Blessings, blessings and more blessings OR Be careful what you ask for!

Yesterday I was working at my desk trying to refine my power point presentation and figure out how to send it via email so it was easy and quick to download.  The phone was ringing off the hook about all the ads I had placed, the i-net directory listings I had subscribed too and, well you all know how it goes when you are really, really trying to concentrate on something and keep getting interrupted!  So, the phone rings again.  It is a new customer who found me in the directory listing I had just done the day before.  She was in a crunch situation and ,I mean a crunch, situation to get the house staged tomorrow for a Tuesday open house for realtors.  That means, THE WEEKEND, and we are supposed to have a frog-drowner weekend storm. I've told everyone who thinks I ought to be a realtor that I want to have control over my schedule. Guess I'll have to get over that!

While I was interviewing the client about what was needed I asked her if she had any plants.  Her reply,"No I manage to keep my three kids alive and thats about it, I kill plants!"  I just split.  I laughed so hard and that made her laugh even with her 2,4 and 6 year old boys clammoring for lunch.  I tried to email my power point to her and her computer rejected it.  I think the file is too big with the pics.  Anyway, I jumped in the car and took my printed marketing materials, the power point and myself to the realtors office. (Keep in mind I am in the mountains and nothing is close by.)  I had them on my list to contact anyway and this was an even better way to market to them.  Hey their client found me online and requested home staging and they didn't even know about it!  Hopefully next week, when I do my presentation to their company, I will already have a selling point.  Instead of pushing my way through the marketing to that firm, the seller pulled me through.  Does it get any better than that?

I can tell you first hand search engine companies are worth their weight in gold.  I used Small Business Web Solutions, Inc.  The client is moving to Nashville where we just moved from last year and so we had a lot in common to start with. Her realtor in Nashville told her to have her house staged here and it would sell faster.  She had no idea where to find a stager in our area so she just started an internet search and found me.  I am the only one in our area that I know of so far.  Another blessing.  While it is hard to break new ground and introduce a new concept, once people "get it" then things click right along.

Maybe the biggest blessing of all is all the support I have gotten from the AR people in staging.  Its a support group, a sounding board, a professional association, problem solving forum and the friendliest bunch I've ever seen.  Lots of success to all of you!