laneimageconsulting
I trained in style back in 2004 through a company in the US. It was US$5000 at the time and to say I was disappointed with what I got was an understatement.
All the information was there but I had no idea how to apply this information to a real person. There was no video training or no practical training. As you can imagine, it was pretty depressing after paying for such an expensive course.
I really just wanted something simple that I could customize for clients. I needed someone to show me exactly what to do.I didn’t know how to conduct a style consult based on what I was given.
I didn’t even know what my own body shape was and how I should dress that. No matter how much I read, I didn’t seem to fit into any of the common body categories.
There was little or no support going with the course I bought and really I didn’t even know where to start. It was so bewildering!
I was also quite proud at the time and didn’t want to admit I was clueless. There seemed to be no one to turn to.
I eventually became aware of a company that sold style guides that you could customize for your client. They did get me going doing style consults but I continued to struggle as the information that was presented in the guide often contradicted with what I thought would work for the client. There was no way to edit the guides. Additionally, it wad large and cumbersome and often caused problems when printing. So how it worked was that you bought a hard copy template (which wad bloody expensive at the time), then you plugged the clients data into a computer program which generated personalised information for the client. You would then print out the guide onto every other page on the template. Needless to say there was lots of costly mistakes. While it was the best I had, it didn’t delight the client and it left me less than excited. It put me off selling style consultations altogether.
It dawned on me quite a few times that I should create my own style guide but I felt the amount of work involved would be overwhelming and I put if off for quite a bit.
Then one fine day I just started preparing one!
It went though many revisions and I got different people to help at different stages. I got a student at one of the design universities to do all the illustrations for me and I had an admin person help me put it all together. Publishing back then was not as easy as it now.
I refined the style guide over time so that it was exactly what I wanted.
I was excited to do style consultations again.
My style guide worked really well for many years and I even ended up selling it to other consultants over the years.
Everything was going really well till I had to move my style services online.
I had to come up with a new way of working with my clients is establish what their body shape was to take body measurements without taking body measurements.
So like a lot of things I do, I just started. It wasn’t perfect but I kept working on my delivery and the consults started to be really popular and I got great feedback. My style guide works just as well online as offline.
Round about that time, I was running my 5 Week To Online Colour Expert Program for Image Consultants and lots of them were asking me for a style training.
I eventually got the time to create the program — my unstoppable style program was born. This program helps other consultants get their style consults online.
So what I have learned through the course of my style journey and creating my style training? Here are a few things that you need to consider if you are planning to take you style online:
1. If you are just starting out and considering purchasing a style course to help you get online, be sure to check what support is included. Oftentimes there is none. Just yesterday I had someone on the phone telling me this. This is also what I experienced myself in the early years.
2. If you are working online, you need to learn how to analyze a clients figure without the need to take measurements. I stopped taking measurements years ago because they often confused me rather than helping me. What we see visually is enough to be able to determine body shape, scale, face shape and any prominent features.
3. You need to simplify the style consult process as much as possible and build a consult that you really enjoy. I put off selling style for years because I just didn’t enjoy the process.
4. Stop trying to fit everything into one session. Clients on average remember 3 things you tell them. Spread the consultations out. Structure them the way you want them. How would you like to receive the information?
So there you are, everything you need to know to get started with your online style consults today. You can read more about my Unstoppable Style Training & Support Group here.