READ THE CASE STUDY

214 O Casestudy In a group situation she tries to build on the experiences of the partici pants. For example. Anne gets them to talk about clothes that they have in their present wardrobes which they hardly ever wear. Very often such clothes are left untouched because they are the wrong colour for the lndividual's season, although this was not realised before the demonstration. This simple exercise gets clients to appreciate the diiference between buying clothes in colours that they like rather than in colours that actually suit them. Many group sessions take on a life of their own even though participants may be meeting for the first time. Conversations often move on from a discussion of the colours that people wear to the makeup and facial cleansing products that they use. Participants share experiences and opinions about dilterent brands that are available on the market. When dealing with groups, Anne has a number otset piecesto her demon- stration that she uses to reinforce the benets of good colour coordination. She brings along a very small suitcase, for example. and demonstrates how you can pack six changes of clothing including accessories into the one case in preparation [or that unexpected 'weekend away'. All that is needed is a good understanding of the colours and shades in the individual's 'season'. The group sessions are not always for corporate clients. Some of her most satisfying sessions have been demonstrations given to patients undergoing occupational therapy at nursing homes. Most of the ladies here are aged between 70 and 90 and can really appreciate re difference that wearing the right colours can make to their appearance. They put on makeup and walk about admiring themselves in the mirror. For many of them the new look can make them appear about twenty years younger. Another group who seem to get a lot from the sessions is young modrers who have spent the last nine months wearing large garments and are trying hard to regain their previous appearance and shape. Although colour advice does not help them physically shed the extra weight, it can make drem feel more condent about their appearance, getting men] to make the most of what they have. Anne feels that although she is called a Colour Consultant she is really in the business of 'confidence building'. What all her clients have in common is their desire to feel better about themselves and improve their seiHmage. it is often the case that the most 'hostile clients" the ones who tell her at the beginning of a session that they already 'know exactly what suits tbem', are the ones who need most help and who lack the most condence. As Anne's business cards stress, 'Complete image will show you how to look good, to feel good and to improve your image! Building long-term relationships With her individual clients, Anne believes that the key to success is developing long-term relationships with them. She keeps record cards of all her clients, detailing the service she has provided and information about how they came to contact her in the first place. Many of her regular clients have been customers for many years. Although they initially received the colour advice. they have subsequently received help with make-up and wardrobe planning. The latter service means that Anne needs to have a Anne Dulnhetk. Cebu Cornuliaru O 225 detailed understanding of the individual's lifestyle as well as the contents of their wardrobe! She accompanies many of her regular clients on shopping expeditions, particularly if they are buying an outfit for a special occasion and are prepared to spend more money than usual. Often when shopping alone Anne might see an outfit that she knows would suit a certain client. She will ring them up and suggest that they look at it. These clients rely heavily on Anne's expert judgement. Anne offers a special service for weddings. Not only does she give advice on the outfits for the bride and bridesmaids, but she also coordinates the total colour theme for the special day, advising on the best colours for the groom. best man and parents of the couple, In order that the owers form an important part of the total 'look' on the big day, Anne works closely with the florist. As a qualified hairdresser. Anne can look after the full range of beauty treatments for the bride including halr colouring and make-up. Forecasting demand One of the molar problems with the colour consultancy work is that demand can uctuate considerably lmm one month to the next. Anne may find herself inundated with requests for wedding consultancies during the spring and summer months. and special occasion work around Christmas. but have periods in between which are relatively quiet. She overcomes this problem to some extent by working part-time at a local hair and beauty salon in order to keep up to dare with developments in the hairdressing world. It is also difficult for her to gauge how much business has been generated from group demonstrations. as individual clients may not come to her until almost a year after they have taken part in a group session. Anne feels that this can be explained by the fact that many people perceive her service as a 'treat', a once in a lifetime service iheycan only afford it they have that extra little bit of money. In contrast, in America, and some parts of mainland Europe, wardrobe consultancy is viewed as an integral part of a woman's weekly or monthly beauty regime. it is very difficult to convince people about the benefits of a service like colour consultancy when they may not fully appreciate the benets themselves until long after the session. For some it may take weeks, months or even years before they realise how much better they look or how much money they can Eve by following the