home staging business: Giving your Home Staging Company Celebrity Status part 2 of 4 - 06/13/11 05:52 AM
Last week we talked about creating curiosity and leveraging your home staging business celebrity by sending out press releases and announcements.  This week, we will talk about the fine art of making your customer want what you have, often by not giving away too much too soon.When you first release press statements, you want to make sure that you make bold statements.  You need the reader or listener to sit back and say “Yes, I feel that pain” or “Wow, that is exactly what I need” or even “Can they do that for me?”  When they say things like this, they … (2 comments)

home staging business: How to Get More Home Staging and Real Estate Referrals part 5 of 5 - 05/31/11 08:43 AM
Attracting your Centers of InfluenceIn the past, I have spoken often of Centers of Influence yet it still amazes me how few people actually find them and use their extraordinary powers of connection.Who are your Centers of Influence?  It can be a mentor, a leader in your home staging or real estate field, the head of an organization or association…pretty much anyone that knows who you want to know.For me as a Certified Home Stager,  my ‘Centers of Influence’ started as a few good real estate agents, one real estate broker, a well networked real estate investor and finally, the owner … (0 comments)

home staging business: How to Get More Home Staging and Real Estate Referrals part 2 of 5 - 05/09/11 04:24 AM
As we continue our series on “How to Get More Home Staging and Real Estate Referrals” this week, I want to talk about the best time to ask for a referral.Do you know the answer?  All of our APSD Certified Home Stagers and Home Staging Professionals because I am a big believer in getting your referral engine revving, so we talk about it a great deal.The very best time to ask for a referral is when your existing client is absolutely thrilled with the results you have created for them.  That might be right after you have listed the home, the … (0 comments)

home staging business: How to Get More Home Staging and Real Estate Referrals part 1 of 5 - 05/02/11 05:19 AM
How to Get More Home Staging and Real Estate Referrals part 1 of 5
Last month, we had such a huge amount of response to our series on ‘The Psychology of Home Staging’ that I thought I would write one more series again this month.
While I am a big fan of referrals and I will share some of my techniques and tactics with you during this series,I also want to acknowledge John Jantsch of The Referral Engine. It is an excellent book and I have often recommended it to many of my small business and coaching clients.
I happen to … (3 comments)

home staging business: The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 4 of 4 - 04/25/11 06:16 AM
The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 4 of 4
The law of reciprocation is the final training in this 4 part training on the Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager.  As I mentioned in the beginning of this series, many of these concepts are based on a great book by Robert B. Cialdini, PH. D called The Psychology of Persuasion and while his concepts are amazing, he did not use Home Staging as an example…I did that just for you!
I love the law of reciprocation because (remember the ‘because’ training in part 2?) I love to … (4 comments)

home staging business: The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 3 of 4 - 04/18/11 04:28 AM
The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 3 of 4
The contrast principle, according to Cialdini, of home staging, according to me, refers to presenting two contrasting items that may not be all that different, but by way of presentation the difference appears extreme to your prospect.
When I teach pricing in our APSD Certified Home Stager Training Program, (www.APSDmembers.com) I teach it in a way that is pretty basic and straightforward so that new home stagers will still get out there and present their home staging services.  As our APSD home staging members move up the ascension ladder … (4 comments)

home staging business: The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 2 of 4 - 04/11/11 04:40 AM
The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, part 2 of 4
‘…because I said so.’  If you are a parent, have you ever found yourself saying that?  ‘Because’ is a transitionword meant to explain or justify an action.
The word ‘because’ can also help you sell your home staging services.  In the first part of this series on The Psychology of Persuasion as a Home Stager, we talked about finding out your client’s true problem, agitating it, and solving it.  Your solution offers great value and hence allows you to raise your prices. Your client will now contract your home … (1 comments)

home staging business: Relationship Building with Home Staging - 03/29/11 08:06 PM
“How do you get your first home staging job?” “How do I find clients?” “How do I get referrals?”
At most of my APSD home staging training courses, I teach at least 30% of the course on home staging systems and creativity,30% of the course on the business of home staging and 40% of the course on effective home staging marketing skills. So, in essence, we teach what it takes to successfully and completely build and grow your home staging business.
One of the things that I cover extensively in marketing is building a relationship with your clients. As a … (2 comments)

home staging business: Is Your Home Staging Business…Fishy? - 03/23/11 03:42 PM
I just read a fax from one of my mentor’s and he told an old salesman’s joke…”A salesman approaches the front door and there is a little boy and dog sitting on the stoop. So as not to scare the little boy, the salesman bends down to pet the dog to show that he is a ‘good guy’ and the dog bites him. The salesman says to the little boy, ‘Hey, you didn’t tell me your dog bites…’ and the little boy responds ‘it’s not my dog.’” Now this will tell you what assumptions can do for you. Because the boy … (2 comments)

home staging business: Why don’t I post ‘pretty’ home staging pictures? - 03/10/11 05:23 AM
Why don’t I post ‘pretty’ home staging pictures?I always laugh when people ask me about this.  They come to my website and don’t see pretty pictures of homes I have staged, like they do on all the other home staging training sites.  I admit, I took a risk when I decided to be different.This immediately turns some people away which I understand.  I wish it didn’t happen, but sometimes I know that we are conditioned to look for something and when it doesn’t appear or we can’t find it, we assume that we must move on.The truth is that I never … (8 comments)

