Home Staging Blog by Jennie Norris

In the focus on the idea that our markets are saturated with Stagers - consider this:  Staging is not limited to just Staging houses for sale.  When supply and demand are talked about, what we tend to focus on is the issue of house sales.  What about all the other avenues of business I hear about that Stagers all over are pursuing successfully?

• Staging for Living
• Event Staging
• Personal Shopping & Resourcing Services
• Staging for Work
• Commercial Building Staging
• College Dorm Staging
• Store Window Staging
• Display Staging
• Staging to Rent
• Holiday Staging
• New Homeowner Move-in

And the list could go on . . .  but I think we all get the point.  None of the bulleted list items have to do with Staging to sell.  The categories there are

• Staging to sell - Occupied Homes
• Staging to sell - Vacant Homes
• Inventory Rental
• New Construction Staging
• Model Home Staging
• Model Apartment Staging
• Senior Market Staging
• Relocation Staging
• etc.

The fact is, whether there are 100 or 320 or 20 Stagers trained in an area, there are plenty of work opportunities for those willing to get out of the box and find a way to apply our creative talents.  In areas where there are more Stagers, I bet the overall population is a lot higher too, which means many more homeowners with needs we can meet, and many more Realtors.

Before we get discouraged by predictions that we are doomed to failure, take a look at the facts.  When someone gives up - was it because there was no work for them or was it because they did not want to put out the work to get it?  What I have learned in my 5 years of Staging that still includes the schlepping, planning, preparing proposals, educating sellers and Realtors, and working in 110 degree heat where even my earlobes are dripping with sweat . . . is that the work is there - the need is there - the need is GROWING because the public WANTS their houses to sell for the best price and in a short time - whatever the market conditions are.

Find out how many REALTORS are in your market - in fact, that is a good thing to know at all times.  How many homeowners are there where you are?  When I shared that the success of Stagers depends on their ability to successfully market - that is true.  Yet, there are millions of people that have still not heard about Staging or experienced it first-hand.  One by one, we are reaching them.  That means success is up to us - and when someone does not succeed, it is NOT because there was not work for them - it's because they did not go and find the work.

Consider this:  A fellow Stager came to visit us from Colorado to shadow and learn, and she is in a smaller part of Colorado and has moved 3 times in recent years.  To carve out a niche market for herself because the resale home market was not a viable source for business, she is doing "Land Staging" - where she surveys and prepares a summary report on the land to be sold.  She plans, coordinates and prepares the land parcel with clearing out debris and brush - and prepares the views for the buyers.  She has coordinated helicopter tours of the land, dog-sled rides with a picnic - you know - whatever it takes to entice the buyer and make it memorable. She is charging $1,200 for the reports and then takes 1% of the sales price.  When the land is priced at $7M, that gives her a nice profit when it sells.  She did not read a book to tell her how to do this - she just told herself, "Self, I need to find a need and fill it."  And she did.

We can too. Find a need in your market - and fill it.  As Stagers we are not limited by the market or competition or anything of that nature.  We are only limited by what we believe we can or cannot do.  We are creative and we can Stage anything!  Find a need a fill it - and be in charge of your success!

Happy Friday!  I was thinking we needed to have some fun on the site this week, I thought about having an UGLY HOUSE CONTEST.  You know - we've all seen them.  The colors that scream out at you while you are still blocks away!  The eyesores in the front yard.  The lack of curb appeal.  I know they are out there in every city - and so do your best to share the best of the worst - just for fun!!  If you have a great "Before/After" set - I'd love to see them!  Nothing tells it better than the eye of the camera!!  For now, let's just focus on the EXTERIOR of the houses - I know we could have a totally different contest on the inside of some of the houses we've seen!

Here is my submission - Isn't there some sports team  that is Green and Gold?  Maybe that was their inspiration.   Anyway, these poor neighbors putting up with the GREEN MONSTER!  This photo was taken by my team mates while they were out Staging - one of those - "You gotta see it to believe it!" scenarios.  I have to agree - nothing tells it better than the visual image a digital camera captures!

Can you believe there is ANOTHER GREEN MONSTER - I took this photo just 2 days ago - in Lincoln, CA.

I posted this to another blog talking about good front doors - as an example of need for curb appeal, but I think this house deserves a shot at winning the CONTEST.  Don't you agree?  I guess the moral of the story with these 2 examples is that GREEN is NOT a good exterior color for a house - especially when it is of the neon persuasion!  Don't you agree that the chain link fence in the front of this house adds that "special" touch?

Care to play along?  Put your photos up.  We can proclaim a winner based on your feedback - and how many submissions we get!!

