How to Start an Image Consulting Business 1-2-3
If you have an interest in fashion and a good fashon sense, a career as a fashion consultant may be ideal
for you. There are many people who want help selecting outfits for special occasions or business events because
they want expert advice.
Image
consultants are hired by both individuals and corporate clients. In addition to helping clients enhance
their physical appearance, these professionals provide their clients with expert assistance in social and
communication skills.
There are many opportunities to present seminars and workshops on image enhancement or
wardrobe makeovers, as this topic is consistently in high-demand.
Although image consultant training is not required to break into this field, those who have perfected their
skills are more likely to excel in the field. Consultants then can get certified as an Image Professional (CIP)
or an Image Master (CIM) through the Association of Image Consultants International. Learning the ropes from an
experienced image consultant can be a valuable asset to starting your own image consulting business.
Because of this field's growing popularity, there are many image consulting specialities and titles,
including Makeup Analysis, Appearance Management, Fashion Consulting, Fashion
Styling, Image Management, Makeover Consulting, Perception Management, Personal Branding, Visual Branding and
Wardrobe Consulting.
People hire fashion consultants because they can save them time. These professional stylists are
knowledgeable and have a long list of resources they can pull from, so they can provide solutions to their
clients quickly.
Therefore, if you want clients to hire you, you need to know current fashions. Reading magazines, attending
fashion shows and networking with other image specialists in the field is essential.
Want to save yourself some time? Get the inside scoop on becoming an image consultant from
over 30 professional image consultants, including Michael Thurmond of ABC TV's Extreme Makeover.
With step-by-step instructions, you won't have to worry about what to do next.
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See what you get >>
How to start your image consulting business with
little or no money- How to set up your office, price your services and identify potential clients
- How to market your image consulting services, get referrals from other businesses and select strategic
partners to increase your profits
- Image consultancy contracts, invoices and more
Start an Image Consulting Business
Image Consultant Business Resources:
Many people overlook the money-saving benefits of Microsoft Office software or Office Professional. With this software
(which you may already have), you can complete many tasks yourself without having to pay someone else,
like:
- Track projects and events on a business calendar (which you can print out) so you don't
miss important deadlines
- Create professional-quality marketing materials (like brochures, newsletters and business cards)
without having to pay a designer
- Design company presentations for clients that help you make more sales,
- Manage customer databases and track inventory so you can run your company at top
efficiency
- And put together contracts, proposals, flyers, budgets, invoices, receipts and all sorts of documents
quickly with 100's of business form templates.
Marketing Your Image Consulting Services
1. Set up a simple
website for under $50/year to advertise your image consulting services. Help people find
you in the search engines: get listed
in 20 search engines for free or in 300 search engines for $4.
2. Local Search is
becoming more and more popular. People are many times using online search instead of the traditional
yellow pages to find local businesses. Local Search sources that are affordable and receive substantial
traffic include: Google Local, Yelp, Super Pages and Insider Pages.
3. Postcard Marketing
Do a postcard mailing to introduce your image consulting business to potential customers in your area. Using
low-cost online services makes this an easy marketing task. First, decide on a special offer or hold a grand
opening sale. Second, design your postcards online using professional postcard templates with VistaPrint
(you can get 50% off here). And
third, get targeted leads from a lead generation company like Resource Nation.
4. Email Marketing
If you have a website (how to set up a website) for
your image consulting business, you can save even more money by marketing to your customers by email. No email
list? No problem. Email marketing companies like ConstantContact will help you build a customer list with their
customizable website sign-up form.
They also give you email templates you can use to design professional emails. Their program delivers
emails for you, and they include real-time reporting. You can try their service free for 60 days, no credit
card is required. Start now: ConstantContact 60-day free trial.
5. 29 Ways to Find New
Clients
Find out what promotion strategies work - from experts. Get many more low cost, easy and even free marketing
tricks with this downloadable guide >> Small Business Marketing
Strategies
Also See:
- Sales Letter Templates Written by an expert marketer, just like fill-in-the-blank.
Great for contacting potential clients via mail, email or even use on your website.
- Instant Marketing Toolbox Useful stuff you can really use, including sales letters,
telephone scripts, order forms, postcards, flyers, signage and more
Image Consulting Associations
- Association of Image Consultants International
AICI is a non profit organization that supports of the development of the image consulting profession. They
offer continuing education to members, the annual image consulting conference and helps image consultants
meet potential clients.