simple guidelines. Pricing it is partly because of the way that people perceive the service that Anne has to be fairly exible with her pricing structure. People are generally reluctant to pay very much money upfront before they have had a chance to experience the benefits of colour consultancy. Although she always tries to make sure that she charges less than the price charged by the franchised colour houses for individual colour consultations, she finds that she can spend almost two hours with customers who visit [or the first time. giving 226 . Casestudy them advice, not only on colour but also on makeup. She charges only 40 for such a session. A makeup lesson is 17 and bridal makeup is usually 30. She does not have a set price for the range of other services that she offers, for example, wardrobe consultancy and shopping visits, but will tailor the price to the needs of the individual client. Creating the ambiance Anne is able to keep the business costs fairly low by doing most of the work from home. She has a room in the house which she uses exclusively for the mlour sessions, and has designed it specically to create the right impres sion on her clients. The furnishings are carefully colour coordinated and the seats are arranged to make maximum use of daylight. Natural light is important for establishing the client's correct 'season'. When people rst come to the house Anne is aware that they look closely both at the appearance of the house and, more importantly. at her own appearance to help them decide whether she is qualied to advise them. Many of them, however, will have already formed some expectation about what to expect from the friends who recommended her service in the first instance. Anne believes that first impressions are very important and can contribute greatly to the success of the session. All the clients receive a wallet of colour swatches to take away with them at the end of their session. This reminds them, when they go shopping, which colours to select and which to avoid. However, Anne encourages all her clients to 'pop back' to the house at any time to get her advice if they are unsure about any purchase. Although she buys her make-up and the colour wallets ready prepared from one supplier, she gives them the personal touch by adding extra colours which might suit a particular individual, and she includes her per- sonal card. With any make-up that clients may buy from her, Anne always gives them the opportunity to return items if they are not satisfied. She simply uses any unwanted items in her demonstration pack. She does not proactively sell the make-up items during the demonstrations, but finds that many clients like to buy a little something to take away as a memento of the occasion. Often they also want to be able to recreate the exact 'loolt' that Anne has created during the session. Many of Anne's clients contact her after their session to tell her how the colour coordination is working out. For Anne this feedback is one of the most satisfying parts of the work. For example. one elderly client arrived for an individual session and explained that she wanted to know how to improve her appearance. Anne gave her a full colour and make-up analysis and asked her to keep in contact to tell her what a difference it had made to her life. The following day the client telephoned Anne in a very emotional state to thank her for her advice. She said that on the previous evening, when she had returned home after the session, she was sitting in the lounge knitting under a lampshade when her husband walked in, looked at her and said, 'You look very beautiful tonight dear'. The lady was absolutely astounded. She informed Anne on the telephone that he had never told her that she looked beautiful in all the years they had been married. Anne Duininerlr, Colour Consultant 0 227 The future Anne feels there are many more people who could benefit from the colour consultancy service. She is also aware of the growing number of consultants entering the market all offering a very similar package. She continues to rely on word-of-mouth to generate more clients but wonders whether she should start advertising again in the local paper to stimulate more interest. She may have as many clients as she can handle at the moment but realises that It is important to plan for the future. Want Objectives: This can be considered as a secondary objective that the institution may need to consider. This is not a must, but the institution may consider doing for it may help support the Must Objective. Part V Alternative Course of Action - Here the group should clearly Identified a viable, attainable, measurable and facts base alternative solutions. The ACOA must state a clear and feasible solutions or answer to every problem, improvement, and objective of the study, it must have basis. It can be result of a survey, interviews from both the institution and customer, direct observation, and even previous study conducted. Part VI Plan of Action - The plan of Action (POA) must be clearly identified based on the stated ACOA. The group must identify the best alternative that can be used as an immediate action that will address the identified Problem and or Improvement. The group must provide the following: 1. Time frame of action to be taken. 2. The possible outcome of the case study in terms of: a. market share b. customer preferences c. productivity d. profitability. 3. The cost of implementing the Plan of Action (POA) must be clearly identified.l L. 