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Launching a new program scares the crap out of even the most seasoned of entrepreneurs….

You are putting your new thing and yourself out there for the world to see and it can be petrifying….

So this is what I see happens.

You create your new program which you are really excited about and know you can help loads of people get a result with.

You create your first post about your brilliant new program with great enthusiasm and send it out to your audience. 

And then…nothing – you get crickets…nobody says anything or if you are lucky, you get a message from your mother saying it sounds great (She may even send this privately!).

You keep going and send out your next post, listing the benefits of your program (trying your best to sound on top of the world!) and you don’t even get a thumbs up.

At this point, you are starting to squirm and feel nervous so you decide to retreat.

You go back to sending out posts that you know you will get some engagement on.

In the meantime your new program is put on the back boiler and you go back to selling your cheaper services. You know for sure you’ll get some sales with  these because they have worked in the past.

I want to tell you that this behaviour around launch is common. 

I know because I have most definitely done this myself in the past. 

However now that you know, you have no excuses to resort to retreating.  

For a successful launch you must hold true and follow your plan. 

You need to continue to post about, talk about and promote your new program despite the lack of enthusiasm from your audience. 

You must continue to believe in yourself until everyone else catches on. Aborting the launch half way through is absolutely the worst thing you can do because it guarantees failure. It also makes it harder to go back and relaunch.

I have been through many of my own launches as well as those of my clients and I can say with certainty that the ones that were a success had a plan and the plan was executed in detail (Even if the response was less than ideal to begin with). 

In many cases participants joined the newly created programs minutes before the closing deadline. 

Imagine giving up and you may have only been a hair’s breadth away??

Have you gone through a failed launch? 

If you have, it can be very painful and take a serious toll on your confidence. The good news is that any successful business owner had experienced this many times and lived to tell the tale. They picked up the pieces and kept going. They learnt from their mistakes, they got help and went on to have flourishing programs that often started with just a few participants .

If you are a talented Personal Stylist and know you have something unique to offer your client and would like to create a high value online program that you can sell over and over, then I can help you. 

Read the full details of how in my Savvy Stylists Business Academy Program where I mentor you step by step to design, create and sell an online program.

Full Details Here: https://bit.ly/38yPTNo

I just caught myself sitting back and admiring how far I have come in my business!🤣🤣🤣

I don’t always feel like this, but today I noticed that I have come a long way.

Its been about 2 years since I have gotten really clear on my ideal client and what problem I solve for her.

It’s been 2 years of:

• Showing up every day on social media so you know I’m out there;

• Giving you tips and tricks and free training in my free community;

• Creating new programs and training to help you take your colour and styling services online so that you can get more clients today;

• Helping you in my training & support groups in every way I can so that you get working online during this crazy time.

There is no ambiguity around who I help or how I help. That’s how clear and persistent, you need to be.

Getting your message out there does not happen overnight but once you are clear on who it is you serve and the problem you are solving for them then the way becomes less torturous.

Yet, I see consultants skip this step this step, time and time again.

Its drives me crazy!!😖😖😖

I ask myself- Why don’t they figure it out? Why are they trying to appeal to everyone? Why don’t they make the one investment in their business that could make a difference?

It seems obvious to me – finding out exactly who it is you serve and how exactly (and practically!) you serve them is THE FIRST STEP before investing in anything else.

That’s why I spend so much time on this step in my Savvy Stylists Business Academy. Its the foundation for everything else we create in there – Your Business Plan, Your Offer, Your Program Curriculum & Materials, Your Lead Generation System and Your Marketing Plan. Without knowing who your ideal client is, I would say it is impossible to create these items.

Anyways, rant over. I have it out of my system for today!

If you are in business more than two years and you are still not making the kind of money you want, then my Savvy Stylists Business Academy may be exactly what you need.

You are a good candidate for this programme if…

• You are still struggling to figure out who your ideal client is.
• You are selling one-off low value services and have to keep getting new clients.
• You have little or no business training and don’t know what business models could potentially work for your business.
• You have no reliable system in place for getting leads.
• You have no plan or strategy around marketing your services.
• You struggle with being visible consistently on social media.
• You don’t get enough enquiries from clients who are ready to buy.

If you’re now BEYOND ready to start having a consistent 5K/month income and getting a return on the investment of hours and money you have put into your business, then drop me a message at aileen@laneimageconsulting.com and I will send you the full details of my Savvy Stylists Business Academy.

