Saturday, 4 July 2015

Image consultants: Why do we need them?

In the past, there is no such thing as an image consultant. There are people who will help us get dressed or those who will advise to change our attitudes in work. But they are not paid for their suggestions. Often, most of these suggestions are even unsolicited.

This is perhaps because people in the olden days do not really care how people see them or if they do, they don't need to change their image to please a larger population. Today, the advent of the computers and the television media has spurred the need for this kinds of professionals. More and more people are now able to follow the lives and movements of people around them. Their actions are documented and they are more in need to keep their image wholesome and clean.

But not all people are in need of image consultants. Some can get by without one. So who are the people who need this kind of help? Here is a rundown of the people who frequently hire image consultants.

1. Movie Stars
Constantly on the limelight, their careers and the movie projects that they get will depend on the reputation that they build. This is especially true for newcomers who are just starting to build their names in the movie industry. Often, their managers are the ones who will hire image consultants to help them become more presentable to the public especially when they are invited for guestings and awarding events.

2. Politicians
Do we even need to rationalize why these people need image consultants? From the way they dress to the way they speak in front of the camera, every little thing is being scrutinized. These people are not just in the limelight, their reputation and their every action will define the line between victory and defeat.

Also, some politicians make use of image consultants to help them in their campaign. Some consultants are masters in changing the appearance and demeanor of a candidate to suit the state that they are campaigning in. After all, in order to win, they need to be able to win the hearts and the minds of the natives in that state.

3. CEOs
Top honchos of major corporations must also keep up appearances if they want the good image of their companies to stay. This is especially true if the company is at the center of a controversy. Top honchos must appear sincere and trustworthy so as to minimize public scorn and distrust that may severely affect the business' stocks and sales.

4. Spokespersons
People who are often called to issue statements for companies, government agencies and the like are often asked to hire image consultants to improve on how they put themselves across to people. Their appearance, like the CEOs will largely affect how the rest of the country and the world will see the company that they represent.

5. Frontliners and sales personnel
People whose jobs often deal with people like the marketing and sales departments also undergo workshops from image consultants to improve the way they are perceived by people. These people as you will remember are the ones that are out there representing the company.

Their good images will reflect on how people perceive the company as a whole and in the long run, can translate to sales and marketing success.

How to Become an Image Consultant

Anyone can become an image consultant. You just need a few things that will make you excel if you decide to turn this into a full time business.

For one, you must have a background in something so can use your experience and offer this as advice to the client.  If you worked before as a hairstylist, you know what colors or hairstyles work for a certain person.

You should also be interested in whatever you are offering otherwise you won’t be able to give your all when you are trying to help someone with their problem.

It will also be good to have formal training and get certification similar to a doctor has to get in order to practice medicine.

You should know that there are no set programs offered in colleges or universities that teach students how to become an image consultant however a bachelor’s degree in psychology, business, home economics or sociology may prove to be useful when you are managing your business or communicating with a client.

The certification you get to be an image consultant comes from organizations that train people to work in this kind of profession. This will make you confident and knowledgeable about the fashion industry should you decide to specialize in helping people choose what clothes to wear.  If your client does not have time to buy the right clothes, you will be the one to out and buy for them thus you become an image consultant/personal shopper.

In order for you to become an image consultant, you need to gain some experience. Naturally you can’t charge the same rate as other people who have been doing this are charging so offer your services first for free.

After successfully helping a few people, create your own portfolio or a website so people will know who you are. 

To expand your business as an image consultant, you have to advertise just like any other business. Put an ad in the local paper, forward emails and send direct mail invitations to clients even if your business may also spread by word of mouth.

If you are still not sure how things will work out, it is best to do this part time and then see how things go. That is what a lot of people have done before committing to this full time especially when they are helping more than just one client.

You will realize when you are successful as an image consultant when a company has hired you to help their employees make some improvements. You are there to hold seminars or workshops and what the employees do afterwards is entirely up to them. Some will listen while others won’t which is already beyond your control.

