As a business owner, your value is deeply rooted in how you help someone else solve a problem. It is not your creative talent and design skills. It is not the quality of your inventory or the hours you put in. Being genuinely attuned to your client's needs is gold. For every client, the need will be different. Active listening will help you discover how you can best serve your clients and add value to get more business
The cliché holds true, people don't care what you know until they know that you care.
The abundance mindset
I learned from my mom that nothing was given to us just for us, all that we have is meant to be shared with others. It was not the words she said but the way she lived.
Growing up, it was not uncommon for us to have a strange face at the dinner table. My mom would give up a whole meal to feed a neighborhood kid in need, She would sometimes make my brothers and I "donate" a spoonful or two off our plates to make up a plate for a total stranger. or divide up grocery that was meant for our family and make us take them to families in need. I used to find this baffling because we didn't exactly have an overflow of anything, even though she would often say "we always have enough to share", my young self always begged to differ. Now I know that abundance and scarcity are just a mindset.
Provide value-added services so you can stand out from the competition
When a potential client inquires about your services, you have already 50% earned the business. They are looking up to you to educate, inform, and provide solutions.
Do you hold back from giving stuff away for free? This may be stopping you from demonstrating your value without knowing it and could be getting in your way of winning more business.
Think about your client's pain point and the little but meaningful ways you could help them before they even commit to working with you. Value-added service without oversharing, just enough to keep them curious about what else you have to offer them.
Most people have never staged a home before, so they’re not sure what to expect. Demonstrating value can be as simple as answering questions they don't know to ask and giving them some clarity.
Operate your business with empathy
If you've ever moved or sold a house, you know how overwhelming and emotional it can be to pack up years of family memories into boxes, then have strangers (Stagers) visit in the middle of a mess to walkthrough (judge) your tidiness and seeming lack of hygiene.
While it is nice to have a blank canvas with neutral walls and shiny improvements, your true value lies in being ready and able to work with anything. I like to make recommendations on low-cost high-impact home improvements and then ask clients what they are willing and able to accomplish to get their home ready for the market. My job is to recommend the things that will help the sale, the decision to execute is up to them. It is important for your clients to know that the quality of your service is not affected by their decision either way. This will take the pressure off and they will be more inclined to see your point of view.
Be flexible and easy to do business with
The minimum standard is professional deep cleaning. Give me a clean house, and I will make the best of it; it doesn't matter if the walls are Joseph’s coat of many colors. We once staged a home that had 11 unique colors, some of them primary colors, (we counted) :) the clients did not have the capacity to paint and had an urgent need to sell, so we met them where they were and made it happen.
Being genuinely engaged with their challenges and offering reasonable help can make a difference, like (vetted) vendor referrals or recommendations for paint and light fixtures. I sometimes recommend Tania, my Housekeeper to my clients, it’s one thing off their plate, costs me nothing, and adds value to both of them. It also ensures my team does not walk into a mess on staging day. Win! Win!
You always have enough to share and a lot to offer. Don't hold back on your value.
Connect And Grow With Me
Whether you are still wondering if you can make money as a Home Stager or you are established but need help growing and scaling, schedule a FREE, No obligation one-on-one strategy session with me and let us work together to create a roadmap from where you are to where you want to be.
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Start where you are, Use what you have, Grow And Thrive!