The One Where Personal Stylists Asked Me Anything

One of the things I talk a lot about is consistency in your business, especially with your marketing, and the need to show up day-after-day so that you become known and trusted by your audience.

I’ve also spoken about the importance of taking time away, or winding down so you can get away with doing the bare minimum if you’re travelling, have the kids on school holidays, or you’re not very well.

For the past two weeks family have taken a priority for me so I’ve pared things back in my business.  You may not have even noticed though.

I didn’t have any client calls over the holidays. I only posted on socials each morning and went live in my Savvy Stylists Facebook group on Friday. Usually, I select a topic and prepare what I want to say in advance of my lives, but I didn’t while away. 😱 Instead, I held an ‘ask me anything’ session where group members could pick my brain about personal styling and growing a business. There were some interesting discussions, so I wanted to share them with you here.

Question 1: What should I do if someone comments negatively on my social media posts?

Once you start sharing content in a public arena, you’ve got to understand that not everyone will agree with what you’re saying. Most people will scroll past and not think anything more about it, but for some reason, the occasional person will feel compelled to leave a comment pointing out that they disagree. And they might not be polite about it either. 🙄 I call them Negative Nellies.

So, what to do when you come across a Negative Nelly:

1. Step away from your devices for a while. Don’t respond in the heat of the moment but give yourself time to calm down and think about using the negative comment to your advantage.
2. Remind yourself that everybody’s entitled to their opinion.
3. If the comment isn’t rude or derogatory, leave it there, don’t delete it. Instead, see if you can start a positive conversation with the commenter.
4. If that doesn’t work, don’t feel you should start explaining or justifying your opinion. Sometimes, no matter what you say, people will never see your point of view, and you don’t want to get into an argument.
5. If you don’t want a discussion with the commenter, follow up with a simple reply like, “thank you for weighing in on the discussion. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.” and leave it at that.
6. Remember that the more comments you get on your posts, whether people agree or disagree with what you’ve said, the more views and engagement you’ll get, so even a Negative Nelly with a sad comment is doing you a favour!
7. Use the negative comment to create more content! You don’t have to name and shame the commenter, of course not, but you could talk about the previous post and explain how someone offered a different opinion, so you’re interested in gathering the thoughts of others on the topic. You could even create a poll.

Using the negative comment to create a new post means you’re not ignoring what people are saying to you. You’re remaining open to discussion and using ALL the information people give you. Using the negativity to gain even more opinions is way more helpful than blocking the Negative Nelly and getting upset about their comment.

Comments, whether good or bad, are a brilliant source of content. So much of my stuff is based on what you, my audience, tell me. Comments are the start of a conversation with potential clients who will tell you about their beliefs and give you a real insight into what makes them tick. The more comments you receive, the more refined your content becomes, and the easier it is to connect with your audience and convert them into paying clients.

Question 2: Is the figure of eight body shape real, or is it just a larger version of the hourglass?

For me, the two are very different, the main point of difference most noticeable in the lower body. The figure of eight has straighter lines in the lower body including a hip shelf, whereas the hourglass is more curved. They have a curved bottom and hips.

You can have very slim figures of eight, healthier figures of eight, like me, or much larger figures of eight than me. If people put on a lot of weight, they typically lose their body shape. The hourglass tends to hold their waist a little longer, but the figure of eight will move towards a rectangle as they get heavier. Both figures can have big boobs and a smaller waist, so the differences in the hips and bottom help you make the correct diagnosis.

I was confused about my figure for years until I discovered the figure of eight. Many of my clients in the Unstoppable Style program were, too. It’s a common body type, and my clients have all been blown away by the difference it makes if you have the correct rules to apply when it comes to dressing.

Understanding the figure of eight is a significant addition to your styling services.

You can read more about the figure of eight and how to dress it here.

Question 3: How do I get started as a personal stylist?

I’ve had lots of new people join my Facebook group this week. Welcome if you’re one of them! And one of the questions I got was how to get started with your personal styling business.

It’s always tricky in the early stages because although you’ve been trained to be a stylist, when it comes to taking your skills and turning them into a business, you’re virtually on your own.

That is until you found me and the other 1,000 stylists in my group, of course! 😊

You’re going to experience a lot of doubt and worry about whether you’re good enough at this stage which is normal. We’ve all been there, and I promise you can get through it if you keep taking action.

Testimonials are like gold dust in the first stages of business, so consider first working with people you know, your family and friends. You offer them a colour or style consultation in exchange for a written testimonial saying how wonderful it was to work with you and how your help has changed things for them. Testimonials are powerful because they show you’ve worked with people who’ve been happy with your expertise and what you’ve helped them achieve.

Once you’ve got a few testimonials under your belt, start looking for people you don’t know, and do the first three to five consultations free of charge. Don’t forget to ask for more testimonials!

After that, you need to start charging. You’re running a business, not working on a hobby. You could do the next couple of consults for a nominal fee, say £50, $50 or €50. Whatever a nominal fee looks like in your local currency.

For the following three consultations, double the charge, and for the three after that, double the price again. Request a testimonial each time, and you’ll soon have lots of lovely words from happy clients that you can share on social media to help entice even more people to work with you. You’ll notice that your confidence grows with each new client too.

I’d also seriously consider getting support from a business coach or mentor so you’ve got someone to lean on for support and advice. In my 5 Weeks to Online Colour Expert and Unstoppable Style programs, I have a support group where you can upload photos of your clients, and I help you colour code them and categorise their body shapes until you feel you can do it on your own.

So many newly qualified stylists just don’t have any support. They have no one to ask questions or bounce ideas off. They’re often second-guessing themselves, wondering whether they’re doing the right thing and worried they’ve missed something important. I think having support in the early stages is critical, so I built it into my programs.

In summary, then, this is how to get started as a personal stylist:

• Keep taking action, one small step after another. Taking more courses won’t necessarily give you the confidence to start. You may never feel ready so you need to start now despite the fear. Once you start, your confidence will grow as you go along.
• Take clients for free initially in exchange for testimonials.
• Don’t work for free for too long. You must start charging.
• The more people you work with, the more your confidence grows.
• The more confidence you have, the more clients you’ll get.
• Consider working with a coach or mentor who’s been in your shoes, as they will get you where you want to be much quicker than you can on your own.

Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer in a future live? Email me at aileen@laneimageconsulting.com, and let me know. And if you’re not already part of my Savvy Stylist Facebook group, you can join here. ☺