Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Are You Giving it Away?
Prequalify and Understand the Difference between an Interview and a Consultation
When the phone rings with a potential client, it is imperative that you use this opportunity to screen the caller for their appropriateness for your business. During the phone conversation, you will find out whether the caller is a viable prospect for your services or if their budget is not in line with your pricing schedule.
A few questions that you should always ask is:
* How did you hear about our business?
* Tell me about your project.
* Do you have a budget in mind? If they say "no", give them a price range that is typical of a property of their square footage as a benchmark to further qualify them. Everyone has a budget, but is not always willing to disclose it...just in case, by some miracle, what they had in mind is lower than what you will quote them.
* Who else are you interviewing?
This pre-qualification process will help you AVOID running around town, from property to property, giving away free advice and estimates. This is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you're new to the business. It's understandable that you get excited when a prospective customer calls, but it's even more important for you to value your time and avoid giving away your knowledge.
An interview should be just that, an interview. It is an opportunity for the client to meet you and for you to meet the client. It is not the time to start designing. This is the most important time to establish your value as a professional as well as the value of your time. Depending upon the nature of the project, i.e. model home merchandising or remodel for resale, you may need to go to their project for a site visit. Accompanying Realtors to their Listing Presentations to discuss the value add that your services provide is not uncommon once you have established strong business relationships.
* Schedule a day and time that is mutually convenient.
* An interview does not need to be more than one hour.
* Explain to them what will happen during the interview including a brief walkthrough, a review of your portfolio, and some Q&A on both sides.
* Keep in mind, an interview and a consultation are two different things.
While an interview is meant to get acquainted, a consultation is a paid visit in which you should give them ideas for their project.
* Schedule one to two hours, as required, and confirm the fee
* Explain that you will be answering any questions they might have.
* This is a chance to discuss options for space planning, value of different types of projects for real estate value, including renovations, and general decluttering.
If you've ever called upon an attorney for help, you know they don't just give away their expert advice at no charge (unless you're a close friend or relative). The same goes for doctors, accountants, and other professional service providers. Take a cue from them and value your time and specialized knowledge. You're worth it!
© 2009 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 Designers' 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.
When the phone rings with a potential client, it is imperative that you use this opportunity to screen the caller for their appropriateness for your business. During the phone conversation, you will find out whether the caller is a viable prospect for your services or if their budget is not in line with your pricing schedule.
A few questions that you should always ask is:
* How did you hear about our business?
* Tell me about your project.
* Do you have a budget in mind? If they say "no", give them a price range that is typical of a property of their square footage as a benchmark to further qualify them. Everyone has a budget, but is not always willing to disclose it...just in case, by some miracle, what they had in mind is lower than what you will quote them.
* Who else are you interviewing?
This pre-qualification process will help you AVOID running around town, from property to property, giving away free advice and estimates. This is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you're new to the business. It's understandable that you get excited when a prospective customer calls, but it's even more important for you to value your time and avoid giving away your knowledge.
An interview should be just that, an interview. It is an opportunity for the client to meet you and for you to meet the client. It is not the time to start designing. This is the most important time to establish your value as a professional as well as the value of your time. Depending upon the nature of the project, i.e. model home merchandising or remodel for resale, you may need to go to their project for a site visit. Accompanying Realtors to their Listing Presentations to discuss the value add that your services provide is not uncommon once you have established strong business relationships.
* Schedule a day and time that is mutually convenient.
* An interview does not need to be more than one hour.
* Explain to them what will happen during the interview including a brief walkthrough, a review of your portfolio, and some Q&A on both sides.
* Keep in mind, an interview and a consultation are two different things.
While an interview is meant to get acquainted, a consultation is a paid visit in which you should give them ideas for their project.
* Schedule one to two hours, as required, and confirm the fee
* Explain that you will be answering any questions they might have.
* This is a chance to discuss options for space planning, value of different types of projects for real estate value, including renovations, and general decluttering.
If you've ever called upon an attorney for help, you know they don't just give away their expert advice at no charge (unless you're a close friend or relative). The same goes for doctors, accountants, and other professional service providers. Take a cue from them and value your time and specialized knowledge. You're worth it!
© 2009 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 Designers' 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.
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Window Shop for Inspiration
Do you ever feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again? That's how I feel about our family meals. We know how to make a handful of dishes relatively well and it's just a neverending rotation of the same things, week after week. Sound familiar - BORING!!!
This could happen with our Staging design as well. We know what inventory we have to work with and how it could be set up. It can be a challenge sometimes to keep your design plans fresh. I was very conscious of this because I didn't want realtors to walk into one of my staged properties and say, "oh this looks just like what she did at the XYZ house". If we staged a property in town and then another property in a nearby city, I did not have a problem recreating ths same look there, but NEVER in the same city where the same group of realtors would likely see the house. I was always reminding my team to change things up on every property we worked on.