home staging business: Can you ‘Feel It?’ - 03/08/11 04:01 AM
Can you ‘Feel It?’
One of the things that I always teach when it comes to really effective home staging is to try to evoke a feeling from your potential buyer.Some people think that they can do this by baking cookies or bread, but the truth is that is an old trick and everyone knows it. Today, you have to figure out new methods of eliciting emotion.That is what the APSD Proprietary Pockets of Emotion™ are all about! As all of our APSD certified members (www.APSDmembers.com) know, Pockets of Emotion™ are what seal the deal for getting a home sold fast…which … (0 comments)

home staging business: Winning the Home Staging Oscar! - 02/28/11 06:40 AM
Many of you know that I am a professional actor by trade.  Even today, I am still in the actors union, SAG, and vote on the seasons awards.  They even send us advance copies of the movies so we can review them before voting.  I love the movies!Several years ago when I was acting full time in movies with people like Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker  and many others, I started to develop  a love for what I refer to as “movie magic.”  You know how they take a blank stage or location and completely transform it to create a magical … (2 comments)

home staging business: Are you a unique Home Stager? - 02/24/11 04:22 AM
When I first started in this business, I was unique.  I was the only home stager out there staging investor homes (which now many of our APSD Certified Home Stagers specialize in because they see how profitable it is to learn to stage Vacant and Distressed Properties which often belong to Investors (Join me at 'STAGE' where I am going to personally teach an all new course on Staging for Vacant and Distressed Properties to everyone in attendance...and you will each receive a specialty certification as well!  www.APSDmembers.com/STAGE).As I was teaching, I developed my 6 Step Home Staging Pryamid as well … (7 comments)

home staging business: Secrets of High Producing Home Staging Professionals - 02/16/11 03:45 AM
“A Special Panel Discussion with an elite group of Professional Home Stagers from around the Country who are currently booked for a total of 33 Staging Jobs this month alone!”The call will be Tonite Wednesday, February 16th at 6pm MT(5pm PST, 7pm CST, 8pm EST) and I promise you, it is something you won’t want to miss.Register Here for this call.During this 59 Minute discussion, our panel will be sharing;1) The number one thing that makes them a home staging success and how you can do the same2) How to continually keep clients coming to you3) The 3 Top Secrets of … (0 comments)

home staging business: Pocket of Emotion - 02/07/11 03:37 AM
                                            
"Peggy Gehrman, our APSD Certified Trainer, just sent me this fabulous photo of an APSD sign she created to promote her home staging training services.  She is so amazing...and crafty! 
Thanks Peggy...looks like a tough contender for the "Pocket of Emotion" award at 'STAGE!'
 
Karen Schaefer
Founder, APSD
www.APSDmembers.com/STAGE
… (2 comments)

home staging business: Building a Solid Foundation for your Home Staging Business - 02/01/11 03:23 AM
A few years ago I used to teach a 5 part business development program for home stagers. I may do it again in the future but for right now, it will have to suffice for me to tell you a recent experience I had that reminded me of how important it is to build a solid foundation today, in order to have a healthy, ‘evergreen’ home staging business tomorrow.And, as is true with most of my articles, this information would also apply to your real estate business, interior design business, and almost anything.Yesterday, Pete (my husband) and I took off for … (4 comments)

home staging business: Competing with your Local Home Stagers - 02/01/11 02:34 AM
One of my mentors always told me to look and see what everyone else in your industry is doing and then, to achieve your greatest home staging success, do the opposite.I have to admit that I am inclined to do this anyway. I have never been all that concerned with competition, always knowing there were plenty of houses to go around for as many Home Stagers or Home Staging Training and Certification companies that wanted to toss their hats in the ring.Of course, there is always work ethic to be considered. If you hold something in your heart, then you will … (2 comments)

home staging business: Home Staging Success Stories from APSD Certified Professionals - 01/27/11 10:50 AM
Hello All!
You know how much I like to brag about our members...well here I go again! Our recent team of APSD Certified Stager Pro's (which included some of our APSD Certified Trainers and Property Scene Designers) did such a great job I put together this video about them. Really, it was amazing to watch both houses that they staged, go under contract within 9 days and 12 days of the staging! Watch the video and hear about their success! Also, I just wanted to let you know if you are an APSD Home Stager, Stager Pro, Property Scene Designer or … (0 comments)

home staging business: “How can you Show More Gratitude to your Client?” - 01/20/11 06:02 AM
If you were raised with manners or even if you have been in the real world for any length of time, you know to always say things like “Thank You,” “You look nice Today,” or “Great idea.” More often than not, that is just manners right?
Well, you would be surprised how few people do it and when it does happen, what an impact it makes on the receiver.
When I teach my high level clients, my business clients as well as my Property Scene Designers, I always give them a follow up marketing sequence as well as including Thank you … (7 comments)

home staging business: Smell Your Way To A Sale - 01/20/11 05:30 AM
When it comes to staging a home many people think about the furniture, the decorations, and of course the general appearance of the home. But if you want to flip a property fast, your home staging career needs to include the power of scent.Too many people underestimate the power of scent, however it is a very powerful sense and should never be forgotten about or you may be missing out on sales, which ultimately means more money in your pocket.The sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive to any of the other four senses which means that the very … (3 comments)