Lighthearted and Fun for a Friday!!

- Jennie

I felt this topic deserved a blog of its own . . . Training works in whatever forum you prefer.  The APPLICATION of that knowledge has to be done in order for Success to come!

Training Companies help fill a need - a DEMAND for this service in a market.  They do not create the demand but they help SUPPLY those that are needed.

I have to agree 100% with Lori who posted on Craig's blog on training or lack-thereof being the reason Stagers don't succeed.  I thank her for putting it out there with so clearly.  When considering this topic - have you actually attended a class to offer up blog thoughts or is it based on speculation?  Using someone else's reasons (translation: excuses) for why they found it hard to succeed doesn't count either - because usually when someone does not make it in Staging - the only thing or person to "blame" (for lack of a better word) is themselves.  They did not put out the effort to get rewards.  I can't speak for all training companies out there but I am familiar with most of the larger ones, and I have to say, this is not what I see and hear is happening.

Targeting the classes now for the problems in the industry - it just does not fly with those that have actual experience - and on both sides.  AND I know there is cause and effect - and the MARKET DOES create a NEED for Stagers - that's why the classes fill up!  When Staging begins to grow in an area, it grows not because a bunch of people decide to "BE A STAGER" - it grows because there is a service need - and these people realize they can fill that need.  To me - I see it opposite of what you wrote - find a need and fill it.  In my market, the Staging took off when the market needed it to and not the other way around.

There are many, many Stagers that are successful and doing LOTS of work.  These same Stagers could have been in a class with an individual that will proclaim, "There is just no work here." or "No one where I live wants to hire a Stager."  Attitude is Key.  Truth is - when someone is focused on a goal and has a strong motivation they WILL achieve what they set out to do because they HAVE to in order to get the results they NEED.  It can't be a WANT or DESIRE - it has to be a firm NEED. When the motivation - the WHY - is not strong enough when the challenges come (and they will) those people give up.  It's sad but true - AND it happens in EVERY industry!  I actually tell students that the 80/20 rule applies in our industry too.  That is not my rule - it is a rule of thumb for business.  Those that put forth effort strategically and are patient for success, and are in it for the long term, will do the bulk of the work.

There is no "end all" of education for Staging.  Have you learned it ALL yet?  I doubt it.  Neither have I.  There are ideas related to Staging that have not even been discovered yet.  To expect any training company to provide it ALL is unrealistic.  If you have taken a class, you would know that there is a limit to how much a brain can absorb as well.  When I teach, the goal is to give a good foundation and then it's up to the individual to put the steps in place to properly set up and market their business.  Make no mistake, the classes are taught with the clear understanding that it takes WORK to succeed.  I have not seen any course offered that guarantees income, or says it's so easy to be a Stager.  That is NOT being sold to a person looking at being a Stager. 

The culprits of the misperception really are often the family and friends that tell a person - "You should be a Stager - you have such a flair for decorating."  And then they research what they want to do - some decide to take a class, they invest $$ in a class, and then when they have no business skills to back it up - they struggle.  Also people we work with - they often have that impression.  They see what we do as so fun - we get to shop, and Stage. And they are not seeing the WORK that went into getting a job in the first place, the planning, they physical side of Staging, the sweating that goes on.  Staging is NOT glamorous, but it IS rewarding.  And it takes money to make money - so there is an investment to set up a business- basic costs to the investment in inventory for those that choose to pursue that avenue of income. 

What a good course should do is offer a foundation, and then ongoing support and help.  We don't want people to struggle, but as Lori wrote, we don't follow people home and hand-hold.  The company I train with gives opportunities to be mentored for free, paid coaching services, free networking to get around successful Stagers in the same market, to learn, to stay plugged in, conference calls, monthly meetings, annual convention, and more.  I can't tell you the number of Stagers that CHOOSE not to participate in things that would help them succeed.  It is a CHOICE and the person responsible is the individual.

The fact is, you can lead a horse to water and yet you can't force them to drink.  If someone really wants to succeed, they have to take ACTION.  Those that have fallen by the wayside - there was no shortage of work in Staging - they just did not want to put out the action to get results.  It boils down to motivation! Those that are willing to get out and DO get the rewards.  When it is set up as a BUSINESS from the start with professional systems in place to marketing activity, then it rewards like a business.

As for the educating of the public - as Lori stated, there are hundreds of articles that share about Staging benefits that help drive business to Stagers.  Many of the articles feature Stagers found through training organizations, or the organization itself.  The awareness of Staging comes from the foot-soldiers of Stagers that are TAUGHT what to say to a particular audience to help educate them.  They are coached what to say - but then they have to actually open their mouths.  To state that is not happening is not acknowledging the truth as all you have to do is look at the hundreds of articles found on Staging and see who they feature and why.