So what do you do when you run out of ideas? How about window shopping? I recently walked by Banana Republic and saw these two windows and had to take a photo because the first thing that popped in my mind was, that would be a great idea for Staging!
If you can't tell what's in the background, they are clothing design sketches. This would be a great theme for an office. You can probably find some photos from magazines to substitute the sketches or even find a clothing design sketchbook that you can extract pages from. Framing the tear sheets would give you a more polished look.
Need ideas for kitchens? Visit some gourmet cooking stores. Need ideas for bathrooms? Visit the bath department of a department store. I love visiting the china department at Bloomies or Macys to get ideas for tablescapes. Next time you're at the mall, look around and see where else you can find inspiration for your staging plans.
© 2009 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 could happen with our Staging design as well. We know what inventory we have to work with and how it could be set up. It can be a challenge sometimes to keep your design plans fresh. I was very conscious of this because I didn't want realtors to walk into one of my staged properties and say, "oh this looks just like what she did at the XYZ house". If we staged a property in town and then another property in a nearby city, I did not have a problem recreating ths same look there, but NEVER in the same city where the same group of realtors would likely see the house. I was always reminding my team to change things up on every property we worked on.
So what do you do when you run out of ideas? How about window shopping? I recently walked by Banana Republic and saw these two windows and had to take a photo because the first thing that popped in my mind was, that would be a great idea for Staging!
If you can't tell what's in the background, they are clothing design sketches. This would be a great theme for an office. You can probably find some photos from magazines to substitute the sketches or even find a clothing design sketchbook that you can extract pages from. Framing the tear sheets would give you a more polished look.
Need ideas for kitchens? Visit some gourmet cooking stores. Need ideas for bathrooms? Visit the bath department of a department store. I love visiting the china department at Bloomies or Macys to get ideas for tablescapes. Next time you're at the mall, look around and see where else you can find inspiration for your staging plans. © 2009 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, February 5, 2009
Effective Home Staging is Achieved by Designing a Lifestyle that Appeals to the Property's Target Market
We all know that Home Staging is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar. It is the most proven way to get the highest selling price for a property as you prepare it for sale. An important thing for both Real Estate Agents and Home Stagers to remember is that before you start the staging process, you need to to do research about who is most likely going to buy the house, otherwise known as the target market.
Staging is not just about hanging up some art, sticking a tree in the corner and adding pretty pillows to the sofa. This seems to be the misconception sometimes. Haven't we all received phone calls from potential customers who tell us, "oh, there's not much to be done. Just a few accessories will do the trick". That's someone who doesn't truly understand the psychology behind Staging. It's part of your marketing plan and should be very strategic. By knowing who the target market is, you will be able to design a lifestyle around that to appeal to that specific group of potential buyers and the real estate agent can design a marketing plan specifically to attract those same people.
So next time you're commissioned to transform a property into a marketable showcase, ask yourself (or the real estate agent) - Who are the prospective buyers? What do they like? Do they have kids? Do they have pets? Do their parents live with them?
Here are 5 reasons why you should know who the buyers will be:
1. You can cater the property to them
2. You can draw immediate attention and instant appeal
3. You can fix up the property faster and more economically
4. The house will sell faster
5. The sellers will save time and ultimately, money.
To elaborate on who the prospective buyers is, you want to know the following: Where are they from? What is their background? What is their ethnic heritage? Scope out the neighborhood and get to know the neighbors so you learn what type of person is likely to move into the neighborhood. Generally speaking, there is a commonality amongst neighbors.
Visit competing homes for sale to see what those homes have to offer to give you a better sense of the types of upgrades that may or may not be needed. Notice the likes and dislikes of the neighborhood. Are all the yards well maintained? Are they privacy seekers? Is there a sense of community? It's important to take their lifestyles into consideration so you can design the right way to market the property to that type of person.
Is this community mostly filled with starter families? If so, staging bedrooms for young kids would be a good idea. Otherwise, if the neighborhood consists mostly of older kids, you'll need to design more sophisticated spaces. Are they huge sports fans? Capitalizing on a homey family room with a BIG plasma TV would be ideal for that type of neighborhood. Is it in a golf community? Perhaps creating a study with a golf theme is just the thing you need or maybe a coastal or beach themed space in a water community or designing a floor plan that takes advantage of fantastic views.
If you're ever in doubt about how to create buyer appeal that caters to a specific target market, visit new home developments in your area and see how they have designed their model units. Developers spend a lot of time and money doing market research about who their potential buyers will be and relay that information to their model home designers. The style and décor needs to match the neighborhood, the home, and most importantly, the target market.
