Home Staging Opportunities

Some companies have their own sales force and rely on these people to bring in new business. Think of Avon and the thousands of salespeople that sell Avon products. (You can buy Avon online now, but most of Avon's sales still come from their direct sales force.)

A fair number of home staging companies rely on the owner or a partner to bring in new customers. Most home staging companies are just too small to have a dedicated sales force.

If you decide to purchase a home staging franchise, then some of your sales will be referred to you through corporate marketing. This is the system that a company such as Nutrisystem uses. The company purchases national advertising but the sales are serviced through local franchisees.

In the end, if you have your own home staging business, then you will have to add marketing to your list of duties. Without marketing, there are no sales. Without sales, there is no business, no opportunities to stage homes, no home staging career.

Entire university departments are devoted to the science and art of marketing. We will give you our take on marketing a home staging business based on our experience.

A USP is your unique selling proposition. It is how you will explain to people what is different about your business than all of the other staging companies out there. If you don't have a USP, then there really isn't any point in doing something someone else already does.

You need to think about what will make your business stand out (in a good way). Why should someone choose you over another stager? You cannot be all things to all people, but you can be the best at one distinguishing trait. This should be the theme of your marketing. Once you have your USP, then you need to find a way to get that message distributed to potential customers. We call those pathways marketing channels.

The best way to find effective channels for marketing your home staging business is to start by identifying your target customer and work backwards. This process is called demographic analysis and is a cornerstone of any successful marketing campaign.

Who buys staging services? The two main demographics are homeowners and real estate agents. Other demographic targets you might consider are home builders and investors (for example, banks with foreclosed properties or home flippers.) Although your business may eventually grow to include customers from all these categories, to begin you should just focus on one group.

Let's say you choose to market your new business to agents. You can get a marketing message to agents by

• Direct mail - You can mail a postcard or letter to agents at their offices.
• Email - Send an email announcement to agents in your targeted geographic area.
• Television - Local cable television stations may have affordable time slots for local advertisers.
• Local print - The local newspaper is a good place to get a message to agents - especially if the newspaper has real estate advertising!
• Give a seminar - Volunteer to give a short seminar at a local real estate office about home staging. Include a question and answer period at the end of your talk.
• Signs - In addition to outdoor signs, you can buy a sign for your car and drive your advertising message around town!

  Also, your business card is also a form of advertising. Give it out freely at open houses. Drop off a handful at every real estate office in your town. Give it to friends who might be in the mortgage business - they talk with real estate agents all the time!

  Make sure your messages include your USP and don't be afraid to include before and after pictures of rooms you've staged! Pictures are worth thousands of words.

  These are some of the ways to get the word out about your fabulous new business. You can use one -- or all -- of these channels!

  Salesmanship - Turn Inquiries into Sales

  When you own your own home staging business, you not only have to be an expert stager, but you have to be a closer. A closer turns an inquiry, a conversation, or a no-obligation consultation, into a sale. It's just that simple, and just that difficult.

  People buy from people they like - it doesn't matter if you are selling shoes or stocks -- or staging services. After you have convinced someone that you can solve their staging problems, you have to win them over personally.

  The best advice we can give to you (if you are not a natural-born saleperson) is to be genuine. Be genuinely interested in their problem and project. Be genuinely interested in helping them. The least important person in this equation is "I". Your potential customer is the absolute most important person. Without them, you don't have a job. Being genuine in everything you say and do will build trust and confidence.

  Ask questions. Be interested. Allow them the opportunity to tell their story. Know what they are thinking. Take the time to make sure you understand what they want. Focus on their needs. The more they talk, the better for you.

  Finally, don't be afraid to ask THE question. What question, you ask? Ask for the order. Ask for the business.

  Can we start your staging project this week?
  Will you allow us the opportunity to fix these problems for you?
  When can we start?

  Ask for the business. 99 times out of 100, it won't be given to you...so you must ask for it.

  Networking Your Way To Success

  Are you a member of any local groups? Are you active in your child's school or church? Someone who knows someone will know someone that needs staging services if you've done your homework on local demand. Casually mention that you are starting a home staging business at the next PTA meeting, or in the checkout line at the grocery store. Word-of-mouth networking is a cost-effective (it's free!) way of getting an introduction to the right people. And, because your introduction came from a trusted source, it helps you overcome any hesitation about hiring a newcomer to the business.

  Promoting Your New Business

  All businesses face inertia when they are just starting. Frankly, no one is waiting for the next-greatest-stager-in-the-world (you)! People are busy and stressed out, so your new business is not the most important thing to them. But it is to you!

  You may have to grease-the-skids, to quote a phrase, if you are not getting any responses to your mailings or ads. Offer to stage one room free of charge as a raffle drawing item in a real estate office. (Many offices do this at holiday time. Instead of a grab bag, they raffle off items donated by local businesses.) Or donate your time at a local charity benefit's silent auction. You can do a limited-time, buy-one, get-one promotion (two rooms for the price of one.) These promotions will rise above the media clutter we are all bombarded with every day.

  Perhaps you can hook up with a photographer and offer a home staging/photography package. Time-pressed agents and homeowners may like the convenience of dealing with one person for these services instead of two.

  Certain times of the year may dictate different promotions. In the Spring, you might want to do a "Curb Appeal" promotion and offer to stage the front porch for free with the purchase of a living room/dining room staging package.

  Think creatively about your promotions and make sure they always add value to your services.

  Speaking of services, have you thought about your

  home staging business practices? We have and it's next on the list.

  
  
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