Have you ever had someone tell you they were going to do something and then they don't? Worse yet, there's the excuses that follow. I didn't have time, I don't have the money, I tried, blah, blah, blah. If you think about it, "try" is a weak term. Trying means you don't actually have to accomplish something. It's an attempt, but there's no guarantee or certainty of a result. I'm not a fan of that word. If you are REALLY going to do something, there would be an outcome, right? When you say you're going to "try", it's an excuse to not really get it done. If you find yourself doing this with your business, there is no time like the present to snap out of it and create a better plan so that you're actually doing, rather than just going through the motions of trying. Trust me, your bank account will thank you.
Have you heard the term, "how you do anything is how you do everything?" Keep in mind, no one stops you from doing anything, but you. Not to say there aren't many distractions throughout the day. Believe me, I'm the first one to admit to that and I used to place a lot of blame on others for why I couldn't get things done. If only my husband would---, if only my daughter would take longer naps, if only my clients would--- Stop worrying about what other people do, it's what you do that counts. What in your life is stopping you from having the business and income that you say you want? Whatever the answers, stop using them as excuses to stop yourself. Some of the biggest excuses are "I don't have the money" or "I don't have time" or I'm too busy". HOGWASH! You either have excuses or you have results. When it comes down to it, how badly do you want it? If you really want it, make the decision and make the time. Enough with the excuses already!! If you need more clients and you know you should be going to realtor association meetings to network with real estate agents, but you don't because you don't have time, you're creating your own demise. It could be as simple as putting the weekly meetings into your calendar so it's a scheduled appointment that you have to go to.
I've learned that I am solely responsible for the choices in my life - for every action and non-action. When I used to say I didn't have enough time, I couldn't honestly say that I spent all my time wisely. There were plenty of hours in front of the television watching mindless programs when I could have been doing more productive things. There may be a couch potato or two that can relate to that.
Really think about what you say and what you do. If there are incongruencies there, take a minute to think about that and see where you may need to change your behavior and start doing things differently. And believe me, the biggest challenge is not lack of knowledge, it's actually the lack of implementation and procrastination - both are self-sabotage techniques.
Are you willing to change your behavior and start doing things differently? Here are a 3 things to help you move closer to a better you. 1) Eliminate "try" from your vocabulary and replace it with DO because it's either you DO or you DON'T. Can't really argue with that. 2) Make a commitment to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal - grow your business, make more money, strike a work/life balance and 3) hold yourself accountable (to someone else). That's why coaching and masterminding are so effective. If there is someone that you respect and trust will help keep you accountable, ask them to be your accountability partner and set a schedule to talk with one another regularly. I recently implemented this practice myself. My accountability partner and I are scheduled to talk every Monday at 10am for about 30 minutes. We do a quick email confirmation on Fridays that we're set to chat Monday and it's been very helpful to both of us already.
As we enter the new year, eliminate the excuses and behaviors that sabotage you. Take control of your actions and see what a difference it'll make. You'll thank youself.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
"5 Marketing Strategies to Stimulate Your Staging Business"
As we are nearing the end of one year and heading into a new year, it's a great time to reflect on what has worked in your business and what needs improvement. One area that frequently gets passed up for what we believe to be "more important" things is marketing. What we as Home Stagers need to understand is that we are not in the business of Staging Homes. We are actually in the business of marketing our Home Staging business. As one of my mentors always says, "the marketing is more important than the mastery". Think about this for a second. We could be the best Stager around. We know exactly how to plan out the optimum floor plan, choose the best colors, turn crack houses into model homes, but if we don't market ourselves and get the business, we will never get to optimize that floor plan, choose those colors or create those beautiful spaces and get paid for it.
I recently had a conversation with a Staging Designer who admitted that she had not had to market her business the last few years, and in all fairness, she didn't really have to - or did she? The real estate market was very strong until recent months and business just came to her. But as we got further into our conversation, she also mentioned that she was upset with herself that she hadn't increased her prices like she should have and now that the market has turned, it is going to be difficult to raise her rates and she's tired of working with all the "cheap" clients. So I posed a question to her. Despite the fact that she was getting business without much effort, what if she had actually marketed her services to other realtors? Could she have gotten better, high paying clients which would have allowed her to eliminate the penny pinching cheapskates that were keeping her busy, but broke? That's the milli*n dollar question.
If that resonates with you, now is as good a time as any to reevaluate what you've been doing, how you've been doing it and improve upon it. First, and foremost, make marketing your Staging business a top priority. Just because the market is slow, does not mean there is no business. There's business and if you're not getting it, someone else is. You have to be in front of your prospects ALL THE TIME so that when they need your services, you're the first person they think of. So let's go back to the dilemma of the soft market and how to raise your rates. Do you think there were a lot of Real Estate Agents who jumped on the real estate bandwagon when the market was hot? How about mortgage brokers? Do you think all of them are still in the game? Well, I would venture to say that the same applies to Home Stagers. There are plenty of Stagers who jumped on the bandwagon who are falling by the wayside every day. What does that mean for you? Less competition, right? Since business is all about supply and demand, if there is less supply out there, meaning less available services, then guess what, your value automatically increases. Capitalize on that. Obviously, having great professional services is a given, but price elasticity may be a moot point here. If you're the "only game in town" or the "best game in town", you will survive and likely thrive in this economy. Raising your prices will not necessarily affect you negatively.
In my ongoing effort to help Home Stagers "stand out from the crowd", I've outlined five marketing strategies that can help you stimulate new business, increase business from existing customers and build repeat business. You do not have to use all of them, but you can certainly use some of them.
1) Create a Frequent Buyer Rewards program. We've all had experiences with the little punch cards or the stamp cards whereby you earn a free product after purchasing a certain number of products. I've carried frequent buyer cards like these in my wallet for car washes, cheese steak sandwiches and bubble tea. As a Stager, you can offer this with your Staging Consultations. Perhaps your Realtor clients can buy 5 to get one free or if they Stage 3 properties with you, they receive one free consultation.
The idea of the frequent buyer type incentive is to encourage the customer to return to your business rather than spreading his business around. To make this type of incentive even more effective you can tie it to an expiration date so that the points have to be accumulated and redeemed within a certain time period. With the Stage 3 properties and receive a free consultation deal, I would definitely limit that to 3 properties within a quarter or something to that effect, not 3 properties over an open ended period of time.
2) Have a Sale. This is the most commonly used marketing strategy in business. Just about every business in America uses discounts at various times in various ways. Just be careful not to overdo it. There was a furniture store nearby that had a "going out of business" sale for 4 years running. The ongoing sale lost its appeal after awhile, especially when you knew the same sale would be available next week, next month and in that case, even the following year.
It's important to have a logical reason for the discount opportunity. Some common ones are inventory overstock, an anniversary, a holiday, an introductory offer for new customers, and a special offer on a new product or service. One strategy that would work well for Stagers, particularly at the end of the year when business slows down is to have an inventory overstock sale. Advertise that your warehouse is overstuffed so in an effort to manage the surplus of available rental inventory, you're having a sale. All Staging projects booked in the month of December receives 25% or even 50% off the regular rental fee.
3) Offer Prepay Agreements. I've seen this a lot with museums and amusement parks. You pay for a season pass that entitles you to use the facilities 'X' number of times or for 'X' length of time rather than paying as you go per visit.
The same idea can be applicable to your staging business. Let's take your Staging Consultations for example. You could sell a membership card good for say 10 consultations in a quarter (that's only 3 a month). If purchased onezy, twozy, the average consultation might be $300, costing the customer about $3000.00. Now by purchasing the card in advance the customer can save $600.00 or 20% off the regular price (essentially getting 2 free consultations). If you sold just one membership a month, you immediately collect $2400.00 and consultations have little to no overhead attached to them. Your only expense is time. Sell 2 or 3 memberships a month and you've increased your cash flow significantly. You can even tier those programs to work with clients at various levels of volume.
4) Accept major credit cards. If you're not already accepting credit cards, I would encourage you to open a merchant account immediately. Every business should accept Visa and MasterCard at the very least . Adding American Express and Discover would be a bonus. The easier you make it for the customer to buy and the more payment options you offer the customer, the better. This also helps you get paid quicker and you don't have to deal with billing customers for recurring payments for extensions on rental inventory. You just automatically charge their credit card when it's time. Keep in mind that when homeowners are selling their properties, their cash flow may be limited due to multiple transactions occurring simultaneously. They could be in the process of buying another property while selling their current home which means there are various expenses fighting for the same wallet, so having the option to pay by credit card may be the determining factor for choosing one Stager over another. It's not always about the price. It may be about convenience.
5) Mail to past and present customers or clients regularly. This is the single most effective marketing strategy that any business can use to build customer loyalty, to retain customers and to stimulate more frequent purchasing by customers. Direct mail efforts can be in different forms such as fliers, postcards, letters or a monthly newsletter.
A regularly published newsletter is an extremely powerful, cost-effective marketing method. When you keep in touch with your clients with your own newsletter you create top of mind consciousness with your customers. They will automatically think of you when it comes time to buy your product. A newsletter is especially valuable when you can pass along useful information and ideas that your customers appreciate and you can continue to demonstrate your expertise in your field. This ultimately results in word-of-mouth advertising. Another perk is that you can advertise sales, special offers, new products, new services, new locations and so on in your own publication.
As a Staging Designer, you could put out a newsletter on home design, home care, and other real estate related topics. You have the option of a hard copy newsletter or an electronic newsletters, otherwise known as an ezine.
Now that you know the five strategies that can help you stimulate new business, increase business from existing customers and build repeat business, think about how to effectively incorporate and use them in your own business. Let your creative energy flow and have fun with it. Happy Marketing in 2009!
