As we find more and more “fly by night” home staging companies, home staging training programs and home staging certifications popping up everywhere, you have to ask yourself “Which training is right for me?” And, I think that you need to go one step further and ask; “which one will give me extraordinary training PLUS teach me how to get more clients and home staging bookings than I can handle?” In other words, which one teaches staging along with “The Business of Home Staging” so that you know how to get clients, bookings, and make great money…all without killing yourself!

These are important things to consider with so many ‘so-called’ training and certification companies. Of course many of them will go away quickly, many already have and others will come and go too. The same is true with Home Stagers, so how do you not only survive, but thrive, especially in this economy?

The answer is in building up your marketing, systems and business skills so you know how to attract and retain clients that will stay with you for years and years. I actually give great information on doing this with my “How to Market Your Home Staging Business” Course. http://apsdmembers.com/marketing/order.html

I always tell everyone that becoming a success is really just math. I can even prove it to you with my easy 1-2-3 step formula for getting more clients and Home Staging Bookings than you can handle….

1) Build a system for everything you have to do more than once. Barbara Corcoran, author of “Everything I needed to know, I learned from my mother” talks about when her mother would make school lunches she would line up 10 pieces of bread on the counter and brush them back and forth with peanut butter, using a paint brush. That her mother had a system for everything that needed to be done more than once!

We do the same thing at APSD™. We have a 6 step Home Staging Pyramid that is the formula for successful Home Staging which yields results (which by the way is what your customer is really looking for!).

We have a system for marketing, a system for follow-up, a system for training…you get the idea! Everything that needs to be done more than once, must have a successful system that yields results no matter how creative and great you are “off the cuff.” Business is business; have a system and then layer in your creativity. That is what I do, and have been very successful in doing so.

2) I am so surprised by how little marketing people are willing to do. It is the core of every business. Even when people say “oh I have a referral or word of mouth business,” that is great, but as my mentor Dan Kennedy says “One is a lonely number” and you should never rely on just one method or person for anything.

You need to have a variety of marketing going out that is set in a specific cycle, is consistent (This is REALLY Important), speaks directly to your customer and reaches them when they need you. In my “How to Market Your Home Staging Business” Course, I cover 19 different ways to market to your client, what to say and when to say it. http://apsdmembers.com/marketing/order.html

Make sure that you have a marketing system in place in order to secure success. This does not have to be complicated, it can be as easy as sending a card every month, along with a special offer, a thank you and asking for a referral. The point is that you have to be consistent with delivering the right message to the right person.

3) The third and final step in creating more clients and home staging bookings than you can handle is to simple have your business strategies in line. To me, this means knowing my goals with extraordinary clarity and taking action on them, being good at delegating anything that I am not good at or does not directly lead me toward my goal, and managing my time right down to the minute without letting other people’s emergencies become my own.

Every day I review my goals and tweek them if necessary. This only takes me 5-10 minutes but it reminds me what I am working toward and how to get there. I also have a quick meeting with my husband Pete as he handles our employees. If you don’t work with anyone else, that is fine, I didn’t either until just 3 years ago. Then, I had someone that helped me just 5 hours a week. So, I had a quick meeting with her once a week and she knew what I needed and expected.

After that, I take a look at what I am to accomplish each day, assign a beginning and ending time frame to it along with what I am to complete. So, if you have scheduled a home staging that day, you might only write down “Staging, 123 Main St. 11-1pm.” What is better is if you learn to really manage your time effectively and respect yourself enough to do so.

I would instruct you to write down:
9:30-9:45- Prep for Home Staging by confirming appt., contract and payment; print receipt, gather checklists, paperwork and direction.
9:45-10:00- review photos of property to create 6 step staging plan of action.
10:00-10:45 Gather Home Staging Items from Storage Unit
10:45-11:00- Drive to Clients Home
11:00- 1:00 Deliver Awesome Home Staging
11:00- 11:15- Thank the client, have them sign a satisfaction form and write a testimonial. Offer next service.
11:15-12:00 follow up with client with a thank you card, and a special offer. File notes on property.

By doing this, you won’t forget anything, you won’t be late, you will be far more prepared (meaning; less frazzled and nervous), confident ,and the chances of you receiving a referral, a second booking or even another service for the same property increase by over 70%. So, you are actually making more money by scheduling your time effectively.

So, there it is, my quick and easy 1-2-3 formula for how you can get more clients and home staging bookings than you can handle, especially in this economy!
1) Build Your Home Staging Business Systems
2) Create a Consistent, Compelling Marketing Funnel
3) Develop your business strategies to keep you focused, on track and successful!

To your joy and success,

Karen Schaefer
Founder, APSD The Association of Property Scene Designers
The World Leader in Home Staging Training and Certification

P.S. Ready to run a “Successful Home Staging Business” and attract all the clients and Home Staging Bookings that you need without working yourself to death? How many of you are Certified Home Stagers, but can’t seem to figure out how to get work, or at least not enough to make it worth your time ? Don’t worry, that is because no one has ever taught you the “money making” side of Home Staging. Well, no more! At APSD™ I recently created a special 4 part course filled with the exact same marketing and business building strategies that I use in my own Home Staging Business that has allowed me to create a 6 figure Home Staging Business income year after year. As we build a bigger, greater and extremely talented APSD™ Home Staging Community, I wanted to share those secrets with all of our Certified Home Staging Professionals, Designers and Real Estate Agents so that you know how to consistently grow your own business. Take a look at this easy to follow program that will literally teach you how to have more clients and bookings than you can handle!
http://apsdmembers.com/marketing/order.html And, if you act fast…I have an EXTRA SPECIAL opportunity for you right now!