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I don’t do so many online consultations these days.

I spend the majority of my days showing other image consultants how to take their image business online.

I do like to keep my finger in the pie though so I know the challenges my students face.

Recently I had the pleasure of doing an online colour and style consult with the lovely Tanny Jeffrey and she left me the most fabulous testimonial. 🤗🤗🤗

For those of you wondering if online colour analysis and style works, I invite you to read Tannys’ testimonial…..

I came across Aileen Lane via Linked In. I was particularly drawn to Aileen’s posts, because they are interesting and en point without being too ‘salesly’ or aggressive; the articles are always current and informative. 

Over the last 10 years, I had put on a lot of weight, got divorced, moved to a different country and have been travelling extensively, while working in quite a pressured environment and raising teenage boys. It hasn’t left a lot of ‘head space’ to think about image or being able to shop wisely.
In our first session, Aileen conducted a colour analysis. Having sent her a number of photos, I was excited to see the result and I wasn’t disappointed. Aileen went through with me in detail the colours of my suggested palette, engaging in questions and comments along the way.  It was enlightening…. and actually felt very comforting.
I had been dressing almost entirely in black baggy clothes to hide my weigh gain and look ‘anonymous’. Having recently lost a lot of weight, I wanted to re-gain a semblance of the old – and new – me.

Between sessions, I had to send Aileen photos of my body shape, along with ideas of clothes that I found appealing. I really enjoyed doing this and it helped me re-connect with my sense of style. It was brilliant to spend a bit of time thinking about the clothes I feel attracted to for work and casual wear.

In the second session Aileen ran through my style personality and body shape results. Again, very interesting as she highlighted what would and wouldn’t enhance by shape and why.
She was spot on.

At no point was Aileen judgemental or critical. She gently guided me through the best types of clothing and fabrics for me and clearly explained why they would suit. I found the information clear – and in abundance! Certainly detailed notes, drawings and examples of what would go well together. I know I will refer to these and the colour palette regularly.

 
I have a number of items in my wardrobe that I love and I know full well don’t fit into the ‘right’ category – Aileen was absolutely brilliant in coming up with amazing ‘outfit’ ideas to bring these pieces together and make them work for me.

Have I learned from the experience – yes.

Would I go back to Aileen for advice in the future – yes.

Did I thoroughly enjoy interacting with her (she’s so lovely ) – yes.

Was it good value for money – absolutely.

I feel that I have gotten back on the ‘me’ road and feel well-guided both colour and style wise.
Aileen encouraged me not to rush into the sales, or to start panic buying (which I do because I have so little time to shop) but to set myself a couple of clear objectives, defined my colour rather than’ what’s in fashion right now’ and take time to buy some proper pieces to fit into my wardrobe… I wish she could live in mine as my magic wardrobe pixie!

Thank you again
Tanny x

Tanny Jeffrey, Online Colour & Style Client

10 years ago, I had already been an image consultant for 4 years.

I had just obtained CIP (Certified Image Professional) status with AICI ( The Association of Image Consultants International) and I had been awarded the rising star award by my local AICI Singapore Chapter.

From the outside it looked like I had a flourishing image business and I was a success.

In reality, I was scraping by and trying to cover expenses every month.
4 years in, I was still struggling to make ends meet.

All I wanted to do was help my clients and to stop worrying about money.

Like many image consultants in the early years, I had no idea how to actually scale or grow my business so that I had a consistent and steady flow of clients and a predictable income.

My main method of getting clients was to stand up and talk in groups, often times free of charge. While this method did get some clients, it was very hit and miss and required a huge amount of time and energy.

I ended up taking a break from my image business when my second boy arrived and I worked with my husband for several years.
We managed not to murder each other and I learnt key business skills during those years. I learnt that to have a successful and profitable image business, I needed to be a business woman first and an image consultant second.

When I restarted my business in 2017, I went in with my eyes wide open and I was focused on business this time around. I created an online business model that is scaleable and that I can operate from anywhere in the world.

I have made it my mission to help image consultants to take their colour and image business online and to be financially independent. I am passionate about this because I’ve experienced how liberating and fulfilling it is to work as an image consultant from anywhere in the world. I am on a mission to help others overcome their fears and give them the tools to make this a reality.

Its that time of year when prices are slashed in the shops and the temptation is to buy all sorts of clothes that look like a great bargain.

Do bear in mind that these items are on sale because they haven’t been sold last season and probably weren’t that popular to begin with.

They are only a bargain if they work with your current wardrobe and are in a colour and a style that suit you.

Sales are the ideal time to invest in wardrobe basics that are excellent quality e.g. real leather belts, accessories, classic jackets in your best neutral colours, classic bags and shoes.

Avoid very trendy items that are already going out of fashion.

