When George Bernard Shaw was writing ”Pygmalion”, he wouldn’t have dreamed that his character would serve as a model for the business world a century later. Shaw’s story is simple at fi rst sight – Eliza Doolittle is a London fl ower girl with no education, who becomes the object of Henry Higgins’s bet, of turning her into a high-class lady after a few intensive lessons in English speaking and several sessions of image change. Aside from movies and stories, the Pygmalion model is now also employed in the business world. Using a few of Higgins’ tricks, image consultants claim they can actually boost a company’s turnover. Whilst on Western markets image consulting for companies is no longer a novelty, it has only this year gained more prominence in Romania, after the job had been previously performed by the PR department or by the manager’s personal advisers.

Mihaela Berciu and Dana Sota are two of the names that have become involved in image consulting for business. The two have started out more or less the same – with a book. Mihaela Berciu released ”Tinuta pentru succes” (Dress For Success), and Dana Sota ”Frumusetea se invata” (Beauty is Something You Learn) and they have set out to use their showbiz experience to add more glamour to businesspeople.

The difference is that Berciu provides image consulting services, while Sota has focused on the beauty area. ”Image consultants fall into three categories – showbiz, business and political. I think in the business world, image is all the more important since it has to be coherent and very rigorous. I felt this service was particularly needed in the business world,” says Mihaela Berciu. Now, she is a consultant at Qualians, where she organises image seminars upon request.

The seminar, called Executive Presence, takes one day (from 9 to 5), teaches participants basic rules regarding image, how style should be adapted to each career level, and the appropriate style for a business meeting. Dana Sota was also attracted by the unexplored potential of the business world and adapted her message to the fast forward pace of the business world. As a beauty consultant, Dana Sota debuted with a ”trial” workshop, which was attended by 10 women interested in image. ”I started out by explaining the importance of constant skin care, how much can damaged hair or undyed roots can say about the woman in question, how important it is to apply foundation, mascara and lip gloss before leaving for the offi ce. However, for the next few meetings, there will also be stylists, who will show what is suited to each participant, based on their physiognomy, workplace, and basically personalised advice.”