How to Choose the Right Image Consultant for your Company? If you're looking to hire an Image consultant for your organisation, these tips will help you in choosing the right one
By Jainee Gandhi •
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Hiring an Image consultant was like a privilege a few years back, but now with the world going global and the need to project the right image in personal, social and professional life, the need for hiring an image consultant is increasing by the day.
Choosing the right image consultant for your organisation is extremely important and not easy nowadays with the influx of professional Image consultants, some certified, some non-certified, working on all or few aspects of image consulting.
If you are looking to hire an Image consultant for your organisation, below are few tips that will help you in choosing the right image consultant.
Check around for references.
You will be surprised that how many of your known associates or other corporates have hired an image consultant to work with them. So the first step is to check around and see if anyone you know has references. This will give you a first-hand information and work of the image consultant that you can consider.
Know your WHY
It is important to know why you want to hire an image consultant. Every organisation has a different set of challenge for which they need to hire a consultant, It can be for office etiquette, for executive presence, for dining etiquette, so on and so forth. Every consultant comes with different types of skill set and not every consultant is a perfect match for you. Knowing why you want to hire an image consultant is another way to vet/sort your search. The possibilities are unlimited and the knowledge of at least few "whys" will help you a great deal in choosing the right image consultant for you.
Search image consultants online.
Now, this is applicable to a fresh search for an image consultant or applicable for references that you got. Image consultants train people on how to manage their brand, their impression, their reputation, so it is essential to see how they manage their brand. Website and linkedin will give you an insight of the image consultant. Their website and other social media will talk about them, but what you need to check is how neat, classy and informative their online presence is.
How do they present themselves?
It is important that the image consultant you hire understands your office culture, the industry at large and the profile of participants. The whole point is, as an image consultant are they dressed and groomed well. You are hiring an expert and the expert has to practice what it preaches. An image consultant has to inspire you when you meet them.
Do the topics work for you?
Every image consultant as a freelancer or a company will have certain packages and or topics they specialize in. You have to see if that matches your training need requirements. Some consultants have a set of fixed training topics, session plan or programs and some have a variable more flexible training. So you need to read the program details or the package details and see if that works for you. If you are comfortable with the fixed program details that they have mentioned then its all right, however if your organisation wants a customised training, than check accordingly.
The pricing has to be right for you.
Again consultants have a fixed package with fixed pricing and some have a variable more flexible pricing approach. For example, some consultants charge by the hour with a minimum hour requirement and some charge per day or per participant with the number of hours mentioned, or some might have a fixed package of a number of days with topics mentioned. So you need to read the program details or the package details. As a company representative, you should know whether you are paying for a novice or an expert image consultant and their pricing will vary as well. Do check for refunds policy or flexibility if you are booking their service in advance.
Don't be a guinea pig
An organisation has the the right to know what type of corporate clients your image consultant has worked with. This will let you know and give you a clear idea of their experience as a subject matter expert. If you know they are novice then there will be a difference in their approach to working with you vs an experienced one. So be wise and know exactly what you are getting into, don't be a guinea pig.
