I've stayed a little quiet on this subject for the past couple of years but noticed a similar trend this year when RESA announced it was time for the Award Nominations.
The lack of submissions may be confusing to some but I believe there may be some unspoken reasons why many aren't stepping up to the plate and submitting themselves and their work.
Here are some of my thoughts:
- It feels counter intuitive to nominate oneself. When we're taught to play "nice" and put others first, it's often hard for us to want to share our accomplishments for fear of sounding "proud".
- A fee associated with the nominations keeps us away. Whether for budget reasons or it feels "odd" to "pay to play", it may automatically turn you off.
- The fear or feeling that the majority of your work & photos may not be "up to par" with what you've seen in the past, especially if your services are mainly geared toward working in owner occupied houses where you HAVE to use what's there.
- You may assume that there are many more qualified RESA stagers than yourself and what chance could you have if they haven't won in the past yet?
These are several thoughts that come to my mind and I'll admit that even I feel this way on some level!
But I continue to submit myself, in this second year although I did not make a finalist position last year.
Why you ask?
- Because I am proud of the work that I do! If I cannot express to others the value that I bring, how are they going to know the value in me and my services? It's not conceit or pride that is at work here in a negative sense, but a pride of ownership in the business and brand I am building and to write out my accomplishments for the year (and prior years) puts a lot in perspective for me to see how far I've really come.
- Yeah, the fee thing may be a little strange but I realize that there are many costs involved in getting this type of event off the ground and if it helps support the cause even if I myself don't win, I'm all about building up RESA and my colleagues for positioning ourselves as the staging association of choice! I've personally emailed Shell about this and she is willing to waive the fee for anyone that requests it.
- The majority of the work I personally do is in occupied homes. That has been growing for the past 2 years and I love it! But I have seen a trend in vacant properties in the
nominations and finalist categories over the years and fully understand why. They do look better in most cases than having to utilize what a house may have and that is your only choice! I'd love to see an occupied home staging submission go toe to toe with a vacant! But even if not why let that stop you? A buzz is sounding about having separate catagories the next year to feature vacants and occupieds. While it may not happen this conference, share your voice and your work by submitting your best transformations whether they are occupied or vacant! - The fact that there are so many others who are more qualified than me is a no brainer! I am constantly in awe and admiration of the work of my colleagues. I learn and grow by observing them and their work and it is my hope that others may say the same about me, no matter what I have to work with. The quality of my work continues to improve with each year! We all need to up our game!
A few tips I may add for the photo submission portion :
- Focus on taking your before and afters from the same spot in the room. It's often hard to tell how big of a transformation took place if it's not very similar in location.
- Consider hiring a professional photographer (or learn some techniques yourself) to take the after photos of some key rooms. It is not only great for your submissions but also for your website usage too! In some cases I've asked my Realtors to provide me with the after shots of the professional photos of homes I've worked on and in most cases they absolutely don't mind sharing!
- Be mindful of work throughout the year where you can show a positive transformation. I'll admit that not every property I stage would be put on my website or shared online based on the furnishings I've had to work with. However, these properties show sooo much better staged and ARE selling! And I'm providing a valuable service to my clients, just ask the Realtors I partner with.
So with this said, I hope those of you who may be feeling some of these same things will re consider your RESA Professional Stager of the Year 2011 submissions. It's a wonderful opportunity to share your work with your colleagues and build your brand and your reputation to boot.
Please feel free to share your thoughts too. As a RESA State President I am always happy to provide a platform for open dialog and suggestions. It's how we'll learn and grow together!
So, what are you waiting for? The deadline is THIS week! Don't forget the other catagories too!
Comments(24)