And because there are so many avenues of business for a Stager - many of which have NOTHING to do with the sale of a house - there is no shortage of work for all of us.  Planting a seed of fear in people to make them think that the market will be flooded with Stagers and we will all lose income or painting a doomsday picture of the future of Staging - is not telling the reality of the situation.  With over 240 million people in the US, and millions of home owners, 1.2 Million licensed REALTORS, and many more agents . . . there is no shortage of work.  What I have learned is the more people that know about Staging, the more Stagers we will need!  One person could not Stage an entire city or even for one entire Real Estate office of 20+ or more agents - if all the agents were using Staging for all their listings.  You or I would burn out and we would NEED more help!  And as I said above, there are many services we can offer as Stagers that have nothing to do with selling - so even in a slow market, there are many avenues of income.  It's all HOW we MARKET ourselves and carve out niches that count.

So the issue at hand is how to get the sellers and Realtors on board by continuing to educate them, using what is taught through various methods - classes, online, real-life experience - and not discourage people from following their passion.

- Jennie

Where was the last person that asked you "What is Home Staging?" I am STILL blown away that I get that question after years of Staging and the exposure we have seen in all sorts of media. My first response when I get that question is to ask "Have you been living under a rock?"... but instead I share all about Staging.

The last few days here are the last places I was queried... At the gas station pumping gas - an older man came around my car that has signs on it and he startled me when he asked me what Staging was. So I shared what it was. Then at the Starbucks drivethrough right next to the gas station the gal in the window saw my signs and asked me what home staging was. So I quiclkly told her too... making a mental note that the city I was in must not be in to HGTV or see the press on Staging. Then as I left Starbucks to drive home, I got a call from someone that asked if I was a Stager and had called from my signs. I then got a call from the person he knew that wanted to learn how to be a Stager.

I was in an area that is a bit more remote and understandable that the service of staging has been slower to reach that area than others where I live. Then today - on a flight to Arizona the lady seated next to me and my colleague saw our Staging bags and asked if we were designers. We told her we were Home Stagers and she gushed that she loves watching HGTV and the show Designed to Sell. So even after years of publicity and an ever-growing presence in all parts of the country, there are still those that don't know what we do! What I learned is to not underestimate the power of signs on cars to advertise our business, and even things we carry can lead to a conversation about Staging.

How do you market when you think you are not marketing?? Those are just a couple of ways I have experienced recently... and that means we have to be ready with our "10 second commercial" when we get that call or a conversation starts that can lead us to business. Taking the pressure off of "having to go sell my services" and realizing that people WANT to know what we do and it can be as simple as starting a conversation with "Ever heard of home staging?" that can lead us to a client.

-Jennie

How good are you at Negotiating? When a client says "no" do we walk away or do we go for round 2? Giving options for our Staging services helps in this process and learning how to keep the door open are key. When a client is interested in Staging the battle is half won. Getting us to meet on price and terms then becomes the key. How far do you go to re-work a proposal or adjust pricing? My motto is "I'd rather have a job than no income" but I also know my walk-away point.

When the "champagne taste on a beer budget" scenario enters, I exit. I have gone to the place of giving options for the Staging and let the seller choose. I have standards, but have had to get skilled at negotiating and selling the benefits of Staging in order to get the job and get the client on board. In the early days I probably lost work because I did not know how to overcome the issue of the price gap. As I learned how not to close the door just because of price, more jobs were won.

Negotiating is the key to getting the jobs we want at a price we can work with and remind ourselves that in order to Stage we have to successfully negotiate first.

- Jennie

The Sunday Paper for most large papers has a "PARADE" section - and today's was all about "Where America Lives."  Not only do they give statistics for median priced homes in the country, but they share what our dollars can afford city by city.  Pretty interesting to see how far our dollars go city by city. 

Then they have an article on "How to Make your Home Sell Faster" - that is all about Staging!  A good synopsis of what sellers need to do - and yet no mention of hiring out for help.  Assuming all homeowners are skilled enough and objective enough to implement the recommendations, their houses should sell.  We, of course, know better, and so those that are so inclined, why not write to Leslie Pepper or PARADE and tell them to include trained Home Stagers in a future article on this valuable and needed service! 

REALTORS - since Staging is a valuable took that can help make your jobs easier too - share that Leslie needs to get the whole perspective.  Staging really does change the way the real estate process is conducted - making it easeir for all involved to Sell, Buy, work as a REALTOR, and as a Stager! It shortens the time on the market, and helps keep things going, even in areas where the market has softened.