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
I recently had a conversation with a Staging Designer who admitted that she had not had to market her business the last few years, and in all fairness, she didn't really have to - or did she? The real estate market was very strong until recent months and business just came to her. But as we got further into our conversation, she also mentioned that she was upset with herself that she hadn't increased her prices like she should have and now that the market has turned, it is going to be difficult to raise her rates and she's tired of working with all the "cheap" clients. So I posed a question to her. Despite the fact that she was getting business without much effort, what if she had actually marketed her services to other realtors? Could she have gotten better, high paying clients which would have allowed her to eliminate the penny pinching cheapskates that were keeping her busy, but broke? That's the milli*n dollar question.
If that resonates with you, now is as good a time as any to reevaluate what you've been doing, how you've been doing it and improve upon it. First, and foremost, make marketing your Staging business a top priority. Just because the market is slow, does not mean there is no business. There's business and if you're not getting it, someone else is. You have to be in front of your prospects ALL THE TIME so that when they need your services, you're the first person they think of. So let's go back to the dilemma of the soft market and how to raise your rates. Do you think there were a lot of Real Estate Agents who jumped on the real estate bandwagon when the market was hot? How about mortgage brokers? Do you think all of them are still in the game? Well, I would venture to say that the same applies to Home Stagers. There are plenty of Stagers who jumped on the bandwagon who are falling by the wayside every day. What does that mean for you? Less competition, right? Since business is all about supply and demand, if there is less supply out there, meaning less available services, then guess what, your value automatically increases. Capitalize on that. Obviously, having great professional services is a given, but price elasticity may be a moot point here. If you're the "only game in town" or the "best game in town", you will survive and likely thrive in this economy. Raising your prices will not necessarily affect you negatively.
In my ongoing effort to help Home Stagers "stand out from the crowd", I've outlined five marketing strategies that can help you stimulate new business, increase business from existing customers and build repeat business. You do not have to use all of them, but you can certainly use some of them.
1) Create a Frequent Buyer Rewards program. We've all had experiences with the little punch cards or the stamp cards whereby you earn a free product after purchasing a certain number of products. I've carried frequent buyer cards like these in my wallet for car washes, cheese steak sandwiches and bubble tea. As a Stager, you can offer this with your Staging Consultations. Perhaps your Realtor clients can buy 5 to get one free or if they Stage 3 properties with you, they receive one free consultation.
The idea of the frequent buyer type incentive is to encourage the customer to return to your business rather than spreading his business around. To make this type of incentive even more effective you can tie it to an expiration date so that the points have to be accumulated and redeemed within a certain time period. With the Stage 3 properties and receive a free consultation deal, I would definitely limit that to 3 properties within a quarter or something to that effect, not 3 properties over an open ended period of time.
2) Have a Sale. This is the most commonly used marketing strategy in business. Just about every business in America uses discounts at various times in various ways. Just be careful not to overdo it. There was a furniture store nearby that had a "going out of business" sale for 4 years running. The ongoing sale lost its appeal after awhile, especially when you knew the same sale would be available next week, next month and in that case, even the following year.
It's important to have a logical reason for the discount opportunity. Some common ones are inventory overstock, an anniversary, a holiday, an introductory offer for new customers, and a special offer on a new product or service. One strategy that would work well for Stagers, particularly at the end of the year when business slows down is to have an inventory overstock sale. Advertise that your warehouse is overstuffed so in an effort to manage the surplus of available rental inventory, you're having a sale. All Staging projects booked in the month of December receives 25% or even 50% off the regular rental fee.
3) Offer Prepay Agreements. I've seen this a lot with museums and amusement parks. You pay for a season pass that entitles you to use the facilities 'X' number of times or for 'X' length of time rather than paying as you go per visit.
The same idea can be applicable to your staging business. Let's take your Staging Consultations for example. You could sell a membership card good for say 10 consultations in a quarter (that's only 3 a month). If purchased onezy, twozy, the average consultation might be $300, costing the customer about $3000.00. Now by purchasing the card in advance the customer can save $600.00 or 20% off the regular price (essentially getting 2 free consultations). If you sold just one membership a month, you immediately collect $2400.00 and consultations have little to no overhead attached to them. Your only expense is time. Sell 2 or 3 memberships a month and you've increased your cash flow significantly. You can even tier those programs to work with clients at various levels of volume.
4) Accept major credit cards. If you're not already accepting credit cards, I would encourage you to open a merchant account immediately. Every business should accept Visa and MasterCard at the very least . Adding American Express and Discover would be a bonus. The easier you make it for the customer to buy and the more payment options you offer the customer, the better. This also helps you get paid quicker and you don't have to deal with billing customers for recurring payments for extensions on rental inventory. You just automatically charge their credit card when it's time. Keep in mind that when homeowners are selling their properties, their cash flow may be limited due to multiple transactions occurring simultaneously. They could be in the process of buying another property while selling their current home which means there are various expenses fighting for the same wallet, so having the option to pay by credit card may be the determining factor for choosing one Stager over another. It's not always about the price. It may be about convenience.
5) Mail to past and present customers or clients regularly. This is the single most effective marketing strategy that any business can use to build customer loyalty, to retain customers and to stimulate more frequent purchasing by customers. Direct mail efforts can be in different forms such as fliers, postcards, letters or a monthly newsletter.
A regularly published newsletter is an extremely powerful, cost-effective marketing method. When you keep in touch with your clients with your own newsletter you create top of mind consciousness with your customers. They will automatically think of you when it comes time to buy your product. A newsletter is especially valuable when you can pass along useful information and ideas that your customers appreciate and you can continue to demonstrate your expertise in your field. This ultimately results in word-of-mouth advertising. Another perk is that you can advertise sales, special offers, new products, new services, new locations and so on in your own publication.
As a Staging Designer, you could put out a newsletter on home design, home care, and other real estate related topics. You have the option of a hard copy newsletter or an electronic newsletters, otherwise known as an ezine.
Now that you know the five strategies that can help you stimulate new business, increase business from existing customers and build repeat business, think about how to effectively incorporate and use them in your own business. Let your creative energy flow and have fun with it. Happy Marketing in 2009!
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Monday, November 24, 2008
"Is Your Environment Supporting Your Journey to Success?"
Anyone who is a parent or had parents can relate to the fact that you have to be careful about what you expose your child to. Children are very impressionable and they are like sponges soaking up everything around them. That’s why you often hear that you have to be choosey about the type of kids your child hangs out with. You don’t want anyone who’s a “bad influence.” Even though my daughter is only 3, I’ve chosen not to be around certain people because they allowed their child to watch TV/movies during meal times - EVERY TIME. I didn’t want my daughter to expect that that’s what she would be allowed to do because she did fine without it. We refrain from allowing our children to watch programs that have violence or could potentially expose them to poor behaviors. That’s why there’s the rating system. And we try our best to reduce the amount of profanity that may roll off our tongues - this becomes more of a priority when you start hearing you child repeat what you say.
These same rules apply whether we’re 3, 30 or 60 because human beings are impressionable and our environments are very telling of who we are.
Webster’s Dictionary defines environment as “surrounding conditions, influences, or forces, by which living forms are influenced and modified in their growth and development.”
Random House Dictionary defines environment as “the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population”.
Who we are around and what we choose to surround ourselves with make or break our success. Negative environments in your life can cost you - energy, financial freedom, and your ability to see the possibilities in life. There are a lot of costs when you allow yourself to stay in a negative environment.
Let’s talk about 3 types of environment that can affect us.
1. Physical Environment - where you live and work. Since we’re all Home Stagers, we know how important it is to create a pleasing environment to show buyers. Sometimes we’re so good at doing things for others; we forget how important it is for us to do the same for ourselves. How is your own home environment? Is it clutter free, organized and as beautiful as your budget allows? How about your work environment? For most of you, you probably work and live in the same space, but if you have a home office, is it a sane place to retreat to or does it make you cringe when you walk through the door? What about your storage or warehouse? Is it easy to find what you’re looking for or do you feel like you’ve stepped into h*ll?
I’ve always been one of those people who need to have an organized space to be productive. The idea of sifting through sales racks, combing through the piles of madness to get to that one great deal is anything but appealing. When I was working in a law firm, no matter how busy it got, part way through the project, I had to stop everything I was doing, organize my desk and clear away files, papers, etc. that was no longer needed, then proceed with my work. The same principle applied to my Staging Warehouse. I understand 100% how insane that space can get, so I made it a rule to have a warehouse day on a weekly basis just to keep things organized. I do not like having to search for what I need. The ability to find what you need without a treasure hunt is soothing and empowering. It’s a little OCD I know, but it has served me well for nearly 4 decades.
It’s important to create an environment where you want to be and lifts you up emotionally because when you feel good, you are more productive. Just like when it’s bright and sunny outside, it makes you feel more energized. When it’s cloudy and gray, you feel tired and sluggish. Make sure your environment is an uplifting one.
2. Your Emotional Environment - the people you’re around all the time. Are they positive or negative? Are they supportive of your goals and dreams or do they think you’re out of your mind?
Have you heard the quote by Jim Rohn that you’re the average of the 5 people you’re around the most? Think about that for a second. Does that concern you at all? It started to bother me because what did that tell me about my path to success? Not to say you don’t love your friends and family, but are they helping to push you to be more than you are? In order to keep growing, we need to surround ourselves with success-oriented, higher level thinkers.
One of my mentors had commented on how the other members of her mastermind group pushed her to play bigger. Knowing that by the next time they met, someone would have written a book or hit high 6 or 7 figure sales goals or created an amazing program was enough motivation for her not to be the underperformer.
Did you know that less than 6% of the population makes more than $100,000 a year? What that translates to is if you want to be in the 6%, you need to be around people who think bigger than you.
Another one of my mentors who has respectfully built a multi-million dollar business, started working with a multi-million/billion dollar business coach who only works with 7, 8 & 9 figure earners to bring them to an even higher level in their business. Being around this billionaire has opened up her awareness to a whole new level and possibilities that she could never have been exposed to on her own, nor I, if I was not affiliated in some way. You don’t know what you don’t know. I’m working with 7 figure coaches to bring me up to that level and beyond and I would love to help many of you move well into the 6 figure and beyond level in your Staging careers as well. It is possible because I’ve done it.