'Part 1:TIMEFRAME From the case study, it can be identified three-time frames that form the basis of the narration of different happenings. the first time frame is past moments narration- whereby, the time frame gives a background information summary of the events that were connected to the author's past life moments. For example, it is at this past time moment the story explains the author's departure from school, an early career( hairdresser and beautician) and also her earlier place of stay which was London. the second time frame reflects on the present moments' narration events- whereby, under this time frame the story reveals Anne's commitment to a present event which is the colour consultancy work. the last time frame is future moments- in the conclusion paragraph, the story reveals Anne's expectations to make more sales at a future time, in which the author explains her committed desire of planning for the future. The introduction of future moments is an indication the story may be written more about Anne to capture the story of the events that will happen. Part 2 VIEWPOINT The narrator explains the character's insights from a third-person perspective limited point of view. The narrator elaborates his or her stand from the perspective of a career which is evidence of Anne's hairdressing career, then the concept of family where Anne has children, later professionalism- of which clearly Anne intends to pursue more in her innovative profession- the colour consultancy and shows little concern for the initial career. This summary is a literal concept to depict how the modern society of elites and professionals struggle to identify their paths of productivity despite being well-equipped with professional skills and knowledge. Entirely through the narration- the narrator explains his or her specific stand on positive results of hard work views, opinions and thoughts from the dimension of one character's processes. Of which, entirely the thoughts of the author reflect on Anne's events, career and professionalism. it is clear from the introductory paragraph to the conclusion the story plot is based on the specific main character's professional career, then flashes back to reveal the background information. The ending part also foreshadows the thoughts of the narrator about the character Anne in a future moment. The overall thoughts of the narrator credit the main character as committed, determined, innovative, goal-oriented and hardworking. From the case study, Anne after school is concerned about hairdressing and beautician where she demonstrates her goal-getting ambitions and she opts to venture into another innovative business of colour consultation. Pan Ill Central Problem The central problem in this case study is that Anne Duinkerk is struggling to make sales despite being a well-equipped and experienced professional. Anne has been in the business for over 10 years and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the area of colour consultancy. However, she has been unsuccessful in making sales and has been forced to take on otherjobs to make ends meet. Anne is clearly passionate about her work and is determined to succeed, but she has not been able to find the formula for success. One possible area of improvement for Anne would be to focus on her marketing and sales strategies. Anne needs to find a way to attract potential clients and convert them into paying customers. She may need to invest in some marketing materials, such as a website or brochures, and consider different ways to promote her business. Additionally, Anne should focus on building relationships with potential clients and developing a sales process that works for her. Another possible area of improvement would be to focus on her service delivery. Anne needs to ensure that she is providing a high-quality service that meets the needs of her clients. She should focus on creating a positive customer experience and ensuring that her clients are satisfied with the results of her work. Additionally, Anne should consider ways to differentiate her service from her competitors. Anne needs to focus on her marketing and sales strategies, her service delivery, and her relationships with potentiai clients if she wants to be successful in her business. Part IV Objectives The objectives of the proposal are to help Anne improve her sales techniques so that she can make more sales in the future. In order to achieve this, the proposal will focus on three main areas: 1] Helping Anne to better understand her customers 2] Teaching Anne how to use body language to her advantage 3) Giving Anne some tips on how to close a sale it is hoped that by addressing these areas, Anne will be able to increase her sales and reach her _goals. in order to help Anne better understand her customers, the proposal will firstly look at the different types of customers she is likely to encounter. It will then provide advice on how to deal with each type of customer, in order to better understand their needs and wants. Once Anne has a better understanding of her customers, the proposal will then focus on how she can use body language to her advantage. It is important that Anne is aware of the non- verbal cues she is giving off, as these can bejust as important as the words she uses when trying to sell something. Finally, the proposal will give Anne some tips on how to close a sale. This is often the most difficult part of the sales process, but by following the advice in this section, Anne should be able to increase her success rate. By following the advice in this proposal, Anne should be able to improve her sales techniques and make more sales in the future. Must Objectives The objective of this study is to help Anne improve her sales techniques and make more sales in the future. This objective is a must to follow and achieve in order to help the company improve its productivity and achieve its goals. There are several ways to help Anne improve her sales techniques. One way is to provide her with