You can post a comment on their blog - or write in seperately.  Either way, the article again gives our industry focus as the work of Staging is featured - what is NEEDED to sell a house!  Below is the article and link to the page where you view the text.  When the exposure is out there - it is GOOD for us all - and this reinforces the need for US ALL - wherever we live and work as Stagers, and where we live and work selling Real Estate and include Staging as a key marketing tool!

Happy Sunday!

- Jennie

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_05-06-2007/10_Tips?te=1178479792766

I love Roller Coasters - I love that climb to the top with the anticipation of the big drop in my stomach when we speed down a hill.  I challenge myself to hold my hands-up in the air - screaming like a kid!  We took our kids to Sea World over spring break and rode this Atlantis ride no less than 7 times - a combo roller coaster/water ride.  We even got my in-laws who are in their 70's to take a turn on the coaster.  It was great fun - and our kids were thrilled!

Roller coasters at theme parks are great. Roller coasters in our business - not so great.  We tend to jump on the roller coaster for business that takes us UP and DOWN, UP and DOWN - and may even whirl us upsidedown!  We may even feel sick to our stomachs when we think, "no one is going to hire me."  One day we are UP because we got a call and things are FABULOUS!  The next day we are Down because no one called.  One week we are UP because we are busy with work, and the next week - we are DOWN because no one has called and we think, "ALL the business has dried up."  or "They must not like me anymore."  That is called FEAR and fear is an unproductive motivator.  It causes us to shut down or shut off.

Get off the Roller Coaster!  The way to do this - is to measure success and activity month to month.  When we take too small increments to evaluate how we are doing, that is a sure invitation to jump on that Roller Coaster and strap in!  We need to use the perspective of time to evaluate the success of our businesses.  Months of time are a better measure of how you are doing than week to week or day to day.  Month to month, we can look at revenue, number of overall jobs, and properly assess if we are on track, and then make needed adjustments.  As business grows, look quarterly at how you are doing - bigger chunks to get perspective, especially if you are in a market that is not predictable.

This is what I have experienced on average and have seen over and over with other newer Stagers.  With consistent marketing at all times - the first year - business is growing so you will have ups and downs.  You are building your foundation - so there may be big chunks of quiet time - and that is our time to get out and network and share with others, and to get our systems in place.  By your second year - your business stream should be more steady, because you have a foundation of clients you worked with in year 1, but you are still in the building mode.  There will be lulls in activity - could be based on the market and the busy versus slower season, or could be a factor of not enough of a client base to sustain a steady level of business.  By your third year, as you continue to build, you should have a reliable number of jobs that you can count on to sustain you monthly.  And the successive years, you are in maintenance mode, and sustaining your level of business.  If you are adding to your Staging team, then you remain in building mode to add clientele to sustain a needed level of business.

After doing this for 5 years, I don't look week to week or freak out when I have a slow week.  I am happy because it allows me to get other stuff done that I have been putting off - because I KNOW that it will get hectic again with lots of jobs and demands for Staging.  I know that the income I need is there - and so I don't stress about the slow times.  If there is an elongated slow time - just get out and remind your client base that you are there to help them, and ASK for others to work with.  There are so many avenues for business as a Stager - and many that have nothing to do with Selling homes at all.  It's all how we present our services to our potential clients that determines what activity we will have.

When our market slowed considerably for home sales the past 18 months, this also meant slow down for Stagers - or flipping it around - meant the need to go and get more clients to sustain the same level of business.  It's a numbers game.  Asking current happy clients to share a few names of their colleagues that could work with you - is a warm referral - and a goal to double your client base annually (if you want to do that) begins by asking for the referral.

So, as much as I enjoy the pitch in my stomach, the churns and turns of a thrill ride at the amusements part - I got off the business roller coaster as soon as I could - and now just enjoy the trust that I have put in the work to ensure a steady stream of business - and don't freak out if the phone does not ring.  It will - in a day or so - and then I will be running around wishing for some time to breathe!!  Enjoy your restful interludes - we need them to refresh and rejuvenate our Staging spirits!

- Jennie

Basic Training - instilling the simple and basic foundation for success - is something we all need to go back to from time to time.  I just completed another Staging class and had a Stager that had been trained a while ago that was really struggling with what to do next.  She was stumped on the whole business building side of Staging.  She had all the information on what to do - just could not connect the dots.  The Creative Side - she has it figured out - that's sometimes the easy part for us!  Most of us - we have an "eye" for Staging that goes back to when we were very young - and have been Staging our whole lives really.  But to wrap a business around this gift is hard for some.  When we have not run a business before - it can actually be scary to think about setting it up!

