How do you decide what staging training program to take?

I get alot of emails from people completely befuddled by the various home staging training programs available.

Your first question should be what specifically do you want to get out of the program and which ones address those specific needs? If you’re not clear about what you want and you haven’t thought about your own strengths and weaknesses, how can you possibly make an appropriate choice?

• Is hands on training in staging especially important, or do you already know you have some talent in that regard? Are there other ways to brush up on some of the decorating aspects other than getting hands on training?

• If a program offers hands on training, how is it done? I’ve heard far too many stories of groups of 40 or more people spending most of their day in their own (or a rental) car driving to various far-flung locations only to take turns rearranging a living room. And has the person leading the hands on training actually made a living as a home stager?

• Do you have any experience running your own business? If not, will the training program prepare you for the realities of being an entrepreneur?

• Do you feel comfortable with the business strategies that will be required to make your home staging business financialy successful? No matter how talented you are at staging or decorating, if you don’t know how to: price your services properly, cost effectively market your business, what language to use when promoting yourself to the right audiences, how to put your own portfolio together, where to find clients, how to make sure you get paid, how to get media attention, etc., YOU WILL NOT MAKE A LIVING! Therefore, any training program should really cover all these areas, otherwise they’re just talking to you about what will amount to nothing more than a creative hobby.

I believe the second question should be who will be training you?

• Some programs are started by people who really know their stuff, but then the actual training is delegated to others who may be less experienced.

• Does the trainer have real world experience starting and growing a profitable home staging business? If they haven’t done it, how do they know what they’re talking about? I remember when I did my Masters degree in business, there were professors spouting all kinds of great theories, but only the professors who had actually worked in the real world offered anything really useful or actionable.

• Has the trainer demonstrated that they know how to position themselves as a home staging expert and get media attention? If not, how will they teach you to do it?

Thirdly, does the Home Staging Training Program give you an opportunity to really learn about their program before signing up?

• Is Free information available to aspiring stagers and others or is it all about the money? Is the free information quality content or just fluff?

• Can you talk to the trainer personally before deciding whether to sign up?

• Can you attend a free Preview to experience something about what the program will be like?

• Does the program offer a Satisfaction Guarantee? In other words, will you get your money back if it’s not what you expected?

Next, is the format of the program or the way it’s delivered practical for you?

• Can you be away from your family for several days?
• Are you up for the costs and inconvenience of travel?
• Do you like being in big groups? It can be social, but it also has a lot of wasted time built into it that has nothing to do with what you’re there to learn.

Lastly, what support do graduates of the home staging program get?

While there is a wide variation in the costs of home staging training, I don’t think this should be the first criteria. The reality is that home staging is a VERY LUCRATIVE BUSINESS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING FROM THE BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.

So, whether you spend a few hundred dollars more or less on a program isn’t significant when you consider the big picture. The key is getting what you need from a program and positioning yourself to take your passion for decorating and interest in real estate and turn it into a profitable and creatively satisfying business.

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of Six Elements Inc., a leading home staging company that provides free information to raise the standards in the industry and build awareness amongst homeowners and their real estate agents about the benefits of decorating a house to sell. She is a published writer and has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, HGTV, Reader’s Digest, MoneySense, House & Home, Style at Home, Woman’s Day, GlobalTV, CityTV, CBS Radio and more.

Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses. Individual courses start at $199, $895 for the entire program.

Learn more about Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training

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