Learn to be more discriminating about your time. On a professional level, join a mastermind to keep you on track and reserve private time for your closest friends and family.
3. Your Intellectual Environment - this is often referred to as your mindset. What you spend your time engaged in can determine your results. The thoughts and beliefs that you focus on can make or break you success. Like the little engine that could, if you think you can, you can, if you think you can’t, you can’t. It’s really that simple. What kind of food are you feeding your mind? As I mentioned before, I’ve taken steps to eliminate as much outside media influence as I can, specifically from the news and newspaper. I’m still in touch with what’s happening because every time I log onto the internet, my yahoo home page proudly displays the current events. I rarely listen to the radio. I’ve turned my car into a mobile library which really puts me my thoughts in proper perspective. What you focus on, you manifest. I’m looking forward to a prosperous 2009! I’d love to have you join me.
Remember, success is a journey, not a destination, let’s travel together.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
These same rules apply whether we’re 3, 30 or 60 because human beings are impressionable and our environments are very telling of who we are.
Webster’s Dictionary defines environment as “surrounding conditions, influences, or forces, by which living forms are influenced and modified in their growth and development.”
Random House Dictionary defines environment as “the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population”.
Who we are around and what we choose to surround ourselves with make or break our success. Negative environments in your life can cost you - energy, financial freedom, and your ability to see the possibilities in life. There are a lot of costs when you allow yourself to stay in a negative environment.
Let’s talk about 3 types of environment that can affect us.
1. Physical Environment - where you live and work. Since we’re all Home Stagers, we know how important it is to create a pleasing environment to show buyers. Sometimes we’re so good at doing things for others; we forget how important it is for us to do the same for ourselves. How is your own home environment? Is it clutter free, organized and as beautiful as your budget allows? How about your work environment? For most of you, you probably work and live in the same space, but if you have a home office, is it a sane place to retreat to or does it make you cringe when you walk through the door? What about your storage or warehouse? Is it easy to find what you’re looking for or do you feel like you’ve stepped into h*ll?
I’ve always been one of those people who need to have an organized space to be productive. The idea of sifting through sales racks, combing through the piles of madness to get to that one great deal is anything but appealing. When I was working in a law firm, no matter how busy it got, part way through the project, I had to stop everything I was doing, organize my desk and clear away files, papers, etc. that was no longer needed, then proceed with my work. The same principle applied to my Staging Warehouse. I understand 100% how insane that space can get, so I made it a rule to have a warehouse day on a weekly basis just to keep things organized. I do not like having to search for what I need. The ability to find what you need without a treasure hunt is soothing and empowering. It’s a little OCD I know, but it has served me well for nearly 4 decades.
It’s important to create an environment where you want to be and lifts you up emotionally because when you feel good, you are more productive. Just like when it’s bright and sunny outside, it makes you feel more energized. When it’s cloudy and gray, you feel tired and sluggish. Make sure your environment is an uplifting one.
2. Your Emotional Environment - the people you’re around all the time. Are they positive or negative? Are they supportive of your goals and dreams or do they think you’re out of your mind?
Have you heard the quote by Jim Rohn that you’re the average of the 5 people you’re around the most? Think about that for a second. Does that concern you at all? It started to bother me because what did that tell me about my path to success? Not to say you don’t love your friends and family, but are they helping to push you to be more than you are? In order to keep growing, we need to surround ourselves with success-oriented, higher level thinkers.
One of my mentors had commented on how the other members of her mastermind group pushed her to play bigger. Knowing that by the next time they met, someone would have written a book or hit high 6 or 7 figure sales goals or created an amazing program was enough motivation for her not to be the underperformer.
Did you know that less than 6% of the population makes more than $100,000 a year? What that translates to is if you want to be in the 6%, you need to be around people who think bigger than you.
Another one of my mentors who has respectfully built a multi-million dollar business, started working with a multi-million/billion dollar business coach who only works with 7, 8 & 9 figure earners to bring them to an even higher level in their business. Being around this billionaire has opened up her awareness to a whole new level and possibilities that she could never have been exposed to on her own, nor I, if I was not affiliated in some way. You don’t know what you don’t know. I’m working with 7 figure coaches to bring me up to that level and beyond and I would love to help many of you move well into the 6 figure and beyond level in your Staging careers as well. It is possible because I’ve done it.
Learn to be more discriminating about your time. On a professional level, join a mastermind to keep you on track and reserve private time for your closest friends and family.
3. Your Intellectual Environment - this is often referred to as your mindset. What you spend your time engaged in can determine your results. The thoughts and beliefs that you focus on can make or break you success. Like the little engine that could, if you think you can, you can, if you think you can’t, you can’t. It’s really that simple. What kind of food are you feeding your mind? As I mentioned before, I’ve taken steps to eliminate as much outside media influence as I can, specifically from the news and newspaper. I’m still in touch with what’s happening because every time I log onto the internet, my yahoo home page proudly displays the current events. I rarely listen to the radio. I’ve turned my car into a mobile library which really puts me my thoughts in proper perspective. What you focus on, you manifest. I’m looking forward to a prosperous 2009! I’d love to have you join me.
Remember, success is a journey, not a destination, let’s travel together.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Finding Your Niche as a Home Staging Professional
Remember when you first started college? As a freshman, the classes you took were all general education courses like math and English. By your second year, you started taking general classes within your major like basic Accounting and Economics, if you were a Business major, and by the time you were ready to graduate, you were taking advanced classes specific to a subject within your major like Marketing.
This is very similar to your growth as a Staging Design Professional. When you first get started, you’re working with everybody (the general public), or in some cases, “anybody” because your business depended on it. You didn’t have the luxury of being choosey because you just needed to get business NOW.
As your business evolves, you may naturally start creating a niche because you just organically attract certain clients or types of projects. If this doesn’t come naturally, you will eventually want to figure out what your distinct segment of the market is or more affectionately, “define your niche”. This is not only the “who”, but also the “what” in the marketplace you serve. For instance, as Stagers, you can work with homeowners, Realtors, builders, developers or investors. Choosing to work with one of these types of folks is part of your niche. The “what” or your specialty, such as model home merchandising or only staging owner occupied properties is also part of your niche.
I was recently at a Mastermind meeting where one of the Realtors mentioned that when she first started her business, she met a mentor who called himself the “Condo King” so she decided to call herself the “Condo Queen” and went on to be known as a condo specialist. I know of a local Stager that specializes in Staging Lofts. As you’ve heard me mention before, one of my niches was in Managing Remodel Projects for Resale. I was the “go to” person when those projects came up because I was known by the local Realtor community as the expert in that area. That also led to several condo conversion renovation projects that I was hired to consult on.
So why would you want to find a niche?
• You are seen as the Expert.
• Experts are able to command higher fees - Your clients want to know that they’re getting the best and they’re usually willing to pay more to have someone who is an Expert. Cardiac surgeons are paid a lot more than a generalist M.D.
• Experts have more credibility - More people want to work with Experts rather than Generalists. There is a higher demand for Specialists and as a result, they command more respect. Just as an Enrolled Agent is paid a lot more for their technical expertise in the field of taxation, particularly IRS audits, than your local H&R Block tax preparer.
• Niching can help separate you from your competition so that you’ll be remembered. Particularly with the “green” movement. Incorporating those principles into your Staging services will not only get consumer attention but you can potentially dominate that market since this is an emerging concept.
• Niching helps you clarify your marketing message. Now that you know who your target market is and what your unique service offering is, you can now build your customer’s awareness of your services as well as your brand with more focused campaigns.
So how do you find your niche?
Ask yourself a few questions. What do people already see you as an expert of? What are you known for or what do you want to be known for? Take a look at your previous projects or your client profiles. Was there a group of folks that you worked with more often than another? Is there an area that you’re particularly better at than anyone else? Where can you be a first at in your marketplace?
It could be that you only do vignette staging which creates a look and feel without the need for a lot of inventory which reduces your overhead expenses. Perhaps you’re known as a Color Specialist or the “Green” Stager. By positioning yourself as the Expert in this sexy, new niche, you will probably get a lot of media exposure since it is the “HOT” topic of the moment.
As you can see, niching helps you clarify who and what you want to work with. By communicating that to your clients, you can help ensure that you’re not taking on projects that are outside of your expertise and eliminate those that bring you the least joy. Over time I found my niche just by working on all kinds of projects and figuring out which ones I enjoyed and which I could easily say no to, regardless of the money.
Figure out what your niche is and you will find that the journey to your Staging success is a lot more fun!
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
This is very similar to your growth as a Staging Design Professional. When you first get started, you’re working with everybody (the general public), or in some cases, “anybody” because your business depended on it. You didn’t have the luxury of being choosey because you just needed to get business NOW.
As your business evolves, you may naturally start creating a niche because you just organically attract certain clients or types of projects. If this doesn’t come naturally, you will eventually want to figure out what your distinct segment of the market is or more affectionately, “define your niche”. This is not only the “who”, but also the “what” in the marketplace you serve. For instance, as Stagers, you can work with homeowners, Realtors, builders, developers or investors. Choosing to work with one of these types of folks is part of your niche. The “what” or your specialty, such as model home merchandising or only staging owner occupied properties is also part of your niche.
I was recently at a Mastermind meeting where one of the Realtors mentioned that when she first started her business, she met a mentor who called himself the “Condo King” so she decided to call herself the “Condo Queen” and went on to be known as a condo specialist. I know of a local Stager that specializes in Staging Lofts. As you’ve heard me mention before, one of my niches was in Managing Remodel Projects for Resale. I was the “go to” person when those projects came up because I was known by the local Realtor community as the expert in that area. That also led to several condo conversion renovation projects that I was hired to consult on.
