Congrats!

Congratulations to our members who completed
New Member/Image Review Training!

Jennifer Betts

Kathy Callan

Amanda Levy

Brian Lipstein

Theresa Olson

Jocelyne Walker

New Member Training Course

If you are planning to participate in the new member training course, here is some info you will need.

- Training will be via conference call and will be two 45-minute sessions per month for three months. (Cell minutes or normal long distance rates will apply.)

- Teleclass sessions will be on Tuesday evenings, 8-8:45pm (that is the only evening I have available on a regular basis).

- You will need to order the text we will be working with:

Looking Good: A Comprehensive Guide to Wardrobe Planning, Color & Personal Style Development by Nancy Nix-Rice. It is a standard text in the industry and touches on almost every aspect of style and image. Amazon.com has them new and used.

- Any AICI OH/PA member is welcome to participate in any of the sessions. If you are not yet an AICI member, we ask that you join the organization before April 15^th if you would like to be a part of this course.

- If you have been an AICI member for under a year and participate in at least 5 of the classes and complete all of the assignments, you will receive a certificate of completion.

- Having this course under your belt will be a great foundation for your business and will get you off to a strong start. In addition, if you wish to sharpen your skills and build on your knowledge base, this is a great (and free!) resource we're providing for our members

SYLLABUS

Session 1 May 6 Intro to Image Consulting

Session 2 May 20 The Basics of Color

Session 3 June 3 Personal Style Evaluation/Fashion Personality
Session 4 June 17 Working with Clients – Wardrobe Evaluation
Session 5 July 8 Working with Clients - Shopping

Session 6 July 22 Marketing & Business Basics

About the Facilitator – Kristen Kaleal
I am a full-time image consultant and personal stylist. I present seminars to corporations, colleges and women's organizations on the topics of professional image and personal style. My personal clientele include television personalities, professional athletes, business people, and women looking to improve their self confidence.

I trained with a former Hollywood wardrobe consultant and at the London Image Institute under Lynne Marks, one of the seven Certified Image Masters in the world.

I teach fashion consulting at Virginia Marti College of Art & Design and am an online and print columnist. I am regularly featured as an expert in the local media. My newsletter goes to over 16,000 people on 6 continents.

New & Prospective Members Conference Call Minutes

(Thanks to Erica for typing these up)

CONFERENCE CALL FOR NEW & PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS

MEETING MINUTES - 1/29/08

General Information

• AICI is an international organization with around 1200 members.
• Our chapter started in Ohio and had recently branched out with a sub chapter in Philadelphia.
• Intro of our board (KK and ETD were the only ones on the call)
• We get together every quarter to have a discussion with other image consulting professionals on things going on in the field. We generally meet in Columbus as a general mid way point.
• We had our first retreat in Cleveland this past summer but there is talk of hosting the next one in Pittsburgh in 2009.
• AICI members and affiliates come from a variety of backgrounds
• Some image consultants go by the name: Personal Shopper, Stylist, Etiquette Consultant, Branding Expert, Wardrobe Consultant, Media Consultant, Visual Communications Expert, etc.
• Start up cost in the industry: The largest part of start up is training. Most training is held outside of Ohio although there are some online trainings available (available on the resource page of the AICI website) The particular online training mentioned on the call was Joyce Knudsen’s www.imagemaker1.com
• Susan Abrams, International VP of Membership will email a list of questions to ask/interview a potential trainer to Kristen Kaleal so that it can be distributed to those on the call (See below)

Membership/AICI Information

• You can get a discounted rate for joining AICI as a student from an accredited university/institution and majoring in something related to the image consulting field
• You do not have to have started your own business or be in a student status to join AICI
• Currently the FLC exam is given once a year at conference in the United States and AICI tries to hold it out of the country to reach its international members at other times of the year
• AICI is currently trying to hold another FLC exam in the states and that may be announced at Conference 2008
• If you cannot make conference most of the audio tapes are available for purchase through the AICI website

Benefits of joining AICI

• Learning more about the field/Learn from other consultants
• Getting and bouncing ideas off of other professionals in the field
• Motivation, support, and friendship with other professionals in the field
• Ethical basis and accrediting agency
• Educational opportunities – international conference (Tampa, May 2008) and on the chapter level.
• Resume builder/credibility to your clients
• Marketing from AICI website (potential clients can find a consultant in their area from the AICI site)
• Opportunity to get on the board and enhance your credibility
• Advocate the image industry as a business, as opposed to a hobby

**It is your due diligence to call and interview training companies. Here are some sample questions:

- Will the course cover the core skills required for taking the AICI FLC exam?

- Do the trainers hold certification (AICI, CIP or CIM) with AICI?

- What is the duration of the training course?

- What subjects are covered?

- Does the course include training in marketing and business development?

- What is the size of the class?

- Are there additional costs to the training? (i.e. equipment, drapes, cosmetics etc.)

- What, if any, is the consultant's contractual obligation to the company after training?

- Does the company have an after-training support system for consultants?

- Are opportunities available for further training?

- Does the company provide lists of their consultants to the public on request?

- Does the company have a product line and if so, what is the profit margin and/or potential income from this?

- Is it possible to speak to one or two previous trainees?

Conference Call Agenda

AICI OH/PA CHAPTER

CONFERENCE CALL FOR NEW & PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS
January 29, 2008 ~ 8:00pm ET

1. Welcome & Introduction of Chapter Board
2. What is AICI?
3. Chapter Mission Statement
4. Benefits of being a member
5. Our stories
6. What is certification?
7. How to get started in the industry
8. How can you get involved?
9. Coming events
10. Questions

Let us know what we can do for you!