So now that you know how to become an image consultant, the question you have to ask yourself is if you want to shift to this as a career. Some people will succeed while others won’t. Just like any other profession, you have to commit yourself so you will be able to overcome any obstacle.

Given that almost everybody needs an image consultant, it is not wonder that a lot of people are getting in the game. What you do could help someone land a job, find their true love, get a promotion at work or just make them feel better about themselves.

How to Be a Good Image Consultant

You have probably heard that image consultants are doing very well these days which is why you thought of getting into the business. But is it really for everyone? The answer is no and it will take a lot of things to make it work.

First, you must have prior experience in the chosen field you want to become an image consultant in so people will listen to you. If you want to be a image consultant/fashion consultant, it is good if you worked in the fashion industry for some time before deciding to get out.

Second, you should also have formal training and certification because this will increase your value as a professional. You may have worked for a fashion company in the past but further training increases your chances of being hired after choosing from other possible candidates.

With those two, you make or break your business as an image consultant with three important factors.

When you are hired to be an image consultant for a client, you have to do your best for that person. You must offer good quality so can be proud of what you have done since you have accomplished even beyond the client’s expectations.

If you have offer good quality, then no one will question how much you are charging. Most image consultants charge by the hour and on average that is about $50. If you work for a celebrity or a major corporation this is much bigger and you can only charge more if you have had previous clients in the past that are satisfied with your accomplishments.

Lastly, you must offer service. No one will an image consultant for one day and expect things to change. You have to talk with this person often, conduct follow ups to see how things are doing and be ready to make the necessary changes if the approaches used in the past do not produce any positive results.

Quality, price and service are the three most important factors you must always possess if you want to succeed as an image consultant.

If business is doing well, you will not only help individuals but also companies as well. The difference between the two is the fact that with a company, you will assess not one but a group of individuals. Talking to them is very tedious so you have to be able to conduct a seminar or workshop and still produce positive results.

You may not have time to manage a lot of clients and this is when you have to hire or train people who want to become image consultants so your reputation is not jeopardized just because you are not the one handling the case.

Another option will be to network with other image consultants especially when they specialize in something  you are not so familiar with.

There is room for everyone who decides to become an image consultant. Those who do well will be in business for years while those who don’t will fold.

Surely, you want your business as an image consultant to succeed so keep the three factors in mind and get all the training you need. You will find these useful when you face a client so you are able to deliver results.

How image consultants make money with people's looks

If you think you have the eye for fashion and the ability to convince people to have either concept for themselves, then you might have a chance in this money-making profession. Although being an image consultant is not all that easy, there are ways on how to be an good and effective image consultant.

To be better acquainted with the career we have to understand the concept of "Image" first. Image is way other people look at us or the perception they have about us as people. It influences whether people will agree to our requests, hire us, and pay us the salary we want.  It greatly affects a lot of things that has to do with the career that we want, the salary we could get and the way people would interact with us. Image is what gives people the idea of how we are and what we are capable of.

It may sound superficial but it is how it really is. If anyone can recall the cliché first impressions last, well that cliché has more truth to it than what it seems. No matter how intelligent and capable a person is no one will trust them if they look like bad guys in an action movie.

Thanks to this mentality, Image consulting as an industry is making waves in the recent years. Ad because of reality shows that revolve around image makeover it has become one of the most lucrative industries to be part of.  Image consultants give people advice that will assist them in attaining the look that they want. Some of the areas of image consulting are:

1. Image Analysis or Makeover Consulting wherein the makeover of a person roots from. This area of image consultation focuses on the overall appearance of a person and how they should look like with regard to the career they have, their ages, and their status.

2. Fashion Styling or Wardrobe Consulting, which is more, focused on the look a person showcases. It's all about what they should and should not purchase.

3. Makeup Analysis, which is an area that focuses on the right makeup a person and what he or she should wear on different occasions.

