Saturday, November 15, 2008

What calls for an image consultant?

Ever wondered if you looked good enough for a party or for work? Ever wondered if there was a better look that could work for you? Is there anyone out there that could help you out? Look no further and be thankful because there are people out there doing just this for people who have no idea how to look good, these people are called "image consultants."

You might have spotted these people on TV in shows like Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, or Ambush makeover. Or you might have heard of Tim Gunn and his ultimate style guide and how he changes a person's life in one week. This is what image consultants do for a living and by doing what they do they make the world a better place to look at.

They are known by many names and aliases—some of these titles are fashion consultant, wardrobe stylist, or lifestyle consultant. What ever you call them they do one thing in general and people pay them to show people how to make a fabulous impression. They do this by making people experiment and mix and match styles that would look good on them.

On the other hand, when we talk about image, we are talking more about the physical appearance. Aside from the physical side and outlook of a person image consultancy also develops a person's character. Some image consultants also talk to their clients about how they communicate to people and how they deliver their words. Aside form verbal communication they also talk to people about gestures, facial expressions and etiquette. All of these are done so that the client will be able to feel good about himself or she who is the primary goal of image consultancy.

Most image consultants also build up an association of strategic partners they can pass on clients to, such as, makeup artists, nutritionists, dentists, plastic surgeons, voice coaches, hair stylists, and personal trainers.

Image consultants present the type of advice that can assist people land a career, get a promotion, and find an important person to be in love with, or just feel good about themselves.

It’s no question they are so well satisfied, normally bringing in no less than $90 per hour advising folks how to present a superior image. A predominantly well-paid avenue is presenting schooling programs for corporations. Image consultants can receive thousands of dollars a day educating on seminars on dressing professionally (including dos and don’ts for casual Fridays), telephone manners for customer service personnel, communication skills for new supervisors, and other topics.

If you are one of the exceptional few that believe image doesn’t matter, try shopping at a superior store fully clad in what you would generally wear to clean your basement or move furniture. Then stopover the same stores looking well groomed and wearing your finest suit.

The most important thing about being an image consultant is to decide on what kind of services you would like to offer. Think of which field you would like to specialize, it could be in wardrobe or fashion consulting, you could also go into the line of offering advises on communication skills and etiquette, or be a makeover consultant who provides feedback on “the whole package.”

Lastly, lets listen to these quotes by Robert H. Goddard

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday

is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow"

Friday, November 14, 2008

How to choose an image consultant

"Ding-dong"!! "Excuse me miss, could you tell me, how to choose an image consultant?..
Ok, lets see. Do you know what?..

Image consultants are not only for celebrities and politicians. All people need an image consultant especially if they are starting their careers in the corporate world or if they badly need to look into their image at work. This is especially true if their line of work is one where they have to meet a lot of people or have to speak to a large audience.

Image consultants are also not only hired for people. They also take care of products and companies, whose tattered reputation need some immediate fixing. They will often be paid for a specific number of months where they will execute their plans that will bring about the change in image.

Changes may be in the form of appearance and reputation. Image consultants will usually focus on changing the hair, the makeup and the way that a person carries herself. They will also teach their clients basic grooming habits as well as dressing techniques that they will need to stand out in the crowd.

Another area of responsibility is their reputation and how people outside see them. This can include press releases in newspapers for people who have images to keep in the public or those with positions in the government. Even celebrities also need to keep a squeaky clean image if they want to stay long in the business.

With your reputation and your appearance in the hands of one person, it is important that choose the one that will truly help you transform yourself.

Below are some of the things that you should consider when choosing an image consultant;-

1. Credentials

There is no school for people who work as image consultants. Most have become image consultants because of their experience in the field and their connection. So when choosing an image consultant, education is not really important. If they have certificates in grooming, make-up and even basic manners, they will have an edge but everything is basically based on the experience.

