You’re a home stager. Now you have to make sure you're a successful home stager. Like in any profession, it’s about having confidence, putting yourself out there, and going after what you want.
It’s also about empowering yourself. You can do this in a number of ways:-
• Know and value your own worth.
• Set boundaries.
• Use the right narrative.
• Use your resources.
• Listen, learn, keep educating yourself.
1. Know and value your own worth
You’ve worked hard to become a home stager. Don’t undervalue yourself. When a client asks what your rates are, tell them. You deserve to be paid and you deserve to be paid well. Don’t let anyone bully you into lower rates. You can always strike a deal if necessary (maybe the house isn’t selling) but value yourself from the start and others will value you too.
2. Setting boundaries in home staging
This is something that I really go over in my home staging courses. There are always going to be people who try and take advantage of you. If you make it to clear to your clients what your job involves, you shouldn’t have any problems. Be kind, be professional but BE FIRM!
I also tell my students in my home staging courses to be clear. It is important that a client understands exactly what home staging involves. Briefly, but of course I go over this properly in home staging courses:-
Your expertise and experience in styling the property for the right market
Your knowledge about what touch up are important for selling
Transporting a whole house
Setting up an entire house and then taking it all down afterwards
Furniture, accessories, plants
3. Use the right narrative in home staging
Use words like “I can make this house look wonderful” instead of “I think I can make this house look wonderful” Say: “These walls need to be painted an eggshell white” and mean it. This doesn’t mean you're not open to discussion, but show your strength, show you know your home staging, show your worth.
4.Use shared home staging resources
I would never have reached success in home staging without working with other home stagers. I have brainstormed, helped, asked for help, and been given advice, from anyone and everyone in the home staging world. I love it. We help each other, build each other up and boost each other. Most of us - although not all - are women. We empower one another. We might work separately but we do help each other, which is why we have made it!
Listen, learn and keep educating yourself
I run my own online home staging courses, but I still keep listening and learning. I have to stay ahead of the game, and so do you. It doesn’t end when you’ve completed your home staging training. You still need to keep on top of decor and marketing and keep reaching out to get clients.
Keep reading, learning and listening, and you will empower not only yourself, but those around you.
Home stagers are not only women, although it is a predominantly women driven vocation. All home stagers need to learn to stand up for ourselves, empower ourselves and as home staging professionals, know our worth.
I invite you to join me! I will help you find your worth, at www.homestagerstraining.com
Liesa x