I've made it my practice to listen to my client, and find out where the biggest pain point is for them. On the beginning of a shopping trip, one client claimed she could never find pants that fit her. I said, "If I can find three pairs of pants that fit and flatter you, would that make you happy?" She said yes. I could tell she had deep doubts that we'd be successful. I went to the pant department with her, and we found eight pairs of terrific-fitting pants. Now the biggest problem was choosing which ones she'd take home! ...
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MMB Member Spotlight: Susan Jacobs provides value through workshops
I'm super excited to be participating with Susan Jacobs of Personal Style Consulting in her winter workshop series. She's been a member of the Monthly Marketing Bundle program for many years. One of the things she inspires us with is how she's embraced producing workshops. They are a way for her to channel her compassion and her passion for helping women enjoy the process of getting dressed. Workshops have also been a very lucrative arm of her business. She charges a fee, fills the room, provides value and then gets hired by attendees to work with them one-on-one. And as a result of her private workshops, she gets invited to do corporate workshops. She once gave me a monetary figure for the result of one workshop and it was in the multi-thousands. Is there value in giving ...
Use this MMB speech outline to gain new business
There's nothing that wins client appointments more quickly than doing a presentation or a workshop in front of a live audience. You're giving this group of friends of friends, or complete strangers, a chance to hear new solutions to their chronic problems, get a feel for your credibility, hear about success stories from other clients of yours, get excited, and realize they want your help. Now they understand what a style and wardrobe consultant does. They understand that you can take the stress out of getting dressed. You'll do things for them they have an impossible time doing for themselves. You'll make dressing fun. You'll answer all those questions that swirl around in heir heads. You're their new must-have. You just got hired! One of the things I do in the Monthly ...
5 Key Skills Every Successful Image Professional Practices
I LOVE hearing from women who are thinking about starting a business as a fashion or image consultant. The industry and the opportunities have changed a lot since I started my career. People may wonder if this personal service is necessary with so many people shopping online for clothes. I think it's needed more than ever. What do women need? Women need to understand their style. With that knowledge all other activities will be so much easier to perform. Closet editing and shopping are now possible with the road map that comes from identifying someone's personal style. They can't get that from someone working for a Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Chico's, or J.Jill. They need you, someone they can trust. If they're doing online shopping they want your ...
Improve your presentations by getting honest feedback each time
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 ...
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 ...
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.