When Business NH Magazine announced a call in the February issue for readers to apply for a career-transforming image makeover with Susan Osborne of Be Image Consulting, emails started rolling in from men and women of all ages and professional backgrounds. Apparently, this struck a chord.
Winnowing the pool of deserving candidates to one was tough, and, in the end, the opportunity to refine, and redefine, a personal brand went to Heidi Bellamente, a leadership development consultant and coach, and mother of two toddlers, who toggles between working from her home in the Seacoast and commuting to Washington D.C. to meet with government clients.
So why does this charismatic and energetic professional think she needs an image makeover? As she put it in her pitch, “First, my image is not doing my talent justice. My clothes, hair and make-up are all patched together from what I consider to now be a past life. They are a combination of what was on sale, what’s easy and what is left in my closet. While experience, knowledge and creativity are my strong suits, my literal suits say ‘young, ill-fitting, stuffy and drab’—not exactly the kind of style that ropes people in for a conversation.”
Bellamente says she read Osborne’s article about why people should evaluate and improve their personal presence several times before submitting her essay.
It’s Not a Fashion Makeover
Before we delve any further, it’s important to note this isn’t a print version of those quick-change fashion makeovers you see on morning television. While first impressions are very important, there is lot more to it than that.
“I can see how people would think it’s superficial. It’s not about making people over,” Osborne says, adding it’s a disservice when morning talk shows take someone from the audience in jeans and put her in a gown. She says such makeovers don’t take into account the person’s daily life, professional endeavors, their preferences nor the essence of their personality. “It doesn’t get to the heart of who that person is and getting them to a point where can duplicate it for themselves, Osborne says.
Osborne says the clients that seek her services tend to be successful professionals that want to take their professional image, and career, to the next level. “They are intelligent and established in their careers. When I show them the dressing part of it, it frees them. For some women it’s a bone of contention—‘I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it’,” Osborne says.
Osborne teaches clients that being purposeful about how they dress and present themselves is another tool to achieve their goals. “It’s looking deliberate,” Osborne says.
Beyond clothing, Osborne coaches professional men and women how to learn effective “presence” skills that complement their talent with a strong outer appearance. The image techniques she helps people finesse include body language, appearance and all forms of etiquette (introductions, networking, dining). Her goal is to increase her clients’ visibility and transform their careers.
While Bellamente feels confident in her expertise, her wardrobe made her feel less confident in front of clients. “I feel I come across as young and inexperienced, even though I have 10 years of experience in HR,” Bellamente says.
“She is a very intelligent woman, but she is starting in the negative because walking in the room she looks like a recent college grad when she is a talented professional with something to offer people,” Osborne says of the 37-year-old.
Osborne began coaching Bellamente by talking about her wardrobe. The idea is to match her wardrobe with her level of professionalism and send an instant nonverbal message to clients and prospects that while fun and energetic, she is someone to take seriously.
“We dug deeper into her values to teach her how to dress according to her values and goals and what she is trying to project out to the world about herself,” Osborne says. “She is intelligent and a go-getter but there was an aspect of her brand that was missing as to how she was coming across visually.”
During the course of the next few months, we will follow Bellamente’s journey in polishing personal brand and the lessons she learns from working with her professional
image consultant.
In subsequent issues, Osborne and Bellamente will also explore body language, gravitas and personal presentation skills.
“It’s what I needed. It’s finding out how to create that image,” Bellamente says. “I think the shift is in understanding how powerful a personal brand is really.”
For more information on building a personal brand, visit BusinessNHmagazine.com to find Osborne’s original article from February, “Brand Aid: Uplifting Your Office Presence” and a new article, “Basic Style Rules for Businessmen.”
In their first meeting, Osborne had Bellamente bring in three outfits that she would wear professionally, including one she wears for presentations.
Osborne observes that much of Bellamente’s wardrobe has items with details meant to “jazz” them up. Osborne advises keeping professional clothes simple and avoiding details like ruffles or elaborate stitching on coats which can make clothes look dated.
Osborne observes Bellamente’s dress shoes are worn. Bellamente cops to taking a sharpie to them to spruce them up. Osborne asks, “If you saw me in these shoes, what would you think?” According to Osborne, this is a perfect example of sending a message. The shoe is working against her verbal communication with people. It distracts. “We want to minimize as many distractions as possible and have people focused on your and your command center—your face.”
Osborne says people often don’t pay enough attention to fabric, pointing out that a red jacket Bellamente often wears for client meetings is not professional enough. “It reads too casual,” Osborne says.
Osborne went over Bellamente’s colors—what looks good on her visually—and discovered she is an “Autumn,” which includes warm, muted tones.
Shopping after the Initial Consultation
Clothing doesn’t have to be expensive to look good. It needs to be high quality, though. Look at how the piece is sewn together, whether it has a liner, whether it is durable, Osborne says.
Osborne advised Bellamente to invest in high-end durable fabrics and to make sure they are fitted to her body type. Bellamente says her new pieces add to her sense of confidence.
Osborne had Bellamente stay in the warm, autumn color palette but chose the brightest in that range to match her personality. Bellamente says she used to hate to shop and felt overwhelmed but now knows what to look for.
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