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| Home staging expert Debra Gould hanging art for a TV news show. |
When you’re in the business of turning drab and cluttered interiors into beautifully polished spaces, it’s important you look the part of someone that can successfully do that.
In other words, when you’re staging homes to sell, you should stage yourself to sell.
One of the easiest ways to catapult your business to success is to act as though you are already successful.
- Do you play the part of a very successful home stager
- Are you portraying the image of a professional expert home stager, or a rookie?
Everyone starts somewhere, but nobody has to know you’re brand new at staging homes professionally. In fact, it’s a bad idea to tell a homeowner they’re your first home staging project. Don’t lie about it if you’re asked, but your demeanor, wardrobe, marketing materials and portfolio shouldn’t leave any room for the homeowner to guess you haven’t been doing this for years.
Dedicate some of your downtime to polishing your image for the months when real estate agents will be hunting for home stagers! This is the perfect time of year to work on this – in the summer before the real estate market really picks up again right after Labor Day.
In everything you do that’s business-related, ask yourself if it’s something a successful home stager would be doing.
Pick a couple of the home stagers you look up to and keep an image of them in your mind. When you’re getting ready for a home staging consultation and wondering what to wear, visualize your model home stager and ask yourself what she or he might wear to a client meeting.
What do you wear to your home staging consultation appointments? Are you dressing like that successful home stager in your mind? Or are you wearing an old outfit that went out of style five years ago?
The way you look can not only change the way you feel about yourself, but it can change the way people perceive you. Especially since looking put-together makes you feel more confident in what you’re doing.
It’s important to carry yourself well – don’t act like your life depends on your next home staging project.
Even if you are desperate don’t let that come across to your client. Do you think someone who has been staging homes for years giggles with excitement when they get awarded a job? Probably not in front of the client!
Consider your current personal image.
What are you wearing right now? Is the image you’re putting out there in the world that of a wildly successful home stager? Are you kicking around the house in your pajamas all day when you don’t have a client appointment? If you dress the part of that successful home stager you’ll find it easier to remain in professional mode and you’ll almost certainly be more productive.
Stay tuned Friday for Part 2 of “Stage yourself to sell: Image is everything” when I’ll focus on business image.
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Discover the ONLY Home Staging Business Training Program taught by a seasoned entrepreneur who has successfully grown her own home staging business (not as a side-line to selling real estate) — The Staging Diva Training Program. With an MBA in marketing and hundreds of home staging clients, internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, is uniquely qualified to train others how to start and grow a profitable home staging business.
You can become a Staging Diva Graduate with 10 hours of home staging course recordings with Debra Gould, which are emailed to you along with detailed course study notes immediately after you register.
More about Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Debra, thank you so much for always sharing great information and much needed reminders on your blogs! I’ve bought a few of your products and learned a lot from them. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Rebecca, I so appreciate your feedback!! Lots more business and marketing info and staging tips to come!
If you (and anyone else reading this) want to share your answer to this question:
What’s the biggest challenge facing your staging business?
I’ll know what topics my readers want to learn about most and try and tackle them in upcoming posts
Rebecca thanks again and much continued success for Stunning Staging and Redesign!
Hi Debra, I love your website! Your so generous with information,and your courses look very comprehensive.I am interested in real estate ,and am taking a home study course on investing. I have a house for sale,that I have staged with purchased furniture.I was wondering if you recomend staging in between investments.I would like to market my staging services to other investors and realtors primarily.Unfortunately my husband is not wild about us investing in another course,although I would sure like to take advantage of your special on the five courses as well as the one-on-one coaching for half price! If you have spare time ,I would love to know what you think.All the best to you, Christina Sirr
Debra, It’s all about first impressions . How could we ever expect a potential client to hire us if we did’nt look the part. In fact in one of my first presentations to a group of agents , I used myself as an example of how staging works. I dressed the part and believe me it made a difference !!! I made that first impression and my phone began ringing. I truly attribute my success as a stager to you and the Staging Diva Courses . Once again, great article and thanks for sharing.
Too true Debra I couldn’t agree more. However it’s convincing hubby after another restyle and colour at the hair salon and $150 later; and convincing the accountant when they see these clothes shops cropping up on your receipts! Oh the things we have to do in the persuit of persuading that first impressions are paramount. Seriously though how can you possibly advice on a properties presentation, appeal and impression, if you cant get it right on your own person. Great article Debra!
Confidence is my best secret weapon as a successful Professional Home Stager, absolutely! Fortunately, I am truly confident in my talent and skills, largely due to my Staging Diva business course, which went a long way to catapulting me to success. I had the talent I knew, but the business savvy…maybe not so much. Now, I have both and have been successful for long enough to believe it. Thanks, Debra!