Figure of eight body shape or Neat Hourglass

I struggled with identifying my own figure for a long time.  I just didn’t quite fit into any of the main stream figure types of hourglass, pear, rectangle, inverted triangle or round. After much research and deliberation, the penny finally dropped when I attended a talk by Carlas Mathis, one of the top image consultants in the world and a Certified Image Master. Her book ‘ The Triumph of Individual Style‘ is the bible for many image consultants around the world. She talked about a variation of the stereotypical hourglass called the Figure of Eight body shape. The characteristic of the 8 figure are:

• Shoulders are curved and are relatively as wide as your hips/thighs;
• Waist is distinctly narrower then shoulders and hips/thighs (8 -10 inches smaller);
• Weight tends to accumulate on the high hip and tummy  just below the waist (Not so much on thighs/ low hip as happens with an hourglass);
• Small waist and sudden jut out to high hip give a shelf like appearance to the waist;
• Waist tends to be short due to high hip – Gets shorter with weight gain as shelf gets higher;
• Legs can be long and slim (Not always the case).

I have seen this figure type called a neat hourglass in some books. I used to think my figure type was rare but once I made the distinction, I realised it was much more common. The high hip and shelf can be found on other figures types as well as the 8.

Dressing a figure of eight:

Follow the rules for an hourglass except for the lower part of the body where the 8 does better with tapered designs in skirts and dresses.

Silouettes For Figure Of Eight by aileenlane featuring a sequin top

• Soft drapable fabrics such as knit and jersey are key to working with your cuves. Wrap dresses are great especially those with a straight or tapered skirt.
• Sharp tailoring such as the little jacket in the 2nd outfit are great for giving definition to curve. Peplum on jacket is especially great for a figure of 8 as it accommodates the high hip.
• Jeans/ Pants with straight to mild bootcut are best.
• V necks and scoop necks look best on big busted 8’s.
• Make the most of your small waist with belts (Medium scale belts that tone with your outfit will minimise shortening your waist further).
• You can also try belting at the low hip forming a V at the front with the belt to lengthen and slim your body. This will only work with fitted tops though. Baggy does not work on an 8.
• You can wear a longer skirt but make sure that it does not flare until the knee or lower (See outfit 4).
• Wear shapewear such as control vests and corsets to control tummy and midriff area’s as these tend to be the area’s of concern.
• For accessories, try bangles and earrings and avoid too much detail at the neck especially if you have a shorter neck or bigger bust.
• Avoid tucking in tops as this will shorten your waist further; instead opt for untucked and finish the look with a belt.
• Try light fitted layers as these will cover a multitude of sins at the midriff and create a more interesting look – See outfits 2 & 3.
• Opt for a look that’s clean and uncluttered as fuss and frill will add bulk/ weight to this curvy frame.

If you would like to learn more about body shape and learn how to do online body shape analysis, then check out my Unstoppable Style Program here.

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.

Working online is the new norm for us image consultants and looks like it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Doing consultations online, does require a new set of skills. One skill you will need to learn is to fill your online colour and style programs so that you can continue to have a steady and reliable income.

Here are 10 easy ways to fill your online workshops that will have you booked solid in no time:

1. Come up with a powerful title for your workshop that draws in your ideal client and includes the benefit they will receive from attending it. Here is a free resource that I use to come up with top titles: http://www.internetmarketingcourse.com/freeheadlinegenerator/
2. Give yourself enough time to promote the event. 10 days before is a good time to start promoting the event.
3. Get people to register with their email so you can follow up with them closer to the time. Zoom gives you the option to ask people to register for a webinar.
4. Set an early bird price to encourage early registration. I have never yet met a client that doesn’t love a bargain.
5. Use testimonials liberally showing the results you have achieved for other people. Written testimonials are great but video testimonials from previous clients are even better.
6. Tell people exactly what they will get so and what problem you will be solving for them.
7. Create scarcity. Is there a maximum number of participants that you can take per session? Be sure to mention this and be sure to inform people as spaces start to fill.
8. Talk about your event every day on social media in video and in posts in the 10 days leading up to the event.
9. Think about ways you can encourage people to invite their friends e.g. 20% discount for you, for every additional person you get to register.
10. Make registration and payment for the event as simple and as painless as possible. Do not make people jump through loops to attend as you will lose them in the process.

With no change in the current way of working for the foreseeable future, filling your online programs will remain a daily necessity.

If you are still struggling to get your services online and/or are looking for help in creating a highly profitable online program that you can sell over and over, then drop me a message.