2. Track Record

When choosing an image consultant make sure that they have sufficient experience in the job. This is especially true if you need a really major makeover. If you can, look into their previous track records and see how their clients have been transformed. Chances are, they will be doing the same to you.

3. Clients

The kinds of clients that an image consultant has will say a lot in the field where he and she is an expert and will also determine the level of competency and experience that he has. For instance, if their clients are big names in the industry, chances are they are good at their job and have worked for a certain number of years. This however will also mean that they will be asking for a bigger fee, which is actually the next consideration.

4. Price tag

Hiring an image consultant is actually not cheap. Hired only for month or two, they will be asking a lot not only in terms of their professional fee but also for the expenses that they will be incurring when you change your image: wardrobe, salon, spam, etc. So before, you even decide to hire one, make sure that you can actually afford the image consultant. Otherwise, just ask for the advice of those close to you.

"Problems are only opportunities in work clothes"

– Henry Kaiser

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Should I get An Image Consultant?

Think and ask yourself; Should I get An Image Consultant?

If someone asked you like these question; Do you have low self-esteem? Do you wish you could do better at work, at home and in your love life? Well if the answers to these questions are yes, then you need an image consultant. Why should I ..?

An image consultant is sort of like your “fairy godmother” because this professional may just be what you need to turn things around. In order for this person to do their job, you have to tell them what is the problem and be open to their suggestions.

If fashion is your concern, you will have to throw all your old clothes out and replace these with new ones. Naturally, that is going to cost you some money so be ready to invest in order to get the desired results.

For those who have poor communication skills, the image consultant can help by coaching you do some things before you open your mouth. He or she can tell you to listen to what the other party is saying so you know how to respond to them, phrase your message in a positive way instead of delivering it in a critical manner and using simple words to express your point.

Some people have anger issues or other behavioral problems. Ordinary people do not understand that so your image consultant can help you deal with it by helping you avoid these trigger mechanisms and dealing with them should they arise.

So where can you find an image consultant? Fortunately, a lot of people are doing this so you won’t have a problem looking for a trained professional. You can check for someone in the newspaper, in posters and online.

Once you have their name and contact number, you schedule an appointment to see if you will be able to work well with this person. You should also ask how much they charge, how long they have been in business and a couple of previous clients so you can ask them how well this person served them in the past.

After doing a background check, you can already choose which one of the image consultants around you want to hire.

The image consultant does not have to be with every single day in order for you to improve. He or she will be around regularly until such time that things get better so such visits will decrease to probably once or twice in a year.

If the advices given have a made a dramatic impact on your life, then you owe everything to this person. The only thing to do now is continue on living with what was passed on to you so this will be able to stick with you for the long term.

Image consultants do not only work for individual clients because they also represent large corporations. They may not be referred to with this title but called a company spokesperson, specialist, coordinator and a lot more.

It does not matter what they are called. The important thing is that these professionals are able to change the perception of the public towards this person or company.

An image consultant could be the answer to your prayers. You just have to find them because they won’t be the ones knocking at your door and asking if you need help. It works the other way around.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

How image consultants make money with people's looks

Want to know how image consultants make money with people's looks?

If you think you have the eye for fashion and the ability to convince people to have either concept for themselves, then you might have a chance in this moneymaking profession. Although being an image consultant is not all that easy, there are ways on how to be a good and effective image consultant.

To be better acquainted with the career we have to understand the concept of "Image" first. Image is way other people look at us or the perception they have about us as people. It influences whether people will agree to our requests, hire us, and pay us the salary we want. It greatly affects a lot of things that has to do with the career that we want, the salary we could get and the way people would interact with us. Image is what gives people the idea of how we are and what we are capable of.

It may sound superficial but it is how it really is. If anyone can recall the cliché first impressions last, well that cliché has more truth to it than what it seems. No matter how intelligent and capable a person is no one will trust them if they look like bad guys in an action movie.