training on how to effectively sell the company's products and services. This training can be in the form of workshops, seminars, or even online courses. Another way to help Anne improve her sales techniques is to give her feedback on her performance. This feedback can be in the form of one-on-one meetings, group meetings, or even written reports. The goal is to help Anne understand what she is doing well and what she can improve upon. In order to make more sales in the future, Anne needs to be more proactive in her sales efforts. She needs to identify potential customers and reach out to them. She also needs to follow up with potential customers and keep them updated on the company's products and services. Additionally, Anne needs to create a sales plan that outlines her goals and strategies for making more sales. By following these steps, Anne can improve her sales techniques and make more sales in the future. Case study 3 Anne Duinkerk, Colour Consultant The service Anne Duinkerk is a professional colour consultant. She advises clients about the colour of clothing and make-up that they should wear, based on an analysis of their natural skin tone, eye colour and, more generally, lifestyle. She carries out 'coiour analysis' on her clients. The axiom on which colour analysis hinges is that every person has a 'season' of colours, based on their skin tone and eye colour, which they should wear to make the most of their appearance. A summer person for example should wear soft muted shades: soft whites and blue, rose and grey undertones. A winter person, however, can wear bolder, cool colours and is the only 'season' to wear black and white. Wearing the wrong colour can result in a pale, sallow or muddy com- plexion, accentuating lines or shadows around the mouth and nose. The right colour, however, can smooth and clarify the complexion. Skin will look naturally healthy and lines with shadows and dark circles round the eyes kept to a minimum. Anne tells her clients: As you grt older you start to get firm on your fact, but the right colours ran in fact soften them. Putting the wrong colours on can create oli' sorts of illusions, such as making you look as ifyou've got a double chin. which can be what people member about you. To establish her clients' season, Anne removes all existing make-up and places the clients' faces in direct sunlight. A white cloth is then draped around the neck to highlight the natural skin-tone. Anne might then hold a piece of warm gold and silver cloth against their face. if it is the wrong colour, the face will look drained: with the right colour, the complexion will glow. This provides the starting point for further analysis. 222 Anne Diinlrerlg Colour Consultant . 223 Background Anne operates as a sole trader. When she left school, she trained as a hairdresser and a beautician. Her apprenticeship covered every aspect of beauty, including the basics of cosmetics and even wigmakiog. She worked part-time in London until she had her children, and then she decided to pursue her interest in colour work in a more systematic manner. She began reading about the subject, attending colour demonstrations and making enquiries about the cost of formal training. There was the opportunity to open a franchise business with the House of Colour, but Anne rejected this avenue, not only because of the high initial start-up costs, but also because of the constraints that she felt would be imposed on her freedom of operation. Her 'training' In colour work was provided by a lady in the north-west of England, who believed in learning through 'doing' rather than relying heavily on textbooks. She encouraged Anne to team about colour coordination by visiting material shops in Manchester. collecting her own colour swatches of different coloured materials and matching them together. Nowadays, newcomers to colour consultancy can obtain the colour swatches by simply buying them from the colour houses Although there are many other Individuals and organisations offering the \"colour consultancy service', particularly to the south of England, Anne feels that her halrdressingfbeauticiao background gives her a distinct com- petitive advantage. Although her clients may be paying for colour consult- ancy when they arrive at her house, she can give them advice on hairstyle and colour and make-up, which she feels are all crucial components of the complete 'look'. Colour consultancy was well established in the south of England when Anne first started. but there was little interest from customers around Manchester. Consequently, she had to spend some time communicat- ing to different groups about the benets of the service. Newspaper advertise- ments did not seem to he very effective, so Anne began by offering demon- strations to corporate clients who were generally interested in ways of improving the appearance of their front-line employees. Group demonstrations Anne still finds company demonstrations very rewarding and challenging even though she now has many individual clients (some of whom were generated by word-otmuuih recommendations from earlier demonstrations). She admits that they require a very different style of delivery from the individual consultations that still make up almost 70 per cent of her work- load. She has to be much more 'professional" and have a very well-rehearsed script. She often feels that a group can be much more sceptical about the long-term benets of colour consultancy. Although they may not be paying for the service themselves there is occasionally some resentment from employees who feel that their boss is trying to tell them what to wear. in these circumstances Anne has to use her iull range of interpersonal skills and perhaps more importantly be exible with her delivery