Here are 5 tips to keep you on the straight and narrow:

1. Go prepared: Choose clothes and shoes that are easy to remove. Today is not the day for a complicated outfit.

2. Shoes: Wear your most comfortable pair that you can slip off and on easily. Avoid high heels and laces.

3. Underwear: Wear your standard underwear that you routinely wear so you can identify any issues with lines etc. A vest is a good idea as it will allow you try pants and skirts by themselves.

4. If you are looking for something specific to go with something else in your wardrobe, then bring that item along with you. e.g. Looking for a jacket to work with your charcoal grey pants, than bring along your charcoal grey pants.

5. This is the time to invest in wardrobe staples in your best neutral colours as these are the backbone in your wardrobe and will return your investment over and over.

For Summers choose greys and navys, for Winters you cannot go wrong with blacks and the darkest greens and mulberry’s. If you are an Autumn or Spring choose chocolate browns and navy’s.

With these tips in mind, go forth and have fun. While I love a bargain, the mere thought of sales give me a headache so I will be staying home with a nice hot port!

Are you excited to get going in your business in 2020 or are you dreading the prospect of having to put yourself out there again? I am feeling a bit of both but excitement is starting to win out as I put my marketing plan together. With this in mind, I have listed my 5 top ways to help you to get going and have the business of your dreams in 2020. So here goes, in no particular order:

1. Turn up every day. When I restarted my business in December 2017 after a 4 year break, I was virtually unknown in the image consulting industry. From the early days, one of my commitments was to show up in front of my ideal client every day, no matter what. Within a matter of months, I began to get engagement on my posts and the leads started flowing in. Some days I got no love on my posts but I stayed in the game and continued to plug away every day.

Ask yourself this question every day ‘ What am I doing today to make the sale?’. Most image consultants I know focus a lot of getting it right for their client which is truly admirable but you need to start getting clients in the door to stay in business. So I ask you again, ‘What are you doing to get the clients in the door?’

3. Have conversations. You need to be talking to people about how you can help them everyday. No sale ever happened outside a conversation. I began to internalise this after reading ‘The Prosperous Coach’ by Steve Chandler & Rich Litvin and I quickly realised the power of building relationships through conversations. Schedule in conversations every day with potential clients who are asking questions and who are interested in what you do.

4. Share and ask. I am a huge fan of Denise Duffield-Thomas, author of ‘Get Rich, Lucky Bitch ‘. Her marketing strategy share information freely and ask. The answer will always be no, unless you ask. You need to be asking for the sale. Many image consultants I see share freely but often don’t ask or tell their clients what they can buy from them. Is this you?

People won’t have an opportunity to work with you unless you ask.

Denise Duffield-Thomas

5. Forget the competition and really focus deeply on what you have to offer. Even if you think it is really simple, what you have to offer is life changing for other people. What makes you unique? What makes your journey unique? How are you different from every other image consultant out there? This is where your zone of genius lies.

I will be running my Connect & Convert Program to help you implement all the above steps from 6th -24th January 2020. The first 5 participants will get the 3 week live program at €49 ( Regular Price €99). Drop me a message to get your discount code.

Here I am wearing my new Lennon Courtney dress.

It is not an ideal choice for a Cool Summer like myself for a number of reasons:

❌ There are three cool colours in the print (blue, pink & navy) and two warm colours (caramel & brown). The pink, blue and navy are perfect for me but the other two wash me out and age me significantly! Luckily these two colours are not too prominent.

❌ There is a lot of colour going on in the print. I look far better in tints, tones and shades of the same colour.

❌ The geometric print is also not ideal for my curved features and soft colouring.

I love this dress and have decided to make it work for me. Your client will have similar items in their wardrobe that they want to keep and wear.

Here is what I can do to make this dress work for me. You can use these same ideas to help your clients wear colours and prints that are not ideal for them.

1. I have chosen neutral, cool silver and navy earrings. I have avoided adding any more bright colours. The earring design is rounded geometric which picks up the print of the dress without being outright geometric ( In other words, it softens the look a bit).

2. I have kept my makeup very low key, soft and natural, again to soften my look. I have gone for a soft pink lipstick with a bit of shine and put my hair in a soft updo.

3. Luckily the neckline is a flattering V so there’s not too much colour near my face but I could hang a vertical scarf in a soft, cool pink down the front of the dress to soften the affect of the print on me. It will also cover up some of the print near my face making the whole outfit look much more congruent with my colouring.

4. Adding a gilet in a cool slimming burgundy will have a similar effect and the beautiful balloon sleeves of the dress will still be on show.

5. I will be finishing this outfit with a neutral boot and here is a great place to pull in the warmer colours, far away from the face.

Have you posted on social media showcasing how you can solve a problem for your client recently? From experience, I know that clients love these types of posts.

Need some help with consistently posting and showing up?

I will be running my Connect & Convert Program to help you show up every day from 6th -24th January 2020. The first 5 participants will get the 3 week live program at €49 ( Regular Price €99). Drop me a message to get your discount code.