Even though I’ve been a professional home stager since 2002 and have trained thousands of Staging Diva Graduates, I’m still continually inspired by how much I can change the energy and look of a room simply by editing and rearranging what’s already there. Working on resale homes is a more creative process than I would have imagined when I started. Now I laugh when I remember how I used to worry that I might get bored if I focused on home staging!
What I quickly came to realize over my first year as a home stager was that in many ways staging is more creative than interior redesign. I guess it’s because our clients really get out of the way and let us “do our thing!”
They know they don’t have to live with the changes we make since the goal is to sell their house, so we don’t have to waste time trying to get them to “buy into” our vision of how their home should look. That is if you’re working with the right types of clients— which happens by design and not by accident!
Because I don’t do free estimates and I’ve always charged more than most stagers, my clients really value what I have to say. You see, when clients invest too little in your services, they actually don’t take your ideas as seriously! My students end up with better clients (the type of clients who listen to their advice and don’t nickel and dime them to death!) when they follow the pricing strategy and approach I lay out in Course 2: “The Business of Home Staging: What You Need to Start and How to Grow.”
Everything I do is grounded in my belief that our “work” should be a natural outgrowth of our interests, talents and passions. Work is not something we need to escape from (as in “Thank God It’s Friday!”). When we’re following our passion, work can actually be the thing that helps us feel truly alive and engaged. I believe that we are all capable of making money and helping others with our talents. If that’s a dream of yours too, you are not alone! In the products I’ve created for Staging Diva®, I show you how to do this faster, with less struggle and with more confidence than you’ve ever had before.
There are lots of goodies in this month’s posts of Staging Diva Dispatch, including your chance to win $25 in Staging Diva Cash by sharing your Stages of Success™!
I’ll be offering a free special report that will help you understand how the current housing market and economy will actually help your staging business. I’ll also share a real-world business dilemma as well as some business insights I recently discovered, and you’ll get to test your staging savvy on a “blah” living room. You’ll also meet 8 established home stagers. Some are new to this business, others are going into their 6th year in business and 3 have been busy with TV shoots!
I hope you enjoy this month’s posts. Please keep your opinions and story ideas coming by commenting on them! My goal with this blog is to share inspiring ideas and tips that will help you in your staging business — whether you’re totally new at this or you’ve been a home stager for a while.
P.S. If you’re a Staging Diva Student or Graduate and you’d like me to write a free article about you, all you have to do is submit your info at this link. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to increase awareness for your staging business?