Practice consulting with volunteer clients who are extremely different from you.
One of the challenges that image consultants face is knowing how to dress other people according to their personal coloring, figure variation, personal style and lifestyle. Dressing yourself MAY COME NATURAL TO YOU, but teaching others what works for them, and not necessarily you, is not so easy. Once you’ve done your homework…because you have taken the advice in tip number 2 and have mastered Wardrobe Strategies…it’s time to implement what you’ve learned. The best way to do this is by asking a few people if you could “practice” on them. Because you don’t charge them a fee, you’ll likely have no shortage of volunteers, that’s why we call these no fee clients “volunteer clients”.
Choose people who are both in your target market and different from you in terms of personal coloring, figure variation, personal style and/or lifestyle. I have dark blonde hair, blue eyes, light skin, average height and build, and my personal style has a wide range. My volunteer clients were so different from me! One had black hair, very light skin, with hazel green eyes, a taller/larger build, with a very classic style. My other volunteer client had dark brown hair, eyes, and skin, petite build, with a sporty/romantic personal style. Boy did I learn from these two! They were as different as night and day and expanded my understanding and appreciation for other women. For example, I learned how to enhance the personal coloring of someone who is not blonde. I learned about the fitting challenges that exist for so many people who are either taller than average or petite. And personal style takes on a whole new light when considering such different personalities and backgrounds. What a way to put my education to the test! And what a great way to be prepared for the variety of clients I was soon to work with.
Practicing your skills on people who are vastly different from you is a wonderful way to help your clients look fabulous, which in turn, makes you a fabulous image consultant. I couldn’t have done it without Conselle’s courses, however. For MORE INFORMATION on how you can become a certified image consultant, click HERE.
A great education never goes out of style.