Improvability Blog

You’ve missed a treat this week. The ladies on my Ladies’ Style course this week are having a whale of a time. We spent the first day on Style Personality which is my favourite bit as I believe understanding your client is the key to understanding what to deliver - none of this silly ‘by rote’ stuff for me, I’m afraid. Find out what makes her tick, what makes her happy (and absolutely what doesn’t) and give her the information and encouragement she needs, and you will have a happy client and friend for life.

Yesterday we took on the tricky subject of body shape. Oh boy! I remember when I first had my body shape ‘diagnosed’ hundreds of years ago - and then, by the way, lived the next 14 years wearing totally the wrong fabrics, shapes, etc. until a massively gifted consultant who treated everyone as an individual put me right. But when I attended my very first Style consultation I had to strip down to my unmentionables - well, I won’t go into how horrid that was again. I felt quite ill when I was telling my story to the ladies yesterday and that’s more than enough trauma for one week, thank you.

I showed them yesterday how to work out anyone’s body shape without having to touch them and absolutely without having to measure them. And they loved it.

What they didn’t know was that I was trialling a new range of body shaping garments under my normal clothes to see if it made a difference to their diagnosis. I’ll be going through this in a bit more detail with them this morning so I’ll report back to you.

But what I discovered for myself about wearing these incredible underthings was worth talking about too. Haven’t got too much time right now as they’re due to arrive in the next few minutes to start our last day together but suffice it to say that my expensive black tailored-to-fit-me trousers gaped at the waist by at least an inch compared to the day before…. What a dreadful problem to have, I can hear you say.

Today we’re looking at how to use fashion trends, how to put a program together for their clients and how to create a sustainable, long-term business relationship with each client which will, naturally, lead to a predictable and substantial income. Must run…

Learning over 3 months is definitely the easiest way to build any successful business. I wish I’d had this kind of help when I first started out!

In 1986, after struggling vainly on my own for over 5 years to get my colour business off the ground, I approached a successful image consultant and asked for her help.

I wasn’t asking her to put together a ‘proper’ structured course for me. In fact I suggested that maybe I could just follow her around for a day or two, so that I could ask my questions and get immediate answers. “Great idea,” she said, and then quoted me £2,000.00 for two days! This was 26 years ago.

Just in case you haven’t grasped the outrageous absurdity of this yet, I’ll repeat that. She wanted £1,000 (approx. USD 1,600) per day a quarter of a century ago!

Needless to say, I didn’t have that kind of money back then but I remember discussing it with my senior manager at work just to see if he thought it was worth considering. He advised me against it so I didn’t go for it but, thinking back now, I wonder how many years of NOT making a success of my business would I have saved if I HAD gone for it, FOUND the money from somewhere, and INVESTED in my future?

I’d have been making money so much quicker

- And then, I would have had much more idea of what I was actually doing!
- And then, I’d have given a better service to my clients
- And then, my clients would have been happier
- And then, they would have referred their friends to me
- And then, I’d have had more clients
- And then, I’d have made more money…

Ah, if only I’d known then what I know now! It’s amazing what hindsight does for you.

26 years later, I have fathomed out how to make really good money from this business (and before you begin to ‘go there’, not just in running a training enterprise, either!) and I have some great content and marketing ideas to pass on to you, and it won’t cost you anywhere near what that consultant wanted from me.

Isn’t it time YOU stopped struggling?

My new Colour Analysis Training and Development Program is designed for if you’re starting out from scratch and also for if you’ve got a business that needs a kick up the rear end. You don’t have to struggle any more.

Style coach Judith Brady from Devon is our guest blogger today:

“Kim, I liked your blog ‘Be Who You Really Are‘ and I have had a perfect example of this with a client over the last couple of weeks. 

“This poor lady had spent a fortune on a ‘personal stylist’ she found through a very well-known TV presenter’s styling company.  She went shopping in London with her and was persuaded to buy lots of clothes - several quite pricey.

