What does it really take to become a good colour consultant?
I read recently on another website that it takes a good colour system to become a good colour consultant. Believe you me, you can present the easiest-to-learn, greatest colour system in the world to a complete idiot and they will never become a good consultant.
And I was that idiot!
When I first started back in 1980, I was shown a perfectly acceptable way of analysing colours which worked (and still does) for loads of colour consultants - but not for me.
I hadn’t a clue what they were talking about. I was a complete idiot when it came to this particular system and my ‘trainers’ nearly gave up on me.
In my defence, these were pioneering days and most of the self-appointed ‘trainers’ hadn’t got much of an idea what they were looking for, never mind how to describe it, and no-one had taken into account the fact that I just do not ’see’ colour in the way that most women do. My learning skills are much more auditory.
However, once a new approach was described to me, I ’saw’ what I needed to make colour analysis work for me, and I was up and running. This had my erstwhile trainers open mouthed in astonishment because they thought the only way that could possibly work was what worked for them - now where have I heard that rubbish before?
How confused can you be?
Another comment from the same website mentioned above was, ‘The more seasons or types of colour analysis you offer, the more precise the colour analysis.’ Here’s my interpretation of that - ‘The more seasons or types of colour analysis you offer, the more confused the consultant can become…’
There isn’t a valid, recognised, agreed-by-everyone system in the world that everyone subscribes to. You have to ask yourself why there are no universities (and I mean proper universities here; not those colleges who just adopted the title of university to make themselves sound like something that they’re not!) offering degrees in colour analysis, style analysis, etc.
Could it be something to do with the fact that we’re all different, and we’re dealing with a moving target - in a word (or two, as it happens), human beings who are all completely different from each other?
Colour is utterly, totally, and with doubt subjective
How you can possibly offer a ‘precise’ form of colour analysis is beyond me when human beings are nowhere near precise. We change from day to day, even from hour to hour. Life either slaps us around or hits us with opportunity and our moods change accordingly.
For instance: you arrived at work this morning in a bright red outfit which you’d chosen because you either felt great or needed to, only to be told an hour later that you no longer have a job. Does the bright uplifting colour of red truly reflect who you are then? It won’t matter one jot if it is your perfect red, or even if it’s the worst one on the planet for you; it will be entirely inappropriate because you feel so depressed.
And here’s yet another pearl from this same website, “The personal colour palette should have at least 60 colours that all mix and match seamlessly…. that can be compared accurately against any fabric or cosmetic colours.” Good grief and glory.
This is such utter drivel
There isn’t a colour swatch in any wallet in the world that will accurately match any other fabric - unless you buy three yards of the self-same fabric from the wallet manufacturer and I can assure you that that is never going to happen!
It’s this kind of nonsense that creates confused and unfulfilled clients as they will never, ever in a million years be able to find clothes or anything else that absolutely match anything absolutely in their wallet.
Frankly, if consultants continue to fill their clients’ minds with the expectation of being able to find such non-existent matches, I bet a penny to a pound that some consultant, somewhere will, one day, get sued for giving out such miserable misleading mis-information. And then God help the rest of us!
So what DOES make a good colour consultant?
A good colour consultant is someone who:
- keeps practising, keeps themself motivated, and keeps going!
- thinks and speaks positively
- smiles and makes all her clients feel comfortable and important
- looks approachable (and doesn’t remind us all of the 1980’s
- gives every client her totally undivided attention (switch your phone off!)
- listens to what her client has to say (even when it’s total rubbish!)
- encourages her client to ditch any rubbishy ideas she might have about herself
- shows her client all her best, greatest and most fabulous features (and we’ve ALL got at least one!)
- educates her client how to focus on the good stuff
- encourages her client to move forward
- provides support to her client in her ongoing journey of self-discovery
- gives her client (more) confidence in herself
Shocked? Amazed?
You might have noticed (and possibly be shocked and amazed) that I haven’t mentioned anything at all to do with drapes, colour, clothes, handouts, swatches, etc.
To me, the drapes, swatches, make-up, and any other props you might be using in your colour consultations are just tools, to be brought out as and when necessary for each individual client.
And, in some cases with a handful of my own clients, all of these tools have been totally unnecessary… because that WASN’T what those particular ladies came for. They came to be listened to, to have some ‘me’ time, to be pampered, to be made to feel good, to hear that they really are worth it, and to go away feeling better than when they first arrived.
In other words, they came for CONFIDENCE - the confidence to be who they really, really are!
Obviously, this is just my opinion (and I am well known for being contentious) but I invite you try it and see if it works for you. It’s certainly changed my business around!
What about offering Ladies’ Style to your Colour clients?
If you have happy colour clients, then they will be asking, “What’s next?” I’m sure you’ve already got lots of ideas of how to bring them back for further colour work but if they’re asking you to take them shopping, or to sort out their wardrobe, you’re going to need to understand much more than just colour.
My Ladies’ Style course takes you into the dark art of body shape which, over the years, I have simplified down to something that YOU can pick up quickly and easily and, more importantly, that your client will understand without having to fathom out which ruddy musical instrument she resembles. You will learn three (sometimes 4) different ways of working out what body shape your client is WITHOUT HAVING TO TOUCH HER.
None of this silly measuring nonsense; it’s so unnecessary and so invasive. I remember having my style ‘done’ hundreds of years ago and having to change into a leotard in front of one colleague (not even a good friend) and 4 other perfect strangers. Glory me! What a hideous experience and I swore then I would never do that to MY clients.
The same goes for scale and proportion. I usually brandish a tape measure around just to demonstrate that I will NOT be using it, and you can see everyone visibly relax straight away. There are plenty of other reasonable ways to distinguish a lady’s scale and proportion without having to grope her, and I can show you just how to do that.
Style Personality is the best bit
A Ladies’ Style class or consultation should be fun, not a nerve-wracking experience and the best bit for me is style personality. I just love showing ladies who they really are but also how they can use different style personalities to dress differently for different parts of their life.
We can show:
- the quietest, shyest lady on the planet how to dress for an interview and get that job BEFORE she even opens her mouth
- the most aloof, powerful-looking lady on the planet how to dress to NOT frighten a potential partner away
- the most uninterested-in-clothes lady how to dress to IMPRESS her other half’s boss and his corporate clients
We have the power!
We can use all our skills and understanding of the power of clothes to show any client how to get what she wants. This is just fabulous stuff and when you start to receive feedback from your extremely happy clients, you will want to help more and more ladies to get what THEY want, and they’ll be busy recommending you to all their friends that you’ll soon have more work than you can cope with. How perfectly dreadful!
Ladies’ Style is a passport to a bigger income
You’ll earn more money by providing Style classes or consultations to your existing Colour clients.
Then you’ll be able to consider offering personal shopping services and wardrobe weed-outs too - and earn even more money, doing what you love, helping ladies to look and feel absolutely fabulous.
And you can learn right now with our three-day training course in Ladies’ Style. You can even spread the cost with our fantastic payment plan!
Three-day TRAINING COURSE
IN LADIES’ STYLE
More information about the course content, dates, times
Perseverance
Perseverance is one of the more excellent qualities of a good colour consultant.
- “Keep practising, keep yourself motivated, keep going. Your own confidence will only come from experience, and experience can only come from lots of practice.”
Kim Bolsover - “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Albert Einstein - “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.”
Charles F. Kettering