We tend to get wrapped up in the HOW and begin to complicate the process by thinking we have to have all these fabulous marketing pieces or have to say the very best marketing talk or spiel to an audience of 1 or 50.  We see and hear about these cool new devices or ways to do a presentation and feel like we are missing out if we don't learn how to use them too . . . It's hard not to compare ourselves to the next person we see or hear about.  Then we get intimidated or fearful - and when that happens, paralysis sets in and we end up doing nothing because we second guess everything.

In reality - it's the details that can COMPLICATE things and going back to the basics of building our business is what helps to bring peace of mind and remind us that we do know what to do.  Not that cool new marketing techniques and ideas aren't great and an added bonus to what we do - but it's easy to get intimidated by what we hear someone else is doing to succeed - and then try to replicate what we hear, but if we don't get it quite right, we end up getting frustrated at our lack of the same success they seemed to find so easily. 

In an instant society where our generation has the ability to get instant food, instant hot water, and instant messaging - do we think we deserve instant success too?  In reality each of our paths to success will be different based on our backgrounds and effort.  So comparison is futile.  Some have been handed "blue-birds" - that's sales-speak for an un-deserved gift.  A windfall that has nothing to do with marketing or longevity and everything to do with just happening to be in the right place at the right time and being the one to get handed a great opportunity.  For most of us - our paths to success are in direct proportion to how much effort and belief we have, and the blue-birds may come once in a while, but mostly it's our sweat equity that yields results. So there is no getting around putting in time in order to see results but always time to stick to the basics of what we know works.

Any time I have had a client where things may not have gone as smoothly as possible, I go back and review the basics of what I was taught, and see how I measured up in the process.  Invariably, I neglected to explain some basic principle of Staging to the client and without educating the client about what I do - my process - so I am then relying on probably some TV show or article or mis-guided conversation this client had about Staging - to frame the expectation. This leads to misguided expecatations, and backtracking to explain that which I should have been clear about from the start.

What are some basics? These are just my ideas - what do you think?

PLAN - Figure out what you want as a result of your business and then set activity goals to help make that happen.  Is it just the income - or what the income will allow you to have and do?  For me - the money is great - but it's the flexibility of being able to pick and choose what I want to do, and be home with my kids that I love.  I could never go back to an 8-5 job where I had to watch the clock and answer to one manager. 

Once you have identified that - it could be one thing or several - that becomes your primary motivator.  Once you have that identified, then you will know your WHY for having a Staging business.  We all love the Creative High we get after Staging, but we need to know WHY we do what we do - and each of us could have a different motivator.  When we lose our focus and take our eyes off the WHY - we will see our efforts wane and results slow down.

NETWORK - Work your warm referral base for business.  We don't have to cold-call and build everything from scratch - unless you are like I was and moved away from a 14-year base of friends and colleagues to an unknown area.  Most people have lived in an area for some length of time - use your warm network to bring in business.  People want to help others succeed - and all it takes is one nice person to offer to share your info and help you get in the door somewhere.  Persistence is KEY as well - not giving up - even when we might hear a few No's. . . There is always someone that can lead you to someone else. .  .it could be a colleague or someone you just met - but it's all about the ASKING - asking the right questions and finding the right people.

BUSINESS TOOLS - build a Business with a capital B from the start meaning put in professional systems in place to help you as your business grows.  Being efficient on the paperwork and maintenance sides of things means we will have more time for the creative side - which is what we love the most.  When these systems are not in place from the start, as business grows, we will not be able to track things efficiently and it will eat into our ability to serve our clients.

SHARE INFORMATION - Ours is a PEOPLE business so truly it's our ability to find the people who need our help and sharing effectively about what we do that will make the difference in how our business grows.  We need to be really good at explaining what we do in a short period of time.  All the other activities and efforts are really secondary to this.  When we share our basics with clients - it comes across as easy for them too.  I learned a long time ago, a confused mind says no - and so when we complicate things by adding too much detail or getting off track or giving too many options, the client gets confused and just walks away.

I have also learned along the way that when I help enough other people get what they want I get what I want - so helping others achieve their goals allows me to achieve mine.  For Staging - I am helping the Seller achieve their goal of moving, I am helping the Realtor achieve their goal of getting a house sold, and I am helping the Buyer achieve the goal of finding a new house to move into - so with all 3 getting what they want - I get what I want - which is success - money - and freedom to pick and choose my work.

It's Simple - really.  Staging simplifies the house - and helps the buyer make a simple buying decision.  And sticking with the basics of what we know works and keeping our WHY out in front Simplifies our business path.  The basics work - simply stated.

- Jennie