“She contacted me as she still had a wardrobe full of clothes that she never wore.  I thought she was very brave to try another consultant (she said she liked what I said on my website) and I apologised for some of the less-than-competents operating in our profession.  I said that I believe this is the difference between a stylist and an image consultant.  For a stylist, it is all about the clothes and latest fashions, whereas a good image consultant puts all the emphasis on the client.

“The stylist had got her to buy lots of very trendy clothes, paying no attention to her colouring, body shape, personality or lifestyle!

Trendy but NOT stylish	Stylish

“I have spent 3 full days with her and was shocked to see so many clothes in her wardrobe that still had the label on!

“I began by sorting out her colours  - she was a summer (the stylist had put her in some lime green, burgundy and brown!) and then we went through her whole wardrobe. 

“She has a very defined pear shape and the stylist had told her she had to have some very tight, very expensive, skinny jeans worn tucked into long boots with a boxy jacket that completely hid her waist - not surprisingly, she looked enormous (she is a size 10 top, 12/14 bottom). 

“I showed her how she could wear the clothes by completely changing what was worn with what and using scarves and belts. It was wonderful to see the effect on her - she stood taller, her eyes were shining and she said she felt excited about her clothes again.

“Whilst I was shocked at what the stylist had done, the whole experience has boosted my confidence and I have a very happy client, all because I paid attention to who she is.”

Judith Brady, Style Coach
www.judithbrady.co.uk

Judith added Colour Analysis to her style skills when she trained with me last year.  She says, “I know from personal experience just how much your self-image affects your attitude to life and how powerful looking good and feeling great can be. 

“I am now passionate about helping all my clients acquire that power, no matter what life has thrown at them!  My job is wonderful because I get to see the amazing transformations brought about by life-changing advice with instant results. It is not about the clothes, it is about you.

“PS. I will be using the Fashion Trends PowerPoint files in my workshop in February - I think the photos look fabulous.  I want to try and show clients how these trends can be worn by real women with real bodies and how they work for different personalities / body shapes etc.”

Thanks so much for guesting on my blog, Judith.  How wonderful to be able to make another human being look and feel so very good about themselves!

Question from a consultant who had recently trained with me

Sara is a 30-year-old accountant who is single but would love to meet a mate.

I did her colours a couple of months ago which she has really taken on board and she is wearing some lovely colours now - looks fab in cream and the light Spring colours.  She says she is getting lots of compliments, which is a good sign.

Her style session revealed she is a Natural / Classic which Sara seemed fine with and agreed with. She wears no jewellery, not even a watch and no makeup either. At work she dresses in a lovely coffee brown suit which she wears with a short-sleeved t-shirt!

Considering her profession should she wear a 3/4 or full-length sleeved top or does it not matter? She is not in touch with the general public at work, just her colleagues.

My answer

Accountants, lawyers, bankers, and serious promotion-minded office workers need a minimum of three-quarter sleeves.  You still need to create the right impression around your colleagues for them to respect your professionalism (or not, as the case may be). 

Short sleeves are for casual wear; when you wear them in the office you are saying that you do not take the job seriously. 

A round neck top is great for when she wants to be more approachable, especially to change in to when she meets friends (and a potential boyfriend?) after work.

However, at work when she wants to be seen as authoritative or to be taken more seriously, then a V neck would be useful.  However, as a Natural, Sara may feel a bit rigid in such sharp angles so I would suggest she try a soft cowl neck; this can often form a perfect balance between the two contrasting looks. 

As a very strong Dramatic personality myself, I find the cowl softens what could be read as a very sharp look when I wear a V neck.  Conversely, Naturals will find a cowl is a softer way of demonstrating a more authoritative look rather than a definite, sharp V neck.  Also, this will help Sara look more feminine and is something she could wear both to work and to meet friends.  Adding a touch of colour under her brown suit will also make her more feminine."

If YOU would like to learn more about adding styling to your colour, fashion or image business, check out the contents of my Ladies’ Style course.