So why would you want to find a niche?
• You are seen as the Expert.
• Experts are able to command higher fees - Your clients want to know that they’re getting the best and they’re usually willing to pay more to have someone who is an Expert. Cardiac surgeons are paid a lot more than a generalist M.D.
• Experts have more credibility - More people want to work with Experts rather than Generalists. There is a higher demand for Specialists and as a result, they command more respect. Just as an Enrolled Agent is paid a lot more for their technical expertise in the field of taxation, particularly IRS audits, than your local H&R Block tax preparer.
• Niching can help separate you from your competition so that you’ll be remembered. Particularly with the “green” movement. Incorporating those principles into your Staging services will not only get consumer attention but you can potentially dominate that market since this is an emerging concept.
• Niching helps you clarify your marketing message. Now that you know who your target market is and what your unique service offering is, you can now build your customer’s awareness of your services as well as your brand with more focused campaigns.
So how do you find your niche?
Ask yourself a few questions. What do people already see you as an expert of? What are you known for or what do you want to be known for? Take a look at your previous projects or your client profiles. Was there a group of folks that you worked with more often than another? Is there an area that you’re particularly better at than anyone else? Where can you be a first at in your marketplace?
It could be that you only do vignette staging which creates a look and feel without the need for a lot of inventory which reduces your overhead expenses. Perhaps you’re known as a Color Specialist or the “Green” Stager. By positioning yourself as the Expert in this sexy, new niche, you will probably get a lot of media exposure since it is the “HOT” topic of the moment.
As you can see, niching helps you clarify who and what you want to work with. By communicating that to your clients, you can help ensure that you’re not taking on projects that are outside of your expertise and eliminate those that bring you the least joy. Over time I found my niche just by working on all kinds of projects and figuring out which ones I enjoyed and which I could easily say no to, regardless of the money.
Figure out what your niche is and you will find that the journey to your Staging success is a lot more fun!
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
What Can You Do to THRIVE in these Turbulent Times?"
If you live on the West Coast, you are familiar with Daylight Savings time and how twice a year in March and November, we adjust our clocks backwards or forwards by an hour. The rationale behind this practice is that it is a way to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. There's a lot of other reasons why this was implemented, but that's not important here. We are just days away from setting the clocks back an hour here in California. This will allow us to still have light until closer to 6pm, but it will be dark in the mornings until closer to 7am, almost 8am depending on the weather forecast.
There is always an adjustment period when this happens even though I've been doing this most of my life. Just like when the economy shifts up or down, we ride the wave. We have all benefitted from economic upswings and of course, since the opposite of good is bad, there will always be some of those experiences as well. For instance I shared in my recent telecourse that I had a great time riding the wave of the dot com boom (as did hundreds of thousands of other Silicon Valley residents, business owners, and even folks around the world). Of course, when the dot coms "busted", we also experienced some turmoil with losing some of the luxuries we all got accustomed to - big paychecks, rising stock prices, millionaires on paper, etc. Another area that we are all familiar with is the Real Estate boom. I didn't hear anyone complaining when their house values were climbing through the roof and people were knocking on doors offering sometimes well into the 6 figures above the asking price for their homes. Now that the tables are turned and the market values have tanked, everyone's forgotten how good it was and how they probably refinanced their homes and took equity out to enjoy luxuries that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
It is important for each of us, especially as entrepreneurs, to not get caught up in all the negative talk and be grateful for what we have and what's actually happening in OUR own worlds, NOT THE world.
A few months ago, I decided to unplug from what's going on in the world, by choice. I think it was a very smart choice and one that you all may want to adopt. I made a conscious choice not to listen to the news, read the papers or listen to talk radio. I'm not an ultra-sensitive person, but I don't like what all the negative talk does to my mindset. Sometimes we get caught in a pattern of negative thinking and when we focus on the bad news, it affects everything else in our lives. Take an inventory of what's actually going on in YOUR world. Are you blessed with a house to live in? A car to drive (maybe even a choice of 2 or 3 cars)? Do you still go out to eat occasionally? Go shopping on the weekends or online? If you can answer yes to most of these questions, you are in a very fortunate position. Keep that in mind and be grateful for those things because that's your reality.
Here are just a few tips to help you THRIVE during these turbulent times:
1. Take a deep breath. And then another.
2. Stop watching the news, stop reading the papers, and change the conversation when your friends and neighbors begin talking about things having to do with lack. Instead, opt for CDs or MP3 recordings of mentors that inspire you or audio books and programs.
3. Spend time with positive people---the ones that are optimistic, make you smile, turn your day around and who make you feel better being around them. Stay away from those who just want to tell you about how much so and so have lost in their 401K this week.
4. Be in gratitude for what you DO have - i.e. your kids, your family, your health, your business, and CHOICES.
5. Acknowledge your successes - if you just started your business, celebrate that you had 8 jobs this year of if you've been in business for awhile now, be proud that you've made it this far and know that 2009 is going to be even better.
Here are some great quotes that help to drive the point of today's article.
"Tough times never last, but tough people do. " - Robert H. Schuller
"If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think." - Oprah Winfrey
"Living in the moment brings you a sense of reverence for all of life's blessings." - Oprah Winfrey
Implementing just one of these methods will put you back on track to connecting with who you are, what your purpose is and those deserving of and able to invest in your talents, services, and expertise. For every person you encounter that blames outside forces for their failure, there is someone else that is taking responsibility for and initiating the necessary steps for their success. Which one are you? Success is a choice, will you choose it?
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
There is always an adjustment period when this happens even though I've been doing this most of my life. Just like when the economy shifts up or down, we ride the wave. We have all benefitted from economic upswings and of course, since the opposite of good is bad, there will always be some of those experiences as well. For instance I shared in my recent telecourse that I had a great time riding the wave of the dot com boom (as did hundreds of thousands of other Silicon Valley residents, business owners, and even folks around the world). Of course, when the dot coms "busted", we also experienced some turmoil with losing some of the luxuries we all got accustomed to - big paychecks, rising stock prices, millionaires on paper, etc. Another area that we are all familiar with is the Real Estate boom. I didn't hear anyone complaining when their house values were climbing through the roof and people were knocking on doors offering sometimes well into the 6 figures above the asking price for their homes. Now that the tables are turned and the market values have tanked, everyone's forgotten how good it was and how they probably refinanced their homes and took equity out to enjoy luxuries that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
It is important for each of us, especially as entrepreneurs, to not get caught up in all the negative talk and be grateful for what we have and what's actually happening in OUR own worlds, NOT THE world.
A few months ago, I decided to unplug from what's going on in the world, by choice. I think it was a very smart choice and one that you all may want to adopt. I made a conscious choice not to listen to the news, read the papers or listen to talk radio. I'm not an ultra-sensitive person, but I don't like what all the negative talk does to my mindset. Sometimes we get caught in a pattern of negative thinking and when we focus on the bad news, it affects everything else in our lives. Take an inventory of what's actually going on in YOUR world. Are you blessed with a house to live in? A car to drive (maybe even a choice of 2 or 3 cars)? Do you still go out to eat occasionally? Go shopping on the weekends or online? If you can answer yes to most of these questions, you are in a very fortunate position. Keep that in mind and be grateful for those things because that's your reality.
Here are just a few tips to help you THRIVE during these turbulent times:
1. Take a deep breath. And then another.
2. Stop watching the news, stop reading the papers, and change the conversation when your friends and neighbors begin talking about things having to do with lack. Instead, opt for CDs or MP3 recordings of mentors that inspire you or audio books and programs.
3. Spend time with positive people---the ones that are optimistic, make you smile, turn your day around and who make you feel better being around them. Stay away from those who just want to tell you about how much so and so have lost in their 401K this week.
4. Be in gratitude for what you DO have - i.e. your kids, your family, your health, your business, and CHOICES.
5. Acknowledge your successes - if you just started your business, celebrate that you had 8 jobs this year of if you've been in business for awhile now, be proud that you've made it this far and know that 2009 is going to be even better.
Here are some great quotes that help to drive the point of today's article.
"Tough times never last, but tough people do. " - Robert H. Schuller
"If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think." - Oprah Winfrey
"Living in the moment brings you a sense of reverence for all of life's blessings." - Oprah Winfrey
Implementing just one of these methods will put you back on track to connecting with who you are, what your purpose is and those deserving of and able to invest in your talents, services, and expertise. For every person you encounter that blames outside forces for their failure, there is someone else that is taking responsibility for and initiating the necessary steps for their success. Which one are you? Success is a choice, will you choose it?
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
"How You Can Make the Most of Your Time"
One of the top complaints or obstacles that entrepreneurs have is "I don't have enough time."
Think about that for a moment---
Does that describe you? Do you have too much on your plate and not enough time?
Do you often find yourself dreaming, "If only I had more time."?
Well, you've probably heard the saying that we all have the same amount of time per day. It's true isn't it? We all have the same 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. How is it that some people seem to get so much done and others are struggling just to keep up?
Thinking that you can have MORE time is a major part of the problem.
There's no where to purchase MORE time. You have all the time that's available to you until your time is up - it's really about how you can more effectively choose where to invest your time.
The reality is that we all have responsibilities. These responsibilities can eat up a lot of your time if you don't find a way to manage it or delegate it. If you're like me, you're an entrepreneur, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a party planner, a housekeeper, and the list goes on. Each of those roles comes with it a laundry list of THINGS TO DO. What we need to remember as small business owners/entrepreneurs is that we need to focus our time during our "working hours" (whatever you designate those to be) to only doing those activities that either get you more clients (the MARKETING) or make you money (the client/STAGING work). Everything else can wait until after 5 or 6pm.
Here are 5 ways to immediately upgrade your use of time:
1. Identify the time wasters
When you own a home based business, the line between your professional and personal life is blurred. To be successful, we need to put boundaries between the two even if you only walk 5 steps across the hall from your bedroom to your office. Since you're not leaving your home to go to a separate place of work, the temptations of home responsibilities can pull at you throughout the day and many times keep you from getting things done.