The three mentioned are very important physical aspects of image consultation but for good image consultants, image is more than physical form that a person has. Other than how someone looks, people also shape impressions based on how that person speaks and behaves. Consequently, image consultants also discuss with their clients other areas where people focus on to form an impression. Some of those areas include:

- Vocal communications that focus on voice, grammar, and vocabulary;

- Non-verbal communication that focus on gestures such as handshakes, bodily postures, and eye contacts; and

- Etiquette which refer to social graces, business etiquette, and dining manners.

In addition to consulting yourself, you can also form a network of strategic partners to refer clients to, such as hair stylists, makeup artists, dieticians, dentists, personal trainers, plastic surgeons, and voice coaches by doing this not only will get more clients it will also make a reputable image consultant.

It's not easy to be an image consultant but it has it's rewards, by learning all that you need to know about how to be an image consultant you are one step ahead in making your and other people's dreams come true.

How can image consultants change lives

It's all over the networks, people preying on other people who look like they have been stuck in an era of no return. These people are the heroes of modern fashion nightmares and image monsters. These people are known as image consultants. But who is the real target market of image consultants?

The reason why this issue is raised is because most of the time people who really need the help of fashion experts and image consultants have very little to spare when it comes to their financial situation. Most of the people who are in need of help from image consultants are the ones who have just enough to get by.

Though it's really hard to accept the society that we have right now is heavily anchored on the physical attributes of people. So many people get left behind because they have little or no idea of what they should wear. And when they continually struggle to dress right, they give up and don’t care anymore, resulting in knock backs and damaged self-confidence.

That’s why they need help from lucky people like image consultants who have a natural flair for colors, shape, and most importantly fashion, people who have an eye for good things. And people who can help other people look their best.

The demand is real

There are many different reasons why people need fashion advice and these reasons are also personal reasons, because of this people often fall prey to image consultants that have little knowledge or have little experience. You might already recognize how to dress well, but this does not automatically mean you know how to sway people to modify their ways. There are so many diverse reasons why possible customers may require an image consultant and some of which include:

- a more qualified image for the reason that they have a new career.;

- an on-going for a dialogue and need some fashion advice to help them step forward in their profession;

- finding a partner but don’t have sufficient self-confidence in their appearance to move toward the person of their dreams;

- friends that are constantly telling them to make more effort, but they just don’t know what suits them; and

- being stuck in the past and unable to dress their age.

You may know what colors suit weight, height, mane shade and skin tone etc, but you require having a expansive variety of styles in your mind to be able to convene the image needs of each of your customers. They are all individuals with dissimilar needs, requirements and problems.

Additionally, you will want to know how to make a plan for the client’s incorporation of their new look. They will need slackening in so that they get accustomed to their new lifestyle and know how to go out and pay money for the right things. An image consultant's job is not total until they can safely say they've put the client back on track to leading a happier existence.

The truth is, the target market of image consultants is everyone. This is because everyone that needs help about the way they look, the way they carry themselves, the way they approach people and the way the project themselves to other people. In these people, image consultants do not only help them build self confidence and look good but also helps them by changing their lives forever.

How to choose an image consultant

Image consultants are not only for celebrities and politicians. All people need an image consultant especially if they are starting their careers in the corporate world or if they badly need to look into their image at work. This is especially true if their line of work is one where they have to meet a lot of people or have to speak to a large audience. 

Image consultants are also not only hired for people. They also take care of products and companies, whose tattered reputation need some immediate fixing. They will often be paid for a specific number of months where they will execute their plans that will bring about the change in image.

Changes may be in the form of appearance and reputation. Image consultants will usually focus on changing the hair, the makeup and the way that a person carries herself. They will also teach their clients basic grooming habits as well as dressing techniques that they will need to stand out in the crowd.

Another area of responsibility is their reputation and how people outside see them. This can include press releases in newspapers for people who have images to keep in the public or those with positions in the government. Even celebrities also need to keep a squeaky clean image if they want to stay long in the business.

With your reputation and your appearance in the hands of one person, it is important that choose the one that will truly help you transform yourself. Below are some of the things that you should consider when choosing an image consultant.

