Improvability Blog

“Hi Kim, I am currently going through the Ladies Style Training DVDs and enjoying it immensely. It was a real eye opener when you were talking about “asking the client what she wants” and creating her individual program as opposed to offering what I think she needs.

One area where I thought this could even be further fine tuned for the client to experience a better outcome and thus create future business would be to then “coach” her using her style of learning. Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic. I know that you have to include all these types when teaching a group but I have a feeling that when you do a one-to-one consultation, you quickly and instinctively know how to teach them and eliminate the irrelevant information that they won’t enjoy or absorb.

I can’t tell how they learn and if I ask they usually don’t know. Is there a way to diagnose their way of learning early in the meeting to personalize the consultation more? Maybe a quick little questionnaire would work, but I don’t know the type of questions to write down. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.” Karburga, Australia

Dear Karburga,

Thank you so much for your lovely email.  I am so glad that it’s really ringing some bells for you.

It’s immensely refreshing to hear a consultant wanting to improve the experience of the client and you are absolutely right – this will set you apart from the usual tick-list approach adopted by so many consultants.

The dreaded lurgy – consultation by checklist

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve listened to clients telling me about their dreadful consultation-by-checklist experience. You know, the one that goes something like:

‘The client has now been here 17 minutes, so I should have completed items a, b and c from my checklist, and by minute 43 I will have finished items d, e and f. Then all I have to do is slap a wallet in her hand, give her her coat and shove her out of the door…’

Oh yes, I put my hand up to this – in dire shame and regret, of course. I’ve been there myself but, thankfully, after at least three hundred years of not using the common sense I was clearly born with, I finally ‘saw the light’ and started treating my clients with a load more respect.

And amazingly, I soon had more work than I could handle.

These days, we’re apt to refer to this as the Law of Attraction. I prefer to call it, “What you give out, you always get back; and usually it comes back to you ten-fold.”

So, stuff the system and, for crying out gently, put the client first.

Take the time to learn how your client learns

Understanding how your client thinks and learns will be a major step in making her feel special.

We all learn primarily by using one of three learning styles – Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic – but the majority will most probably combine two of them. 

• Visuals ‘see’ the world. They understand something better if they can see it.
• Auditories ‘hear’ the world. They get more information from how you say things than from what you are saying.
• Kinaesthetics ‘feel’ the world. They get more information from touch, emotions, and gut instincts.

Which one are you?

Before you start diagnosing anyone else, you need to find out which one YOU are. Until you understand how YOU operate, how on earth can you advise other people?

In the Advanced Colour Analysis DVD training course (which I know you have already Karburga) I cover the whole subject of learning styles on Disk 2 and it includes a questionnaire that you can use to find out which one you are, and then again with your clients.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable with a questionnaire or maybe you just haven’t got time then just provide for all three types:

• Visuals – drape them in front of a mirror.  Show them a look book, pictures, videos, etc.
• Auditories – talk to them, give them handouts to read aloud, let them take their own notes, perhaps with a digital recorder
• Kinaesthetics – let them feel the drapes and give them exercises to do; the more physical these are, the better

Tell everyone your own story and allow them the time and space to let them tell you theirs. Then observe them.  Look at how they react, and what seems to work best for them.

I go into so much more detail about the different behaviours of each different type on the Advanced Colour Analysis course. This is a learning process in itself that you will have to allocate time to practise if you want to master this

No-one is purely visual, purely auditory or purely kinaesthetic

… so don’t go allocating one single learning style label to your clients.

We all have to learn to use a mix of the learning styles to be able to operate in different societal groups and to get along with other people who may learn in a different way from us.

This is why you must provide for all three types, for every client, at every consultation or workshop, every single time. 

Then you won’t wear yourself ragged trying to be some kind of super psychoanalyst.  In fact, if you do, you’ll probably just end up rather ‘psycho’, which can’t be good for you or your clients! 

My advice? 

Relax, and enjoy!

The Advanced Colour Analysis DVD training course

• is available to buy on its own
• Or it’s included in Option 4 of Colour Analysis in a Box

All our colour analysis drapes are rectangles of material, folded into 4. This allows for those consultants who wish to layer several smaller pieces of material together on one shoulder.

And for those, like me, who prefer to open each drape out from shoulder to shoulder, just cut a neckline out with a pair of pinking shears. 

Open the drape to 2 folds and cut a small triangle out from the folded edge, like this (image right)

That way, several drapes layered one on top of the other sit easily around the client’s neck without bunching up. This makes it so much more comfortable for your client.

Added value

You will be left with little triangles of material from each drape and I have found those really useful over the years to cut up into even smaller pieces to give to a client when, perhaps, that particular shade isn’t in the wallet I have recommended and, yet, I think she would look gorgeous in it.

This is wonderful added value to your already great service as it makes each client feel special.

I wish someone had told me about cutting out a neck like this before I started chopping bits off the bottom of most of my most popular drapes…!

More of my tips on how to use the drapes are available in the wholesale catalogue