Here are just a few examples: dishes, walking the dog, laundry, food shopping, exercising, cooking dinner. Sound familiar? We've all been there. What you think will only take a few minutes end up eating hours of your time that you can't get back.
2. Eliminate these time wasters
Now that you've identified what these time wasters are, make a commitment to not doing these activities during business hours. Consider this. If you worked for a corporation, would you be doing dishes or laundry during business hours? NO. The only time you have for personal errands would be during your lunch hour, so if you absolutely have to do something, schedule it during your lunch break. Remember, you have to treat your business like a business, otherwise you'll get paid a hobby's salary and I don't know too many people who get paid well for doing their hobbies.
3. Where are you overcommitted? What can you let go of? Say no to? Delegate? Delay?
When you consciously choose to stop doing something you make room in your life to put something else in its place. Create your own "Stop Doing List". This is an extremely important step to upgrading your use of time. We need to do this in both our personal and our professional lives.
This took me a long time to grasp. It wasn't until recently that I finally hired a housecleaner to clean my house. What would take me an entire day and then some, takes 2 people about 3 hours to accomplish AND they do all the things I don't want to do or really have time to do like wiping down the baseboards regularly, cleaning the interior doors, cleaning the fireplace and cleaning the blinds. Having this service frees up my time so I can do other things, like hang out with my daughter. Consider outsourcing housecleaning, gardening, grocery shopping (I've tried Safeway.com and it's pretty cool - a few minutes on my computer and the groceries are delivered - saves at least an hour of my time, not to mention gas), errands (there are personal assistants available for a very low cost - especially when you consider how much your time is worth).
4. Strategically choose which activities, projects, "things" you do that have the highest value and do those things first.
Most people waste 70-80% of their working day on low level, low value, and low return activities. If you want to earn more, enjoy more, and grow more, then you need to immediately start making better choices about where to invest your time. Hiring an assistant to do the administrative tasks that take up a lot of your time would allow you to do more of the higher level work that brings in more revenue. Outsourcing the bookkeeping would definitely free up your time and allow you to do what you do best, while allowing someone who actually likes numbers and knows how to manage them, do what they do best. Hiring movers and Staging Assistants would allow you to complete projects quicker, take on more projects, keep the warehouse tidier and keep projects rolling and allow you to simultaneously provide a consultation to another client.
Don't get stuck in the trap of having to do everything yourself or you'll never free up the time to work ON your business. Take a look at all the tasks on your to-do list and ask yourself, "Does this really need to be done?" and then, "If it has to be done, can it be done by somebody else?"
If letting go of these tasks is scary to you (and sometimes it is, especially if you've always done it and have your own particular way of doing it) then try baby steps.
Identify a small task that you want to delegate (ex: answering calls).
Document the correct way to perform this task, step by step (ex: Staging Inquiry Call Sheet in the Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint™ System).
Have someone follow your instructions and revise your document until you and your tester are comfortable with the newly documented system.
When the new system document is ready, give it to the person responsible for that task, and insert a copy into your Staging Operations Manual. This collection of system documents is what creates a functioning Operations Manual (See the Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint™ System for one that's already outlined for you). Repeat these steps on the next task.
5. Track your use of time and see where you can make better choices in the future.
It's too easy to fool yourself into thinking you're doing all you can with your time. It's human nature to rationalize away and see what we want to see. But the truth is you can get so much more out of your time than you are. The key is to make if VISUALLY clear exactly where your time is going so that you can self-correct in real time.
By doing this over time you discipline yourself to make better time choices and accomplish more.
Start today to take 100% responsibility for how you invest your hours and minutes. No more excuses.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
http://www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Think about that for a moment---
Does that describe you? Do you have too much on your plate and not enough time?
Do you often find yourself dreaming, "If only I had more time."?
Well, you've probably heard the saying that we all have the same amount of time per day. It's true isn't it? We all have the same 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. How is it that some people seem to get so much done and others are struggling just to keep up?
Thinking that you can have MORE time is a major part of the problem.
There's no where to purchase MORE time. You have all the time that's available to you until your time is up - it's really about how you can more effectively choose where to invest your time.
The reality is that we all have responsibilities. These responsibilities can eat up a lot of your time if you don't find a way to manage it or delegate it. If you're like me, you're an entrepreneur, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a party planner, a housekeeper, and the list goes on. Each of those roles comes with it a laundry list of THINGS TO DO. What we need to remember as small business owners/entrepreneurs is that we need to focus our time during our "working hours" (whatever you designate those to be) to only doing those activities that either get you more clients (the MARKETING) or make you money (the client/STAGING work). Everything else can wait until after 5 or 6pm.
Here are 5 ways to immediately upgrade your use of time:
1. Identify the time wasters
When you own a home based business, the line between your professional and personal life is blurred. To be successful, we need to put boundaries between the two even if you only walk 5 steps across the hall from your bedroom to your office. Since you're not leaving your home to go to a separate place of work, the temptations of home responsibilities can pull at you throughout the day and many times keep you from getting things done.
Here are just a few examples: dishes, walking the dog, laundry, food shopping, exercising, cooking dinner. Sound familiar? We've all been there. What you think will only take a few minutes end up eating hours of your time that you can't get back.
2. Eliminate these time wasters
Now that you've identified what these time wasters are, make a commitment to not doing these activities during business hours. Consider this. If you worked for a corporation, would you be doing dishes or laundry during business hours? NO. The only time you have for personal errands would be during your lunch hour, so if you absolutely have to do something, schedule it during your lunch break. Remember, you have to treat your business like a business, otherwise you'll get paid a hobby's salary and I don't know too many people who get paid well for doing their hobbies.
3. Where are you overcommitted? What can you let go of? Say no to? Delegate? Delay?
When you consciously choose to stop doing something you make room in your life to put something else in its place. Create your own "Stop Doing List". This is an extremely important step to upgrading your use of time. We need to do this in both our personal and our professional lives.
This took me a long time to grasp. It wasn't until recently that I finally hired a housecleaner to clean my house. What would take me an entire day and then some, takes 2 people about 3 hours to accomplish AND they do all the things I don't want to do or really have time to do like wiping down the baseboards regularly, cleaning the interior doors, cleaning the fireplace and cleaning the blinds. Having this service frees up my time so I can do other things, like hang out with my daughter. Consider outsourcing housecleaning, gardening, grocery shopping (I've tried Safeway.com and it's pretty cool - a few minutes on my computer and the groceries are delivered - saves at least an hour of my time, not to mention gas), errands (there are personal assistants available for a very low cost - especially when you consider how much your time is worth).
4. Strategically choose which activities, projects, "things" you do that have the highest value and do those things first.
Most people waste 70-80% of their working day on low level, low value, and low return activities. If you want to earn more, enjoy more, and grow more, then you need to immediately start making better choices about where to invest your time. Hiring an assistant to do the administrative tasks that take up a lot of your time would allow you to do more of the higher level work that brings in more revenue. Outsourcing the bookkeeping would definitely free up your time and allow you to do what you do best, while allowing someone who actually likes numbers and knows how to manage them, do what they do best. Hiring movers and Staging Assistants would allow you to complete projects quicker, take on more projects, keep the warehouse tidier and keep projects rolling and allow you to simultaneously provide a consultation to another client.
Don't get stuck in the trap of having to do everything yourself or you'll never free up the time to work ON your business. Take a look at all the tasks on your to-do list and ask yourself, "Does this really need to be done?" and then, "If it has to be done, can it be done by somebody else?"
If letting go of these tasks is scary to you (and sometimes it is, especially if you've always done it and have your own particular way of doing it) then try baby steps.
Identify a small task that you want to delegate (ex: answering calls).
Document the correct way to perform this task, step by step (ex: Staging Inquiry Call Sheet in the Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint™ System).
Have someone follow your instructions and revise your document until you and your tester are comfortable with the newly documented system.
When the new system document is ready, give it to the person responsible for that task, and insert a copy into your Staging Operations Manual. This collection of system documents is what creates a functioning Operations Manual (See the Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint™ System for one that's already outlined for you). Repeat these steps on the next task.
5. Track your use of time and see where you can make better choices in the future.
It's too easy to fool yourself into thinking you're doing all you can with your time. It's human nature to rationalize away and see what we want to see. But the truth is you can get so much more out of your time than you are. The key is to make if VISUALLY clear exactly where your time is going so that you can self-correct in real time.
By doing this over time you discipline yourself to make better time choices and accomplish more.
Start today to take 100% responsibility for how you invest your hours and minutes. No more excuses.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
http://www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Boost Your Staging Business By Giving Back
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. It's also the time of year for my family and I to support a cause that's very near and dear to our hearts. Incredible and unbelievable as it may seem, we lost my mom to breast cancer 10 years ago. My 3 year old daughter got me all choked up recently because we were clarifying who daddy's daddy was and who's daddy's mommy, who's mommy's daddy, and then she asked me who my mommy was and I explained to her that she never met her because she passed away. She obviously doesn't understand what that means. She repeated that she hadn't met her yet, but when she does, she's going to give her a big hug. That just broke my heart. All I could say was that she would love that.
That's why I want to help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer by participating in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this October in San Francisco. I have participated for the last 10 years, Keith has walked with me for the last 6 years and this is Alexa's 3rd year. Earlier this year, a friend's older sister was taken by this awful disease. She was the mother of 6 year old triplets!
