When you've spent time developing a presentation whether it's a thirty-minute talk or a three-hour event, you don't want to be doing double duty: giving your talk and assessing how well it's going at the same time. It's best to enjoy giving your presentation and interacting with your audience. Throw yourself into the moment. When it's over and you've answered people's questions or gotten their names and phone numbers to call and set up an appointment to work with them, it's time to gather your things. Most likely you're beat! But wait. I bet you have questions swirling around in your mind! Did they get it? Were you funny enough? Did you give them enough? Did you overwhelm them with too much information? What might you do better next time? Here's where a ...
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When your client work isn’t working and how to shift that
I'm in awe of consultants especially since spending several days with fashion, style, and image consultants at the Monthly Marketing Bundle Retreat last month. I recognize how passionate we are and how we're committed to going above and beyond to make things work for our clients. I've learned through my years of consulting that not every problem gets solved. We don't always figure out the mysteries of what's going on with our clients if for instance they stop midstream and we never hear from them again. All we can do is vow to do our best, let go of the results and move into a guilt-free zone. There are many more people who need your services. I've chosen a few questions to share with you that consultants have asked me during classes. Maybe by listening to the advice I gave ...
How Diane von Furstenberg came up with words to rebrand her empire and so can you
I lent out my copy of Diane von Furstenberg’s book The Woman I Wanted to Be and recently had it returned to me. I did a quick light read of it again and was reminded of a part that I think is awesome and something we can all learn from. It comes in the last fifteen pages of the book. She’s talking about the restructuring of her business in 2014 and the lack of focus on what the brand stood for. Hard to imagine isn’t it that a company as big as DVF could struggle with their brand message after 40 years? Here’s what happened. Joel Horowitz, the DVF cochairman, asked all the executives to define the DVF woman in one sentence. “To his mounting frustration, he got a different answer each time, so he organized a focus session…” They spent a whole day brainstorming to come up with ...
Finding relief from non-productive busyness in a book designed for creatives
I met a friend for lunch on Saturday. We had a lot of catching up to do. Are you ever surprised at what comes out of your mouth when a friend says, "What's new?" Even though we had big things to talk about including her trip to New Zealand, my visit with Dad, the retreat I'd just had for my Monthly Marketing Bundle members in Sonoma, her expanded position at Sustainable Fairfax, I heard myself say, "It's this book I'm reading." I pulled it out of my purse and showed it to her and then bent her ear for fifteen minutes about all the ways this book was changing my life. (Not to be overly dramatic or anything!) It's by UK author Mark Forster and it's called Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management. But it's true. I believe this book has the power to ...
Create a style session for your clients that fits right between winter and spring
Last week I got itchy to switch up my winter wardrobe and start steering it into the direction of spring. I made some new outfits by using lighter and brighter under pieces instead of dark ones. I switched out my wooly scarves for ones that looked less wintery. You can read the 5 ways I lightened and brightened my wardrobe here in my blog post on my BrendaKinsel.com website. A couple of days later I was in a client's home and we were creating February outfits. I told her about my lightening and brightening ideas and asked if she was interested. She was game! I'd helped her husband choose a beautiful scarf for her for Christmas and she hadn't worn it yet. It was laying on the bed. It's very shimmery and luxurious looking in shades of taupe. This would be perfect for ...
Have you raised your rates yet?
I was so happy the other day when after my massage my massage therapist said, "I'm raising my rates. It will apply at your next visit." "Oh, good for you, Tonia," I said. I was so pleased for her. As women, I think it's hard to raise our rates especially when we're in a service industry. She told me her new rate and then I booked my appointments for the next three months. She's in demand and I don't want to miss out on her healing touch. I'm always happy when a professional raise her rates. It shows me she respects herself and her work. Raising rates in the arts She's in the healing arts and she's a businesswoman. We're in fashion and beauty. We use color and design to create the personal expression our clients want. We are artists and ...
My client couldn’t come out and say it but he wanted to make changes
I remember showing up to a client's closet appointment. He’d gotten some new clothes on a shopping trip while he was out of town. He has a favorite designer and he came upon a sale he couldn't walk away from. I supported his indulgence 100%! But he needed us. He needed Erin and me to go through his latest buys and put them into outfits he could wear next week. "Next week" wasn't so much his criteria as it was mine. I always like leaving my client's home knowing that he or she would be set for the next few weeks for whatever events or lifestyle activities were coming up. I did a check-in at the beginning of the appointment just to be sure I understood his wants and wishes for our afternoon session together. He started telling me about some of the people he sees at events he ...
Make a list of all the ways you made a difference this year
The coolest thing happened today. One of my clients was expecting her first grandchild on December 26th. This morning I texted her. "Are you a grandparent yet?" I said. My phone dinged a few minutes later and there was a picture of the cutest baby wearing a knitted red hat with a white pom pom at the tip. Attached at the top was a little banner that said, "My First Christmas." Turns out she arrived early, December 20th, and enjoyed her first Christmas with her extended family. We had just visited that client a week before the birth. We were helping her by putting together outfits for all the holiday parties and festivities. This client came to me when her youngest daughter went off to college. She wanted to figure out who she was now that she wasn't 100% focused on family. ...
Brenda Kinsel, an image consultant and author, founded Brenda Kinsel E.T.C. in 2009 to provide training, coaching and marketing support to stylists and consultants in the industry.