patients (clothing, lingerie, head wraps and wigs) Creating "feel good" wardrobes for clients going through hard times Previewing trunk shows for clients Pre-season closet appointment for ongoing clients Eyeglass frame shopping Shopping for bathing suits Shopping for holiday gifts for clients Calling the husband for birthday, Mother's Day, and holiday suggestions Shopping without the clients Packing/shopping for book tours, lecture tours Doing any of these services for extended family members Corporate or business gift buying Graduation and other special occasion shopping Providing gift certificates Visual consultations (car colors, home decorations) Fragrance Shopping 4

6 A-1 Customer Service Create great business practices from the start like keeping your word. If you say you'll confirm an appointment, confirm it. If you say you'll get back to your client with some research or articles, do it. The more professional you are, the easier you make it for clients to work with you time and again. Be early or on time for your client appointments. Don't come rushing in, late, giving excuses or telling your problems. Never tell your problems! The client deserves 100% of your focus. Be prepared. If you're working in the client's closet, have a bag of pins, scissors, tape measure, clothes rack, etc. If you're giving a presentation, have your materials organized so you have plenty of time to mingle with the attendees. Express your vision of the appointment when you first meet so the client feels confident that there's a plan, even if you end up changing it. You can share info about other clients or experiences with other clients, but never divulge names, unless you have their permission. 5

7 Pay attention to the client's needs. Are they feeling overwhelmed? Do you need to take a break? Having water, almonds, or energy bars at the ready is a good plan for these moments. Retail Connections Respect, Rapport, Relationship Notify the department, the personal shopping office, or sales associate in advance, when possible, that you will be shopping with your client. Instruct them on how best to work with you and your client prior to the appointment. Arrange for snacks, drinks, or lunch. Be familiar with all store policies including returns, payments, and alterations. When shopping in the stores, put back the rejects on hangers and leave the room clean. Be kind, sensitive, and patient with the sales associate. If they re holding clothes for you, let them know that if you are not back by 5 p.m. to put them back. Working with the personal shopping offices in big department stores can provide you with better rooms, service, and commissions. It makes client's feel more special when there are added amenities, although, it s in your power to create that feeling yourself. 6

8 Keeping Clients Longer than Boyfriends and More Loyal Than Husbands The key to having long-term clients is to have great communication. Taking care of your clients will take care of your business. Look for ways to communicate with them regularly. Do it through: Birthday cards/gifts Newsletters Holiday greeting cards Fashion reports for the beginning of each season Phone calls at beginning of each fashion season Follow-up calls after shopping trips and closet appointments A phone call just to check in Sending links to articles or videos for their interest Sharing your published articles or articles about you with them (they ll be so proud to be your client!) 7

9 Are You a Well-Kept Secret or a Household Name? To be a well-paid professional, people need to know about you. It's all about marketing. Put your energy where your clients can find you by: Being a walking advertisement for your services Creating events Sending out newsletters Public speaking, lectures and workshops In-store promotions Joining organizations and/or clubs Brochures and media packets Writing articles in local newspapers and magazines or for online sites Asking clients for referrals Asking other professionals for referrals Networking always carry your business cards in purse, car, and pocket Joining a Leads Club 8

10 Staying an Expert Strive for professional excellence. Hire help with office or file organization to relieve you of time that would be better spent marketing or taking continuing education and business courses. Join and attend AICI (Association of Image Consultants International) conventions, education days and meetings. Take on a leadership role in AICI. What you learn from being with other successful professionals will enhance your business ten-fold. Keep your eyes and ears open to trends in fashion, entertainment, literature, music, TV, and current events. Keep up with fashion magazines, read fashion and business sections of the newspaper; peruse clothing catalogues, window displays, in-store merchandising. Watch the Academy Awards, Grammies, People's Choice Award's, and such. Read current image and fashion books and blogs. Practice what you preach. Have your makeup done professionally twice a year, work with another image consultant on updating your style, look, and clothes. 9

11 Tips and Techniques for the Busy Make a realistic daily to do list. Do first what you're resisting the most. At the end of the day, acknowledge what you've accomplished, acknowledge what didn't get done, not making yourself bad or wrong, and start the slate clean with your plan for the next day. Find a time that works for returning calls or s, such as 5-5:30 p.m. or from 9-9:30 a.m. If it s a habit, no one will fall through the cracks and you ll train your clients to expect to hear from you. Don t underestimate the use of a phone. Phone calls can help you hone into the clients needs and convey your commitment and enthusiasm. Ask your client if she prefers communicating by , phone or text messages. Set up a day or a portion of a day per week for paperwork, billing, filing, etc. At the beginning or end of the week, sit down and plan the upcoming week. Fill in your appointments, marketing, meetings, family commitments, down time and social time. If you plan for it, you'll have it. Put your big projects and goals on a "Year-at-a-Glance" calendar, i.e. newsletter deadlines, convention schedule, business travel, speaking engagements. Then work backwards to schedule the action steps. 10

12 Brenda s Best Tips & Formulas And the most important tip of all: Put yourself first. This is a service industry and you re only as good as you can be when you are rested, nourished and nurtured. What nourishes you? Reading magazines, books, the newspaper? Going to movies? Being in nature? Plan something every day that fills you with a sense of joy and well-being. It will only make you a better image consultant. I m looking forward to connecting with you in the near future. Hope these tips and formulas help you find joy and success in this industry! All best wishes, All material in this document is copyright , Brenda Kinsel, AICI CIP PO Box 118, Sonoma, CA Contact Brenda at brenda@brendakinseletc.com or (707) About Brenda Brenda Kinsel, AICI CIP, is a 30-year veteran of the image industry. A national speaker and author of five popular books on fashion and style, she has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Canada AM, and HGTV as well as numerous radio and newspaper sources globally. A past AICI VP of Marketing on the International board, she has been honored with AICI s prestigious IMMIE Award. She s passionate about helping image professionals have more success and make more money in their careers. Learn more at 11