A woman walked into my studio yesterday, looked at this capsule of clothes, and smiled as wide as an excited girl would. She got this excited because she saw the clothes and accessories as a true reflection and embodiment of her true and best self. Woo Hoo! This could only happen because of how I often know what you need before you do. This capsule represents a vision of who my client truly is, and she could never have seen it or have been able to articulate it until she could visualize it. Woo Hoo!
Remember Carly Simon’s famous song, “Anticipation?” Anticipation is at the very heart of what I do with my clients. In fact, it’s one of the things that makes my level of service and expertise stand out from what others can offer. My clients would surely agree that I often know what you need before you do.
It’s not enough to know fashion and trends in my line of work. Too many people claim to know about this stuff, and still struggle to be successful. This is because fashion and trends only sell in the present moment of here and now. But, because I often know what you need before you do, I am only interested in selling you on you.
You need to know that, although I often know what you need before you do, this isn’t about my ego. It’s coming from a place of service.
A man walked into my studio last night and became my newest client. Our very first in person conversation included strategizing the scope of his focus. Did he really want to concentrate on how he looks only in social situations? I knew a bit about his personal life because he shared some details with me. Yet, I didn’t know much at all about his professional life so I asked him to tell me something about it. As we talked, I anticipated that he doesn’t separate how he projects his style across professional and social settings.
As we discussed the issue that I anticipated, he agreed completely with the assessment. Giving focus to his work style would only help him find more success with his social style. Especially since he is single, he ultimately wanted to take full advantage of how our working together could help him.
Last week, I followed up with a client who took up the challenge of seeing himself in a whole new light in one single day. He wanted new eyewear. We went to a reputable and upscale shop with an excellent selection of frames. In a short amount of time, I zeroed in on a particular frame that I felt would give his style a particular boost.
This is yet another example of how I often know what you need before you do. Why? Because even though I was very clear about these frames, he was not. He had the shop hold them for a week so he could think it over.
We went back the following Friday for a quick follow up. And, after considering another pair of frames, he ended up solidly fixed on the ones that I had been certain of. In anticipating his needs, I could see a clearer direction for his aesthetic than he could. All that mattered, though, is that he could come around to see it, too. How ironic that it was all about eyeglasses.
At the extreme end of the bell curve, I have some clients who are like my muses. Maybe this is a strange way of thinking of clients. After all, they’re with me for guidance and coaching, not to be the source of inspiration for my work. But, a deeper look into these relationships reveals that my sense of knowing these clients runs so deep that they are prepared to surrender to the experience and implicitly trust in my knowing what they need before they do.
These individuals are developing a very deep sense of self. Their long held beliefs and conventional wisdom all need to be challenged. They uniquely inspire my work in that I know them so intuitively that I must push their boundaries in order to move beyond my own.
As a very rich example of how effective this is, I knew that one such “muse level” client has such star power, if only she would get out of her own way. Once she surrendered to the experience, wonderful things have come her way. Her strong sense of personal style has brought her to the core of her personal power. Of course, she looks absolutely fabulous and pulled together to the nth degree. But, this has given her to ability to surpass her own expectations. She stopped seeing a therapist. Her relationships with her grown children are strong and healthy. She met a great guy only a few months ago. And this weekend, she just got engaged.
When she told me the big news of the engagement and that I need to select a ring and wedding dress for the upcoming nuptials, she offered me some feedback about what she might prefer. In about one minute, I quieted her by saying, “You know that I often know what you need before you do. So let me do my thing for you and stop worrying about it.”
Then get out of your own way. Let life take on a direction that is entirely of your making, but resided only in your dreams.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps successful Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs and executives discover their personal brands and design their personal styles. Get Joseph’s free report that helps you know “7 Ways to Transform Your Personal Style”.