1. Credentials
There is no school for people who work as image consultants. Most have become image consultants because of their experience in the field and their connection. So when choosing an image consultant, education is not really important. If they have certificates in grooming, make-up and even basic manners, they will have an edge but everything is basically based on the experience.

2. Track Record
When choosing an image consultant make sure that they have sufficient experience in the job. This is especially true if you need a really major makeover. If you can, look into their previous track records and see how their clients have been transformed. Chances are, they will be doing the same to you.

3. Clients
The kinds of clients that an image consultant has will say a lot in the field where he and she is an expert and will also determine the level of competency and experience that he has. For instance, if their clients are big names in the industry, chances are they are good at their job and have worked for a certain number of years. This however will also mean that they will be asking for a bigger fee, which is actually the next consideration.

4. Price tag
Hiring an image consultant is actually not cheap. Hired only for month or two, they will be asking a lot not only in terms of their professional fee but also for the expenses that they will be incurring when you change your image: wardrobe, salon, spam, etc. So before, you even decide to hire one, make sure that you can actually afford the image consultant. Otherwise, just ask for the advice of those close to you.

Does Your Company Need an Image Consultant

Are there problems within your organization? Has this affected your relationship with your customers? If it has, do something about it before you go out of business. One way you can do that is to hire the services of an image consultant.

An image consultant is a miracle worker because he or she can turn thing around even when you think that all hope is lost. One thing they have that you don’t is their ability to provide a perspective coming from the outside. It is your choice then whether to listen to what they have to say or not.

But given that you are in trouble, you will listen otherwise you can kiss your business goodbye. When you hire them, you have to tell them everything like what problems have you had in the past and then give them time to assess what is wrong before they can give you a recommendation.

If customer service is a major problem, they will probably tell you to retrain all your staff so they will act better in front of the customer. The image consultant will even be the one to conduct it if this is within their field of expertise.

After the training is done, it is time to monitor if there is any improvement. If business has improved, then you know that the advice given by the image consultant has paid off. You just have to maintain it so this will not happen again.

Should the company have another problem, be sure to get an image consultant that is capable of handling the problem. Chances are, the image consultant you hire may be someone different if the person you hired before is not able to help out.

So what should you look for when you hire an image consultant? This person must have had extensive experience in that field and even formal training or certification to prove they can handle the job. Before you hire one, you should also call on a few and review their credentials by knowing how long they have been in the business and who have they helped in the past.

You then narrow your choices to three and then select the best candidate to help solve your company’s problem.

The success or failure of any company rests on the leadership and those who are under them. Why? Because what you do and how you present yourself has a major impact on your success. If there are any problems, this will affect the business.  The image consultant can help turn things around only if you let them. If you don’t, you are just wasting your time and especially money since most these professionals charge you an hourly rate.

Aside from helping companies, image consultants also help out individuals who want to take control of their lives and career. If they have had problems about what they wear and how they act, these professionals can help change that. You just have to find them because they don’t look for you, they advertise in the newspaper and online so you will be able to find them.

So take a look at your company and the morale of the people surrounding you? Are things looking up or down? If things are shaky, get an image consultant to turn things around.

Do You Need an Image Consultant

Politicians and celebrities are the only one who hire image consultants. Many people in the social scenes, art scenes and even the corporate scenes hire image consultants to hype up their image and therefore make them appear better than they really are. After all, everything is all about perception.

Often image consultants are hired when situations are already dire and the person need a change in image fast. But when can the advice of people around you suffice and when do you need professional intervention? Here are some things that you can look into.

1. Problem with reputation
If you have recently suffered bad press at work and people perceive you as something that you are not, then it is probably time to hire an image consultant that will help you change the perception. This is especially true if the damage to your reputation is beyond repair by an ordinary statement or if you have done all you can to contain the damage. You'll know if it is beyond repair if you can’t think of anything else to do to salvage your rep because you have done virtually everything and if it has been sometime now since the incident happened and still they are talking about it.