Thanks to this mentality, Image consulting as an industry is making waves in the recent years. Ad because of reality shows that revolve around image makeover it has become one of the most lucrative industries to be part of. Image consultants give people advice that will assist them in attaining the look that they want. Some of the areas of image consulting are:

1. Image Analysis or Makeover Consulting wherein the makeover of a person roots from. This area of image consultation focuses on the overall appearance of a person and how they should look like with regard to the career they have, their ages, and their status.

2. Fashion Styling or Wardrobe Consulting, which is more, focused on the look a person showcases. It's all about what they should and should not purchase.

3. Makeup Analysis, which is an area that focuses on the right makeup a person and what he or she should wear on different occasions.

The three mentioned are very important physical aspects of image consultation but for good image consultants, image is more than physical form that a person has. Other than how someone looks, people also shape impressions based on how that person speaks and behaves. Consequently, image consultants also discuss with their clients other areas where people focus on to form an impression. Some of those areas include:

- Vocal communications that focus on voice, grammar, and vocabulary;

- Non-verbal communication that focus on gestures such as handshakes, bodily postures, and eye contacts; and

- Etiquette, which refer to social graces, business etiquette, and dining manners.

In addition to consulting yourself, you can also form a network of strategic partners to refer clients to, such as hair stylists, makeup artists, dieticians, dentists, personal trainers, plastic surgeons, and voice coaches by doing this not only will get more clients it will also make a reputable image consultant.

It's not easy to be an image consultant but it has it's rewards, by learning all that you need to know about how to be an image consultant you are one step ahead in making your and other people's dreams come true.

Here I'd like to share with you in what's Maya Angelou said ;

"If You Don't Like Something, Change It; and

If You Can't Change It, Change Your Attitude"

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

An Image Consultant Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you conscious about how you look? If you are and want to do something about it, hire an image consultant who will be able to help you lose a few of those extra pounds instantly.

But wait! Isn’t losing a few pounds the job of a physical trainer? That is correct and the long-term goal of someone who someone who works in the gym. The image consultant on the other hand can help you create the illusion until such time that this becomes real by offering you some advice.

One suggestion is for you to wear clothes focusing on one color. Studies have shown people who dress with one color help you look leaner, taller and slimmer. It is best to use dark colors specifically black and blue.

But since you can’t use this colors everyday, it is best to keep them close in intensity, which simply means getting these clothes in different shades. Don’t make the mistake of wearing clothes that are made of heavier fabrics, as this will only make you look fat. Try finding affordable clothes made of finer material like silk.

If you used to fit into small and medium sized clothes, wake up and realize that there is no point trying to fit into them anymore. You are bigger now so you just have to accept the fact and buy clothes of the next size.

To cover that belly, wear a longer blouse or jacket and put it on untucked as this diverts the attention from your waistline.

Should there be a need to wear a formal jacket, choose the single breasted ones. As for the pants, get the iron-creased trousers, as this will make your body look slimmer.

This just goes to show that what we wear has a significant impact on how we and other others look at ourselves. In fact, it’s a reality given that humans have different body types.

Some of us are short while others are tall. Some are skinny while others are overweight. We can blame it on genetics and our lifestyle. These won’t change overnight but you can do something about it right now and for the long term.

With the help of an image consultant, you will be able to balance both your horizontal and vertical proportions. Just remember that these will only work for the short term so if you want to make it real instead of making people believe that it is, enroll in a gym, hire personal trainer or even undergo surgery.

So where can you find an image consultant? You can look for them in your local paper or online. Most of these people advertise their services so you are to find one in a short period of time. If you don’t like who you have talked to, try asking friends who were in a similar situation and find out what did they do. If the name of an image consultant comes up, give them a call and see how things go.

An image consultant can help you lose weight but not in the literal sense since what he does are trick people and even yourself in believing that it is really happening. He is like a magician who goes up on stage performs in front of an audience.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Does Your Company Need an Image Consultant?

Are there problems within your organization? Has this affected your relationship with your customers? If it has, do something about it before you go out of business. One way you can do that is to hire the services of an image consultant.