As conscious business owners, we can and should use our resources to give back. I just learned the phrase "Cause Marketing" which is being used by big brands to incorporate social responsibility into their marketing efforts. It's defined as a "commercial activity by which businesses and charities or causes form a partnership with each other to market an image, product or service for mutual benefit." Think LIVESTRONG by Celebrity Cyclist Lance Armstrong who turned his public battle with cancer into a hip consumer brand with the aid of branded partners Nike and Hewlett-Packard. This brand raises money for the Lance Armstrong foundation which inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. There's also ONE which is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans - ONE by ONE - to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. It was founded by 11 of America's most well-known and respected aid groups, including Save the Children US, World Concern, World Vision, and supported by many top celebrity heavy hitters including Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Bill Gates and many more. Another high profile example is RED which was created by U2 lead singer Bono to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce co-branded products. A percentage of each RED co-branded product sold is given to The Global Fund which helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.
There are thousands of noble projects to connect to your business. What cause do you already support or would like to support that you can incorporate into your marketing efforts? It doesn't have to be design related. Another cause I support and want to get more involved with in the near future is Dress for Success which is an organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts, and career development to low-income women. I have a good friend and fellow Designer/Stager who has become very involved with the Raphael House in San Francisco which is dedicated to helping at-risk children and their families achieve stable housing and financial independence. She has been involved with redesigning the San Francisco Homeless Shelter and has received many accolades for her efforts. My husband has and perhaps many of you have also participated in Habitat for Humanity which is a housing organization that builds simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need.No matter what the cause, extending a helping hand always creates good will.
2 things to keep in mind to gain the most out of your greater good approach:
1. Identify a cause that fits your business. The goal should be to align your business vision and brand values with a synergistic nonprofit cause or organization in order to create win-win marketing. Your company will gain profile, and you'll likely create stronger customer loyalty because your customers will feel good about buying your product. This will also create a clearer differentiation between you and your competitors.
2. Choose a cause that means something to you. There's no point in supporting an issue you don't really care about - people are bound to catch on. Having a genuine passion or interest in the cause means you'll stay engaged.
Go out and make a difference. Supporting a non-profit provides awesome opportunities for fun, morale-boosting activities that give staff and customers the 'feel-good factor'.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The House with the Overindulged Cat
With every project, you learn new things. When I look back at my "adventures", I swear it would make for a great comedy show or at least a skit on SNL.
This particular property was owned by a former attorney and a professor. The reason why I disclose their professions is to make a point and it will be obvious as I reveal my story. I met with the husband, the attorney, since the wife, the professor, was out of town. I was hired to provide them with a consultation to help them prepare their home for sale. This was their family home where they raised two girls who were now away at college. Since their "kids" were gone, their only "child" was their overindulged cat who was fairly old.
From the moment I walked in the door, I smelled cat. How I usually run my consultations is I'll walk through the property quickly with the homeowner to see the floor plan and allow them to point anything out to me that I should be aware of (i.e. renovations planned, etc.) and then I'll go through the property on my own to make detailed notes on each room, then go through the property again with the homeowner explaining in detail my recommendations room-by-room. When I was in the dining room, the cat scent was extremely strong to which I found a litter box. Why is there a litter box in the dining room? That went on my list of things to be removed. I later found another litter box in the laundry room. Why do we need two litter boxes? Did I mention that it was the owner himself who called the cat "overindulged?" So long story short, when I walked through to explain my recommendations to the owner, we started at the front door where I told him that as soon as I walked into the property, I smelled "cat". Well, he was a little surprised, but admitted that he had lost his sense of smell so he couldn't tell (lucky him!!). We walked to the dining room where I made my recommendations for furnishings and recommended removing the litter box and the standing fan that was in the room. He then proceeded to tell me that he had recently hired a plumber to check for a leak under the house because there was a wet spot in the dining area that he couldn't explain. Picture this. He is standing there in his bare feet, tapping on this "wet spot" in the middle of the dining room completely perplexed by its presence (THERE IS NO PLUMBING UNDER A DINING ROOM!!!) and I'm trying to keep a straight face while thoughts are racing through my mind - OMG!!! Are you with me? Without my telling him that it was probably the cat, I led him to come to the conclusion himself by the end of the consultation. He just couldn't imagine why she would do that, but she was getting old and probably couldn't control it anymore.
Then, there was the question about what to do with the feral cats. What's a feral cat? Well, lesson of that day was they are stray cats. Apparently, they have been feeding these cats that come to their yard. My response was, "maybe you should stop feeding them" to which his response was "Oh, I couldn't do that!" Well geez, if you were a stray cat, would you stop coming to a house that fed you regularly?
This consultation was true comedy. I recommended that he hire a professional carpet cleaner to clean their carpets. His response was that he didn't think that would be worth it since he had rented a $30 machine from a local grocery store and it didn't do anything (Hello! We're talking professional carpet cleaners with vans equipped with stain sucking machinery, not a cheap $30 wannabe cleaner!!). Of course, when he finally figured out it was the cat that was causing the "wetness" in the dining room, they had to hire a restoration specialist to treat the area under the carpet and clean it. He called me to tell me how amazed he was at the results. Mind you, I had recommended he have the cat live outside of the home during the sale of the property, but he didn't take me up on that so guess what? Surprise, surprise, the cat did it again. I can only do so much.
If you have a funny story to share, please submit it to info@successfulstagingbiz.com and put EZINE SUBMISSION in the subject line and we will pick the best ones to be featured in future issues.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now atwww.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
"Are You Too Quick to Roll Back Your Prices? Why You Must Avoid the Discount Trap."
A common question new and experienced Stagers ask is how much should I charge for my services? Most people come up with pricing by looking at what the competition is charging and using that as a baseline. They either charge the same, less or maybe a little bit more.
Now just because this is what everyone is doing, doesn't make it right. You have to ask yourself what type of customer and business you want to attract and package your services accordingly. Your ability to sell your services and its perceived value is really the key.
Studies have shown that individuals do not buy based on price. As a matter of fact, price is one of the least important things in terms of dealing with an individual or a company. What people find important are confidence, selection and convenience. So, if you can confidently offer your menu of services and make it easy for them to buy, you're set.
An analogy I use a lot is, if you want Wal-Mart pricing, you'll get Wal-Mart service. If you want Nordstrom service, you must be willing to pay Nordstrom prices. Does that make sense? If you think you can offer Nordstrom service at Wal-Mart prices, you're kidding yourself. And by service, I don't just mean customer service. Service includes the whole staging design package - consultation, moving services, delivery, implementation, inventory, administration - the entire experience and the quality of that experience.
When I started getting the reputation of being "expensive" or "pricey", but "she's good", I figured there are worse things to be known for. I never wanted to be known as the "low price leader". One thing I readily admitted to inquiring prospects when they said that my prices were high was that I'm not known for low prices. If that was their basis for choosing a staging service, I was not going to be a fit for them. I stood by the fact that I provided a quality service at a fair price. Now, what's fair? Fair is a price that I felt good about receiving for what I provided.
Are you happy with the price you are charging? If not, change it. Don't complain that clients only want to pay low prices or that your competitors are forcing you to lower your prices. Your competitors are not lowering your prices and neither are your customers. You're the one doing it. You bid on the project, you publish the prices (I never published prices on my website), and you provided the quote. Remember that if everyone only wanted to pay low prices, we'd all be driving the same cars, living in the same houses, eating at fast food restaurants, and wearing the same clothes. Since the luxury market is the fastest growing retail segment out there, this is obviously not true.
The thing I learned in my many years in sales was that whenever I cut my prices to "be competitive", I always regretted it. The client never appreciated the discount and I didn't enjoy servicing the account. I felt robbed and that's not how I want to feel when I'm working with clients. You want to have the type of client who you enjoy working with, where you can deliver the type of value you want to deliver and get paid well for it.
Stop trying to work with people that you don't make a profit from. You're not a non-profit organization nor are you in the charity business. If your customer truly needs a low price, you really can't afford to sell to them.
Two common objections that you've probably heard:
1) "Your prices are too high. XYZ Stager is only $XXX", i.e. "I can get it cheaper somewhere else."
I used to laugh when they would call and during the pre-qualification stage of the conversation when we're trying to figure out what their budget is, they almost always thought that the price we would quote will somehow be less than the number they had in their mind. If their number was way off base, I would encourage them to go with the low quote they supposedly received, then slip in the "buyer beware" to create doubt in their minds. The best thing for you to do is acknowledge the claim and tell them you cannot meet or beat the price, so they should GO FOR IT and GOOD LUCK! Sometimes just doing this was simply calling their bluff and they would go with your services anyway at the price you quoted. If not, you still win because more than likely, they would have been a nightmare customer.
There are usually 3 reasons why they really can't get it cheaper somewhere else:
a) They're lying about the price. They're really just trying to
negotiate with you.
b) The same stuff is not available right now. Maybe they
can get it for a lower price but the service is not available
for 3 weeks and we know that real estate is very time-sensitive.
c) It's not the same stuff. If they honestly believe they can get
the same Staging for $500 that someone else quoted $1500,
I need to work with the $500 Stager to help her raise her
prices!
2) "If you give me a good price, I have X number of other properties for you to stage."
Don't fall for this one. I know it is a tempting offer, but it's usually just a negotiation tactic to get you to discount your prices and once you do, they'll keep asking for additional discounts. Here's what I would recommend you say, "Mr./Ms. X. Thank you for your interest in our Staging Design services and the opportunity to work with you. Since we have not had the chance to work with one another yet, why don't we start with one property and see if it's a good fit before we discuss other projects. If it works out, I would love to work with you on all your future projects and I always take care of my loyal customers. Does that sound fair?"
How can anyone object to that? You're being gracious. You're giving them an out if things don't work out. You're not offering a discount, but it is understood that if you work with one another regularly, over time, you will take care of them (however you choose to, i.e. squeezing them in at the last minute, complimentary consultations, etc.). Everyone wins. Save yourself time and aggravation by avoiding these types of customers and focus on the "good" customers.
In closing, keep the following reasons in mind why you DO NOT want to deal with price buyers:
Now just because this is what everyone is doing, doesn't make it right. You have to ask yourself what type of customer and business you want to attract and package your services accordingly. Your ability to sell your services and its perceived value is really the key.