2. Money
Some people who do not actually even need an image consultant that bad can hire one because they have the money to pay for them. If you have the money to burn, you don't need a checklist to determine if you need an image consultant. Just go for it. After all, what is a few thousand dollars of their image can remain squeaky clean and endearing to the public?

3. Trouble finding work
You know you need an image consultant if you cannot seem to get yourself hired. Remember that job interviews are 85 percent perception and only 15 percent performance. No matter how good you are in your job if you cannot translate that during the interview, you will not get hired. Employers often go for people who are more personable.

4. no love life
If you are 30 years old and you still have not had any girlfriend or boyfriend, it is time to examine your appearance and the way you carry yourself. This is not to say that your love life will depend upon appearance only. It does not but it factors a lot in starting a love relationship. Besides if you know how to carry yourself and groom yourself, you can stand out even if you do not have the great features.

5. Negative comments
If people keep giving you negative comments and some have even told you that you need to hire an image consultant; then you need one. Remember that an image consultant is often called in the most dire of circumstances. The mere fact that somebody have gone as far as to tell you that you need help means that you need help pronto. If you cannot afford an image consultant then at least make an effort to change. Ask your friends for advice and change you appearance.

Make sure that you are well-groomed all the time and make an effort to also be more sociable to people. That way, even if you did not hire an image consultant, you have managed to at least change something in your image.

Choosing your image consultant training

It is a certified hot topic all over the world—people from all walks of life are trying to get to the nearest image consultant to change the way they look and feel. More and more people are becoming aware of the importance of perception management; people are also becoming more aware of the importance of looking good. And because of this more and more image consultant-training centers, schools and curriculums have mushroomed over the years.

Because of this rapid growth in the industry of image consultancy and perception management people, who happen to have an interest in the craft, are having a hard time looking for the best place to learn the craft from. For people who want to be part of this rapidly growing industry but have a hard time looking for the right place to go, here are a few helpful tips that you could consider to make that choice.

1. Quality over time frame.  You will find each lesson curriculum and the inclusive how-to training easy to comprehend. Every project you complete is a sure fire and potent confidence-builder that you are well-qualified to advice others; every guarantee in a special image consulting part gives a potent addition to your professional skills; every PowerPoint presentation is a persuasive tool that will facilitate you to train your clients.  

2. Value over monetary amount.  In a nutshell you can sum up value by saying, "you get what you pay for." This is true for both you and our client, the kind of service that your client will get is the kind of service that you trained to give. If you received training from a not so reputable institution then the output that you and your client will get is the kind of output that may not really meet good standards. When looking for a place to be trained for image consultancy, you need to consider the reputation of the company and the people training you. You should also do a little background check on the clients that they have. And the kind of network that have. 

3. Convenience over complicated routines. Of course everyone wants convenience in the things that they do and convenience is important to you as a learner. If the company offers online modules and instructions materials then it is a huge plus for you.

4. Personal mentoring from experts over hearsay.  While it is really exciting to have a real professional do it in front of you there are of course a few things that can be of hindrance to this happening. Personal mentoring can be in the form of modules and other materials personally made by people who practice the trade and can even come in other forms depending on the training firm. Others opt for instructional CDs and how to guides can be the best option for you when it comes to this part, remember that the experiences and expertise that these people can impart are a gem in this kind of career.

5. Network and reach over popularity. To achieve effective image consultant training, look into the network of colleagues and other people that your training school can help you with, having brand loyalty is one thing but having a good network of beauty professionals that could help is much better.

Now that your all set in to choose the right image consultant training center for you all you need to do is go out there and change lives.

An Image Consultant Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you conscious about how you look? If you are and want to do something about it, hire an image consultant who will be able to help you lose a few of those extra pounds instantly.

But wait! Isn’t losing a few pounds the job of a physical trainer? That is correct and the long term goal of someone who someone who works in the gym. The image consultant on the other hand can help you create the illusion until such time that this becomes real by offering you some advice.

