So what does the homeowner really want to know when they ask a stager:

How many homes have you staged? (A number means you must be good, right? Are you competent?)

How long have you been home staging? (Are you any good at what you do? Are you competent?)

What kind of furniture do you have? (It is the furniture that makes the staging, right? And, oh by the way, are you competent?)

In my“what do sellers really mean when they say” blog, I made mention of the fact that sometimes we often answer the questions sellers ask, not what they really want to know.

They really want to know if you are competent. You show you are competent with your Presentation, Portfolio, References and Image.

Miriam Webster’s definition of competent is:

Competent – 1: proper or rightly pertinent, 2: having requisite or adequate ability or qualities: fit (a competent teacher) (a competent piece of work), 3: legally qualified or adequate (a competent witness).

Presentation – Demonstrate your competence in your presentation. Always do a presentation. Don’t make the mistake that sometimes when you know someone or feel you have talked about your staging work that you’ve already told them enough. Always do your presentation. Your presentation establishes your professionalism, your competence, your professional policies. Be proactive and answer the questions before they come up and save misunderstandings later in the process. You can bet, the one thing you didn’t cover in the presentation because you didn’t think they needed to hear it is the one thing that comes up later as a challenge or misunderstanding. Do your entire presentation and you will eliminate most challenges later on. The client will there learn that staging is NOT about the furniture. You’ll get to know their real motivations and flexibilities in the process.

The fact-finding part of the presentation is where you discover their needs, often things they don’t even realize. They are overwhelmed, that is why you are there; they are declaring that they don’t know it all and admitting they need an expert. YEAH! They aren’t sure yet that the expert is you. So show them that it is YOU. Their goals will be the ones that get accomplished, not yours. A skilled professional takes “the list” and attaches it to their goals whenever possible.

References – Show your competence with your references. Have people write what they KNOW and FEEL about your work. Have past clients state their results. If you are new, you may have to improvise and provide competency references (ie. professionals you’ve worked with who will verify your competency in business, staging, organization, etc.) I have written reference letters for stagers that I have worked with to provide them a level of competency from a Realtor perspective. Sellers like to know that Realtors agree that your staging is competent, gets results and works for a Realtor. A Realtor is a great reference. It also helps you solidify the Realtor as a team member of yours. More about that in another blog.

Portfolio – Show your competence with your portfolio. The implication is that someone with a portfolio is professional, competent, experienced, qualified and (more than) adequate. Show your before and after photos (making sure they are YOURS). Don’t use someone else’s photos (always a “no-no”) or even photos from a class you went to. Why? Others are using them too in their portfolios and on the internet, and a savvy seller doing research may have seen them somewhere before. This will damage your credibility. If you need to, stage your own home, a friend or family member’s home, or stage with someone who will allow you to use the photos of the rooms you staged or the project you staged. Make your own portfolio with YOUR work. If you are new to the business, you must be serious about establishing your business image; it is essential that you do this early. It is part of your business start up. The successful stagers I know spent a month or so getting their business in a position to launch prior to putting anything out into the world. There is a reason for that. Perception is everything to the client. They must perceive that you know what you are doing before they’ll agree to give you their money. No one wants to be the surgeon’s first operation… think about it.

Image – Those same people who spent a month or so getting their staging businesses ready to launch established a business image. They “staged” their business. My daughter does staging of websites that are just not meshing with the image of the company and/or their image has changed or evolved. She has a company called StagingWebsites.com. She can’t have a cluttered site that does not evoke what she is selling. She is selling the fact that she knows how to stage websites. You are selling the fact that you know how to stage. How you present yourself, your website, appearance, logo, vehicle and your personal appearance, along with all of your print materials (business cards are the first, most important place to start) gives a message to the client as to whether you are professional, know your business, and have a presence that is in line with your type of work; in short, is your business “staged”. This evokes professionalism even if they are your very first client.

In summary, poll your peers, friends, family, Realtors, business owners and ask their opinion. Do they trust you? Will they use you? Do your materials represent you as you intend, is your image consistent, do they show you are competent? Then – You are ready, Go Forth and Stage!

Terrylynn Fisher is in her 30th+ year in real estate, works in ALL kinds of markets and has a referral directory of Realtors who use similar marketing in your hometown too. She can be reached at 925 876-0966 for referrals or questions.