Studies have shown that individuals do not buy based on price. As a matter of fact, price is one of the least important things in terms of dealing with an individual or a company. What people find important are confidence, selection and convenience. So, if you can confidently offer your menu of services and make it easy for them to buy, you're set.
An analogy I use a lot is, if you want Wal-Mart pricing, you'll get Wal-Mart service. If you want Nordstrom service, you must be willing to pay Nordstrom prices. Does that make sense? If you think you can offer Nordstrom service at Wal-Mart prices, you're kidding yourself. And by service, I don't just mean customer service. Service includes the whole staging design package - consultation, moving services, delivery, implementation, inventory, administration - the entire experience and the quality of that experience.
When I started getting the reputation of being "expensive" or "pricey", but "she's good", I figured there are worse things to be known for. I never wanted to be known as the "low price leader". One thing I readily admitted to inquiring prospects when they said that my prices were high was that I'm not known for low prices. If that was their basis for choosing a staging service, I was not going to be a fit for them. I stood by the fact that I provided a quality service at a fair price. Now, what's fair? Fair is a price that I felt good about receiving for what I provided.
Are you happy with the price you are charging? If not, change it. Don't complain that clients only want to pay low prices or that your competitors are forcing you to lower your prices. Your competitors are not lowering your prices and neither are your customers. You're the one doing it. You bid on the project, you publish the prices (I never published prices on my website), and you provided the quote. Remember that if everyone only wanted to pay low prices, we'd all be driving the same cars, living in the same houses, eating at fast food restaurants, and wearing the same clothes. Since the luxury market is the fastest growing retail segment out there, this is obviously not true.
The thing I learned in my many years in sales was that whenever I cut my prices to "be competitive", I always regretted it. The client never appreciated the discount and I didn't enjoy servicing the account. I felt robbed and that's not how I want to feel when I'm working with clients. You want to have the type of client who you enjoy working with, where you can deliver the type of value you want to deliver and get paid well for it.
Stop trying to work with people that you don't make a profit from. You're not a non-profit organization nor are you in the charity business. If your customer truly needs a low price, you really can't afford to sell to them.
Two common objections that you've probably heard:
1) "Your prices are too high. XYZ Stager is only $XXX", i.e. "I can get it cheaper somewhere else."
I used to laugh when they would call and during the pre-qualification stage of the conversation when we're trying to figure out what their budget is, they almost always thought that the price we would quote will somehow be less than the number they had in their mind. If their number was way off base, I would encourage them to go with the low quote they supposedly received, then slip in the "buyer beware" to create doubt in their minds. The best thing for you to do is acknowledge the claim and tell them you cannot meet or beat the price, so they should GO FOR IT and GOOD LUCK! Sometimes just doing this was simply calling their bluff and they would go with your services anyway at the price you quoted. If not, you still win because more than likely, they would have been a nightmare customer.
There are usually 3 reasons why they really can't get it cheaper somewhere else:
a) They're lying about the price. They're really just trying to
negotiate with you.
b) The same stuff is not available right now. Maybe they
can get it for a lower price but the service is not available
for 3 weeks and we know that real estate is very time-sensitive.
c) It's not the same stuff. If they honestly believe they can get
the same Staging for $500 that someone else quoted $1500,
I need to work with the $500 Stager to help her raise her
prices!
2) "If you give me a good price, I have X number of other properties for you to stage."
Don't fall for this one. I know it is a tempting offer, but it's usually just a negotiation tactic to get you to discount your prices and once you do, they'll keep asking for additional discounts. Here's what I would recommend you say, "Mr./Ms. X. Thank you for your interest in our Staging Design services and the opportunity to work with you. Since we have not had the chance to work with one another yet, why don't we start with one property and see if it's a good fit before we discuss other projects. If it works out, I would love to work with you on all your future projects and I always take care of my loyal customers. Does that sound fair?"
How can anyone object to that? You're being gracious. You're giving them an out if things don't work out. You're not offering a discount, but it is understood that if you work with one another regularly, over time, you will take care of them (however you choose to, i.e. squeezing them in at the last minute, complimentary consultations, etc.). Everyone wins. Save yourself time and aggravation by avoiding these types of customers and focus on the "good" customers.
In closing, keep the following reasons in mind why you DO NOT want to deal with price buyers:
- Price buyers take up all your time.
- They do all the complaining
- They "forget" to pay you.
- They tell other Customers how little they paid you and brag about it.
- They're not going to buy from you again because the only loyalty they have is to the price - they'll always be looking for a lower price.
© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but here's what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at
www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Winner of the Nasty House Award
People who know me, know that I'm pretty particular (or a**l) about things. I've softened as I've gotten older, but I often times wondered why I chose the Staging business when things "gross me out" so easily. I remember the first few consultations I conducted, I would, as a courtesy, remove my shoes in the client's home. After seeing the interiors of peoples homes and how they lived and having stepped on one too many unidentifiable "wet spots" with my bare feet or in my socks, I decided enough was enough! I'm not taking my shoes off anymore!!! I would literally go home and either start cleaning my own house (even if it didn't need it) because I was so appalled at what I just saw in the home I just returned from or I would immediately take a shower to wash away the "funk" from someone else's house. If you can believe it, I got used to it after awhile or just knew what to expect, but one particular property stood out as the winner of the Nasty House Award! Imagine you are in the first trimester of your pregnancy and you are surprising shocked at experiencing no morning sickness, no food aversions, no problems at all and you have not had the need to announce your present condition to anyone yet.
Then imagine walking into a property to conduct a staging consultation for a Realtor to discover a home whose owners leave their medium/large size dog at home alone for 12-14 hours at a time, with no exit to the outdoors to relieve himself. They also chain smoke indoors, have clutter EVERYWHERE and they DO NOT CLEAN! And of course, your job is to help get the property ready for sale. Keep in mind that the owners were not present during this consultation which was disturbing because they really needed to be there. Allow me to describe what I found. (I tried to find old pictures and unfortunately, the best picture is no longer in my files). The house wreaked of pee, poo, smoke and mildew. The spaces were disheveled and filled with clutter. None of the 3 beds were made. The bathroom counters were packed with all kinds of products and the thought of sitting on their toilet or showering in their shower is unthinkable, there were pee soaked throw rugs THROUGHOUT the house, yes, PEE SOAKED, and to our delight, there were 3 pieces of doggie poop in the hallway upstairs. Oh, but there was a Neiman Marcus catalog laying around and lots of designer clothes and shoes in the closet***nice paradigm. Now remember the pregnant chick who was feeling good? Well, that was me and as much as I tried to suck it up and work as fast as I could, I had to go outside to catch some air and compose myself so I could run back in, take photos and leave. When I got home that night, I had to take Lysol Wipes to wipe the bottom of my shoes to clean them.
Obviously, we had to do a major overall on this property. When I brought my housecleaner, painter and handyman to the property, I had to warn them of the surprise in store for them. Obviously, the carpet was gutted and the subfloors had to be treated for all the urine, the entire interior was repainted, along with the shutters and the master bathroom ceiling needed to be mudded over and repainted due to the extensive smoke and mildew build-up (YUCK!) and the cleaners had there work cut out for them. Somehow, even after all this happened, the house still smelled like pee - why? Because there they still kept those nasty throw rugs around! The owners just didn't really have a vested interest in the selling process. They wanted top dollar, but was not willing to put forth much effort of their own. They were still going to be living in the property during the sales process so I was concerned about how the property would be maintained. We had rental furniture and plenty of our staging inventory in there. Trust me when I say, I emphasized to the agent that IF EVERYTHING WAS NOT RETURNED IN ITS NEAR ORIGINAL CONDITION, he would be responsible for the replacement value. This project was a total ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan story because amazingly enough, they still got $20K over asking. In all honesty, it was the market climate at the time. If that property was on the market today, it would probably still be on the market - TIMING is so key!!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Then imagine walking into a property to conduct a staging consultation for a Realtor to discover a home whose owners leave their medium/large size dog at home alone for 12-14 hours at a time, with no exit to the outdoors to relieve himself. They also chain smoke indoors, have clutter EVERYWHERE and they DO NOT CLEAN! And of course, your job is to help get the property ready for sale. Keep in mind that the owners were not present during this consultation which was disturbing because they really needed to be there. Allow me to describe what I found. (I tried to find old pictures and unfortunately, the best picture is no longer in my files). The house wreaked of pee, poo, smoke and mildew. The spaces were disheveled and filled with clutter. None of the 3 beds were made. The bathroom counters were packed with all kinds of products and the thought of sitting on their toilet or showering in their shower is unthinkable, there were pee soaked throw rugs THROUGHOUT the house, yes, PEE SOAKED, and to our delight, there were 3 pieces of doggie poop in the hallway upstairs. Oh, but there was a Neiman Marcus catalog laying around and lots of designer clothes and shoes in the closet***nice paradigm. Now remember the pregnant chick who was feeling good? Well, that was me and as much as I tried to suck it up and work as fast as I could, I had to go outside to catch some air and compose myself so I could run back in, take photos and leave. When I got home that night, I had to take Lysol Wipes to wipe the bottom of my shoes to clean them.
Obviously, we had to do a major overall on this property. When I brought my housecleaner, painter and handyman to the property, I had to warn them of the surprise in store for them. Obviously, the carpet was gutted and the subfloors had to be treated for all the urine, the entire interior was repainted, along with the shutters and the master bathroom ceiling needed to be mudded over and repainted due to the extensive smoke and mildew build-up (YUCK!) and the cleaners had there work cut out for them. Somehow, even after all this happened, the house still smelled like pee - why? Because there they still kept those nasty throw rugs around! The owners just didn't really have a vested interest in the selling process. They wanted top dollar, but was not willing to put forth much effort of their own. They were still going to be living in the property during the sales process so I was concerned about how the property would be maintained. We had rental furniture and plenty of our staging inventory in there. Trust me when I say, I emphasized to the agent that IF EVERYTHING WAS NOT RETURNED IN ITS NEAR ORIGINAL CONDITION, he would be responsible for the replacement value. This project was a total ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan story because amazingly enough, they still got $20K over asking. In all honesty, it was the market climate at the time. If that property was on the market today, it would probably still be on the market - TIMING is so key!!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Lessons Learned from "HGTV's - The Stagers"
I was curious, as I'm sure the rest of you were when they announced this new program airing on HGTV on July 22nd, if it would be a true depiction of what the Staging life is like. I would have to say that it's probably the most realistic of the shows that are out there today, but still doesn't tell the whole story. Regardless, here are some things that I feel you could learn from the show.