One suggestion is for you to wear clothes focusing on one color. Studies have shown people who dress with one color help you look leaner, taller and slimmer. It is best to use dark colors specifically black and blue.

But since you can’t use this colors everyday, it is best to keep them close in intensity which simply means getting these clothes in different shades. Don’t make the mistake of wearing clothes that are made of heavier fabrics as this will only make you look fat. Try finding affordable clothes made of finer material like silk.

If you used to fit into small and medium sized clothes, wake up and realize that there is no point trying to fit into them anymore. You are bigger now so you just have to accept the fact and buy clothes of the next size.

To cover that belly, wear a longer blouse or jacket and put it on untucked as this divert the attention from your waistline.

Should there be a need to wear a formal jacket, choose the single breasted ones. As for the pants, get the iron creased trousers as this will make your body look slimmer.

This just goes to show that what we wear has a significant impact on how we and other others look at ourselves. In fact, it’s a reality given that humans have different body types.

Some of us are short while others are tall. Some are skinny while others are overweight.  We can blame it on genetics and our lifestyle. These won’t change overnight but you can do something about it right now and for the long term.

With the help of an image consultant, you will be able to balance both your horizontal and vertical proportions. Just remember that these will only work for the short term so if you want to make it real instead of making people believe that it is, enroll in a gym, hire personal trainer or even undergo surgery.

So where can you find an image consultant? You can look for them in your local paper or online. Most of these people advertise their services so you are to find one in a short period of time. If you don’t like who you have talked to, try asking friends who were in a similar situation and find out what did they do. If the name of an image consultant comes up, give them a call and see how things go.

An image consultant can help you lose weight but not in the literal sense since what he does is trick people and even yourself in believing that it is really happening. He is like a magician who goes up on stage performs in front of an audience.

Achieving that professional look with the help of an image consultant

How many of us have fallen victim to the fashion nightmare we call "casual Fridays"? A lot of people just want to make a good impression on our boss, some of us want to look good for their peers, and some want to look good in front of their special someone. For most people they say it's too vain to be over conscious of our outward appearance, but in reality it really does count to make a good impression on people. That's why there are specialists who take care of this for other people—they are called image consultants.

Today, there are image consultants for working professionals, for students, for homemakers and other people.  It is a little sad that people are more concerned of the physical attributes of others than their character. But the truth is we are frequently judged by our appearances, our image is the one thing that people have to make them form their opinion of other people.

In the earlier days, people always looked for help in the pages of magazines and catalogs for the look that they wanted. One of the things that made it hard for people to really carry the look well is that the cuts and the style that it was fitted for the person in the picture and not for the person reading the magazine.

More than anyone else the working professional suffers this dilemma most often because of the different kinds of trends and fads that is served to them. The three piece business suit has been a staple for men and sometimes even for women. But because the look has been around for a long time there are people who experiment and try out different combinations. It alright and some even succeed in the results that they came up with but for majority of the people the look they created became very disastrous and it causes trauma that hinders these people from ever doing it again.

A good suggestion that these people could look into is to seek the help of a fashion professional. These people are called image consultants, they make enrich our personal style and at the same time make us confident and making bold decisions about our wardrobe experiments.

Usually an image consultant for working professional looks beyond the closet and looks in to the possibilities that their clients can have. As an image consultant for professionals, one must remember what they are dressing their clients for. Image consultants should consider the industry that their clients are working for, they should also take into consideration the position of their client in the company, another factor to consider is age and another is the occasion or the event they will use it for.

Because of these things they have to consider it would be wise for the image consultant to have a total makeover of the person's lifestyle and wardrobe. The makeover usually starts with the person's confidence. The person should be able to be at ease with their body no matter how it looks like. Image is more than what you look like, it's also how you feel about yourself.

An image consultant for working professionals should take time to understand the personal style that their client wants and the image they want to project. In return, the client should try their very best to cooperate and do what needs to be done to make the makeover a success.