For example, if it's a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo in the city or a more metropolitan part of town, the likely target market is a single person - a bachelor or bachelorette or even a young couple. The ideal buyer is most likely someone in their 20s. Their lifestyle is going to be very carefree because there are no "family" considerations. Their style is probably going to be more contemporary and edgy. The second bedroom could be staged as a home office because that's probably what it would be used for. Staging it as a guest bedroom or a nursery is going to be less appealing.
On the flip side, if it's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, single family home in the suburbs, this is a classic family home. The potential buyer or "target market" is going to be a couple with a growing family. Their lifestyle is going to be very family-oriented so the family room and kitchen areas are very important as this is where they will be spending most of their time. The décor should be more relaxed and family friendly.
You'll need to work with the real estate agent to know who the potential buyers are and deliver the perfect house to them. Figure out what they want versus what they need. Remember, it's not about you or the seller; it's what the buyers want that will sell the house. You need a focused design plan to create the results the seller wants. When they learn that your services are more strategic and designed to help them achieve their goals, they'll be more inclined to refer you and want to work with you. Your goals should always be to position yourself as a value added service, not a frivolous expense.
© 2009 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.
Staging is not just about hanging up some art, sticking a tree in the corner and adding pretty pillows to the sofa. This seems to be the misconception sometimes. Haven't we all received phone calls from potential customers who tell us, "oh, there's not much to be done. Just a few accessories will do the trick". That's someone who doesn't truly understand the psychology behind Staging. It's part of your marketing plan and should be very strategic. By knowing who the target market is, you will be able to design a lifestyle around that to appeal to that specific group of potential buyers and the real estate agent can design a marketing plan specifically to attract those same people.
So next time you're commissioned to transform a property into a marketable showcase, ask yourself (or the real estate agent) - Who are the prospective buyers? What do they like? Do they have kids? Do they have pets? Do their parents live with them?
Here are 5 reasons why you should know who the buyers will be:
1. You can cater the property to them
2. You can draw immediate attention and instant appeal
3. You can fix up the property faster and more economically
4. The house will sell faster
5. The sellers will save time and ultimately, money.
To elaborate on who the prospective buyers is, you want to know the following: Where are they from? What is their background? What is their ethnic heritage? Scope out the neighborhood and get to know the neighbors so you learn what type of person is likely to move into the neighborhood. Generally speaking, there is a commonality amongst neighbors.
Visit competing homes for sale to see what those homes have to offer to give you a better sense of the types of upgrades that may or may not be needed. Notice the likes and dislikes of the neighborhood. Are all the yards well maintained? Are they privacy seekers? Is there a sense of community? It's important to take their lifestyles into consideration so you can design the right way to market the property to that type of person.
Is this community mostly filled with starter families? If so, staging bedrooms for young kids would be a good idea. Otherwise, if the neighborhood consists mostly of older kids, you'll need to design more sophisticated spaces. Are they huge sports fans? Capitalizing on a homey family room with a BIG plasma TV would be ideal for that type of neighborhood. Is it in a golf community? Perhaps creating a study with a golf theme is just the thing you need or maybe a coastal or beach themed space in a water community or designing a floor plan that takes advantage of fantastic views.
If you're ever in doubt about how to create buyer appeal that caters to a specific target market, visit new home developments in your area and see how they have designed their model units. Developers spend a lot of time and money doing market research about who their potential buyers will be and relay that information to their model home designers. The style and décor needs to match the neighborhood, the home, and most importantly, the target market.
For example, if it's a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo in the city or a more metropolitan part of town, the likely target market is a single person - a bachelor or bachelorette or even a young couple. The ideal buyer is most likely someone in their 20s. Their lifestyle is going to be very carefree because there are no "family" considerations. Their style is probably going to be more contemporary and edgy. The second bedroom could be staged as a home office because that's probably what it would be used for. Staging it as a guest bedroom or a nursery is going to be less appealing.
On the flip side, if it's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, single family home in the suburbs, this is a classic family home. The potential buyer or "target market" is going to be a couple with a growing family. Their lifestyle is going to be very family-oriented so the family room and kitchen areas are very important as this is where they will be spending most of their time. The décor should be more relaxed and family friendly.
You'll need to work with the real estate agent to know who the potential buyers are and deliver the perfect house to them. Figure out what they want versus what they need. Remember, it's not about you or the seller; it's what the buyers want that will sell the house. You need a focused design plan to create the results the seller wants. When they learn that your services are more strategic and designed to help them achieve their goals, they'll be more inclined to refer you and want to work with you. Your goals should always be to position yourself as a value added service, not a frivolous expense.
© 2009 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.
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