An image consultant is a miracle worker because he or she can turn thing around even when you think that all hope is lost. One thing they have that you don’t is their ability to provide a perspective coming from the outside. It is your choice then whether to listen to what they have to say or not.

But given that you are in trouble, you will listen otherwise you can kiss your business goodbye. When you hire them, you have to tell them everything like what problems have you had in the past and then give them time to assess what is wrong before they can give you a recommendation.

If customer service is a major problem, they will probably tell you to retrain all your staff so they will act better in front of the customer. The image consultant will even be the one to conduct it if this is within their field of expertise.

After the training is done, it is time to monitor if there is any improvement. If business has improved, then you know that the advice given by the image consultant has paid off. You just have to maintain it so this will not happen again.

Should the company have another problem, be sure to get an image consultant that is capable of handling the problem. Chances are, the image consultant you hire may be someone different if the person you hired before is not able to help out.

So what should you look for when you hire an image consultant? This person must have had extensive experience in that field and even formal training or certification to prove they can handle the job. Before you hire one, you should also call on a few and review their credentials by knowing how long they have been in the business and who have they helped in the past.

You then narrow your choices to three and then select the best candidate to help solve your company’s problem.

The success or failure of any company rests on the leadership and those who are under them. Do you know why? Because what you do and how you present yourself has a major impact on your success. If there are any problems, this will affect the business. The image consultant can help turn things around only if you let them. If you don’t, you are just wasting your time and especially money since most these professionals charge you an hourly rate.

Aside from helping companies, image consultants also help out individuals who want to take control of their lives and career. If they have had problems about what they wear and how they act, these professionals can help change that. You just have to find them because they don’t look for you, they advertise in the newspaper and online so you will be able to find them.

So take a look at your company and the morale of the people surrounding you? Are things looking up or down? If things are shaky, get an image consultant to turn things around.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Image Consultants Can Help You Dress to Success

Yes! Image Consultants Can Help You Dress to Success..

Have you ever had a hard time picking what shirt and pants to wear going to work and when you finally figure it out you realize you are still hot happy with it? Hey, don’t worry; you are not the only one with that problem. If you need help, an image consultant could be what you need to fix it once and for all.

An image consultant is the right person to call because he or she has an eye for fashion. They know what is in, what is out in the world of fashion so you are sure to be updated with the latest trends.

The most important aspect of the image consultant’s job is to see which colors bring out the best in you and what styles help you look slimmer so you dress well when you go to work or hang out with friends.

Once you meet with them, they will want to see what you keep on your wardrobe and then tell you which items to keep and which to get rid of. He or she can match whatever is kept so this can be worn. If a lot of these were thrown out, they will accompany you to the store and get replacements.

After buying all the clothes you need, it is time for you to go out and show them off. If you get a lot of positive comments from friends, then you know that things are getting better.

But an image consultant does not only help a client pick out the right clothes. For men that may be the case but for women, this person will also have to think about the hairstyle, accessories and footwear so this matches with the clothes.

After working with a client, it is now up to the person to follow all the advice that was given. The image consultant will call or drop by to see how things are doing to make sure you are still on track.

An image consultant can do more than just make a person look good. They can also give advice if the client has other problems that should be worked on.

The image consultant could help the client improve their communication skills or management skills if this is what is needed. If you have a problem, you have to admit to yourself first that you know something is wrong and you are willing to listen otherwise the image consultant will not be able to do anything and you are just wasting your money.

How much money? That depends but most image consultants charge their clients by the hour. This could make you reconsider listening to what they have to say since a friend will offer the same thing for free but why listen to them when this matter should be handled by a professional.
First impressions last which is why it is important to dress the part at work or when you are socializing with your friends. This could make an employer hire you on the spot so you will get the job or make you meet someone that you can later on call your true love.

So what are you waiting for? If you want to learn how to dress to impress, hire an image consultant. Just make sure this person has experience and is certified so you know they can help you.

May I help You!

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