1) Have a plan for your project. I'm actually a little shocked by the lack of planning and utter chaos that is depicted. Maybe it's just for TV drama to make it more interesting, but realistically, if that's how you are running your business, you NEED TO TAKE CONTROL immediately. My recommendation to you is a) always see the property beforehand, b) take before photos, c) map out plans for each room so that choosing inventory is more targeted and streamlined, and d) create a list of staging inventory needed. My Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint has all the tools to help you do just that. There is absolutely no reason why most projects should take more than a day. I would say 97% of the straight "staging" projects I've worked on was completed within 1 day. Anything that took more was because of the size of the project (5000+ sf home or multiple units) OR if there were delays on other related projects. When I first started my staging business, I was running back to the warehouse to pick up things we forgot or shopping at the last minute because we didn't have what we needed, and I'm not saying that you won't still have to do this occasionally, but you want to avoid these delays as much as you can and the best way to do that is to have a plan going into every single project.
2) Do be tactful with your clients. The Designers on "The Stagers" are good at keeping their opinions to a minimum in front the client. Some of the other Staging shows seem to enjoy poking fun at how awful a home looks. I'm all for being truthful and honest with your clients, but being tactful will definitely earn you more brownie points and help you maintain your professional image. Most of the time, they already know their property is not in "top selling" condition, that's why they called you. There's no reason to make a mockery of the situation. Perhaps again, the criticisms voiced are for ratings, but most real life people would not be too thrilled with you if that's how you approached them.
3) Do Keep your Inventory Organized. This is always a challenge for any Staging Company. It's a never ending struggle with having "too much" when it all comes back and not having enough when you're super busy. The Dekora warehouse featured on the show is enormous compared to probably 99% of the staging firms out there. Most of us do not have the luxury of a 10,000 sf space with seemingly unlimited inventory available. I started off with storing my inventory in our 1 car garage and back stairs when my husband & I lived in a townhouse. We eventually graduated to one large storage unit, then two, and finally to an 1100 square foot warehouse. Then there was the challenge of keeping the zones organized - linens, kitchen accessories, bath accessories, floral/greenery, silk trees, lamps, chairs, art, etc. We toyed with the idea of building shelving so that we could capitalize on the vertical space in the warehouse, but then there was the safety issue with our team members going up and down. I can't say we ever really perfected "Staging the Warehouse", but one thing we always tried to do was unpack after a destage and put everything back into their respective zones so that it was easy to pull inventory for the next project. The more disciplined you are in this area, the more sane you can remain. I actually designated Fridays or a day when there were no Staging Projects scheduled as Warehouse days - time to reorganize, clean and repair inventory.
4) Do Keep in Mind Who the Prospective Buyers will be and Design the Staging Accordingly. This skill will set you apart from just being a "wannabe" stager to being a true Real Estate Partner and a Professional Staging Designer. There are many Real Estate Agents who are guilty of this as well. They don't keep in mind who the target audience is - who would be your prospective buyer? Is it a young family? Are they empty nesters? Are they young bachelors/bachelorettes? These considerations must be top of mind when designing your Staging. It's not about just adding artwork and putting furniture into a room. The personality that is added with accessories should portray the type of lifestyle that one would want to live in that home. This is one thing that the Designers on the show are good at exploring and working with.
5) Build a Staging Team. This is something all of you should work towards. Just as on the show, they have the Staging Boss, Senior Stager, Home Stager, Staging Assistants, Movers, Handymen, etc., so should you. My role was a cross between the Staging Boss and the Senior Stager as I was never completely hands-off. Building a team to work with not only makes each project more efficient, it also makes it a lot of more fun because you can bounce creative ideas off of one another. I've had people on my team at all levels. Movers who just helped move inventory to and from the staging sites (mostly large pieces of furniture so we can totally relate to the sofa not fitting in the elevator or door - I dreaded getting those calls), Staging interns who actually did hands-on staging work, but can be the perfect team member to help wipe down furniture, clean mirrors and art, iron bedding, pump up airbeds, etc. I also strongly believe there should be a Team Lead so that there is someone who is in charge on-site, otherwise it would be too chaotic.
Here are few other tips depicted on the show that I you should definitely keep in mind for your own businesses (if you're not already doing so):
* Incorporate feng shui principles in your staging (in some parts of the country, THIS IS HUGE - like So. Cal)
* Don't forget to address curb appeal issues
* Paint over unattractive, unmarketable wall colors
* Add dramatic art and accessories for high impact
* Bring rooms back to its originally intended purpose
* Don't fight with what's not working, like trying to use the
homeowner's things
* Use scale appropriate furniture
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at http://www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
1) Have a plan for your project. I'm actually a little shocked by the lack of planning and utter chaos that is depicted. Maybe it's just for TV drama to make it more interesting, but realistically, if that's how you are running your business, you NEED TO TAKE CONTROL immediately. My recommendation to you is a) always see the property beforehand, b) take before photos, c) map out plans for each room so that choosing inventory is more targeted and streamlined, and d) create a list of staging inventory needed. My Ultimate Staging Success Blueprint has all the tools to help you do just that. There is absolutely no reason why most projects should take more than a day. I would say 97% of the straight "staging" projects I've worked on was completed within 1 day. Anything that took more was because of the size of the project (5000+ sf home or multiple units) OR if there were delays on other related projects. When I first started my staging business, I was running back to the warehouse to pick up things we forgot or shopping at the last minute because we didn't have what we needed, and I'm not saying that you won't still have to do this occasionally, but you want to avoid these delays as much as you can and the best way to do that is to have a plan going into every single project.
2) Do be tactful with your clients. The Designers on "The Stagers" are good at keeping their opinions to a minimum in front the client. Some of the other Staging shows seem to enjoy poking fun at how awful a home looks. I'm all for being truthful and honest with your clients, but being tactful will definitely earn you more brownie points and help you maintain your professional image. Most of the time, they already know their property is not in "top selling" condition, that's why they called you. There's no reason to make a mockery of the situation. Perhaps again, the criticisms voiced are for ratings, but most real life people would not be too thrilled with you if that's how you approached them.
3) Do Keep your Inventory Organized. This is always a challenge for any Staging Company. It's a never ending struggle with having "too much" when it all comes back and not having enough when you're super busy. The Dekora warehouse featured on the show is enormous compared to probably 99% of the staging firms out there. Most of us do not have the luxury of a 10,000 sf space with seemingly unlimited inventory available. I started off with storing my inventory in our 1 car garage and back stairs when my husband & I lived in a townhouse. We eventually graduated to one large storage unit, then two, and finally to an 1100 square foot warehouse. Then there was the challenge of keeping the zones organized - linens, kitchen accessories, bath accessories, floral/greenery, silk trees, lamps, chairs, art, etc. We toyed with the idea of building shelving so that we could capitalize on the vertical space in the warehouse, but then there was the safety issue with our team members going up and down. I can't say we ever really perfected "Staging the Warehouse", but one thing we always tried to do was unpack after a destage and put everything back into their respective zones so that it was easy to pull inventory for the next project. The more disciplined you are in this area, the more sane you can remain. I actually designated Fridays or a day when there were no Staging Projects scheduled as Warehouse days - time to reorganize, clean and repair inventory.
4) Do Keep in Mind Who the Prospective Buyers will be and Design the Staging Accordingly. This skill will set you apart from just being a "wannabe" stager to being a true Real Estate Partner and a Professional Staging Designer. There are many Real Estate Agents who are guilty of this as well. They don't keep in mind who the target audience is - who would be your prospective buyer? Is it a young family? Are they empty nesters? Are they young bachelors/bachelorettes? These considerations must be top of mind when designing your Staging. It's not about just adding artwork and putting furniture into a room. The personality that is added with accessories should portray the type of lifestyle that one would want to live in that home. This is one thing that the Designers on the show are good at exploring and working with.
5) Build a Staging Team. This is something all of you should work towards. Just as on the show, they have the Staging Boss, Senior Stager, Home Stager, Staging Assistants, Movers, Handymen, etc., so should you. My role was a cross between the Staging Boss and the Senior Stager as I was never completely hands-off. Building a team to work with not only makes each project more efficient, it also makes it a lot of more fun because you can bounce creative ideas off of one another. I've had people on my team at all levels. Movers who just helped move inventory to and from the staging sites (mostly large pieces of furniture so we can totally relate to the sofa not fitting in the elevator or door - I dreaded getting those calls), Staging interns who actually did hands-on staging work, but can be the perfect team member to help wipe down furniture, clean mirrors and art, iron bedding, pump up airbeds, etc. I also strongly believe there should be a Team Lead so that there is someone who is in charge on-site, otherwise it would be too chaotic.
Here are few other tips depicted on the show that I you should definitely keep in mind for your own businesses (if you're not already doing so):
* Incorporate feng shui principles in your staging (in some parts of the country, THIS IS HUGE - like So. Cal)
* Don't forget to address curb appeal issues
* Paint over unattractive, unmarketable wall colors
* Add dramatic art and accessories for high impact
* Bring rooms back to its originally intended purpose
* Don't fight with what's not working, like trying to use the
homeowner's things
* Use scale appropriate furniture
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staging Designer's Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine "Set the Stage for Your Success". If you're ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at http://www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
