SAR’s home staging training classes are offered by instructors who are well known and still working in the home staging industry. Annie Pinsker Brown, who works in the Greater Los Angeles with her company Stage to Sell, is a prime example. Stage to Sell is one of the busiest home staging companies in the area.

Home Staging by Annie Pinsker Brown

While you can see a wide sampling of Annie’s work on her Stage to Sell Facebook fanpage, or her company website, I’m always happy to be able to occasionally highlight our instructor’s work here on StagingandRedesign.com.

This particular home seemed an exceptional example because of the fact that it was occupied, not vacant. While Annie does a lot of vacant homes, and even has a Vacant Property Specialist designation course available, it is often the occupied homes that really impress me. It takes talent, with a touch of psychological counselor to really understand how to transform a home that someone lives in into a model style home. This is one of the reasons that she is such a good home staging instructor. She does this seamlessly and is able to pass that skill along to her students.

6138 Jamieson, Encino Home Staging

Stage to Sell had this to say about this home on their fanpage, “Just staged another occupied home today. This gorgeous Encino home is totally move-in ready. I consulted with the homeowner a couple of months ago to help guide her in cost effective renovations that would help her maximize her sales price. She did an amazing job with the renovation and we went in today to put on the finishing touches.”

Annie Pinsker Brown, a top industry home staging professional

As one of the best known home stagers in the industry, Pinsker Brown has created a model of what a home staging business can be. To learn more on how to create a successful home staging business, consider mentoring and coaching sessions with her, or take her Vacant Staging Class.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been guilty of sitting down to write a blog with a set of keywords in mind only to find that at the end, you’ve written about something completely different than you had planned. Maybe you are new to writing, or your keystrokes just sent your mind off in a different direction. When you sit down to write a blog, especially if you are doing it for marketing purposes, you should at least know what message you are conveying.

Using a word cloud to confirm keyword usage in blog writing

A word cloud is a fun little tool that is often used as a visual image on blogs. Sometimes writers will use this handy tool to help readers get a clear understanding about the topic of the blog they are about to read. Have you ever thought about using a word cloud to see if you are actually using your keywords in your blog writing though?

Word clouds analyze the content in a visual display.  They increase or decrease the size of a word in a cloud based on it’s usage.

In this word cloud example, I’ve examined my blog on the 5 most common blogging mistakes costing you SEO. What words jump out at you in the cloud? Do you think they accurately represent the likely keywords I was trying to use in this blog?

I think they do.

Using a word cloud before you post your blog

Next time you write a blog and you are wondering if you have used your keywords enough for your message to stand out consider using a word cloud. Worditout.com is the site that I used to create this word cloud. It is great because you don’t have to use a URL. You can actually just paste the text content of your blogs into their site and it will generate your cloud. You also have the options to change the number of words displayed, colors, font, and more, which are all great if you want to use your cloud as an image in your blog.

One of the most common questions for existing home stagers is whether or not a home staging class really helps you to become a successful stager. It is difficult to answer because no home staging class can do the work, but the right one can teach you where to begin and what to put your time, energy, and resources into to make the most of what you have.

Will home staging classes teach you about business or decorating

Staging and Redesign’s home staging classes teach both business and decorating. I don’t think you can run a successful home staging business without understanding both. I will say that we focus more attention on business because we tend to feel that most people who decide to break into the business feel that they are already good decorators. Now they want to figure out how to put that skill to work to earn an income.

If a course is focused solely or even primarily on decorating, then it might be a really fun class, but it’s unlikely to translate into a viable business. Part of any good home staging class should provide information on billing, contracts, how to determine your rates, what to charge for inventory rental (or whether having inventory is even a good idea for you). You should also fully understand how to talk to agents, how to talk to customers, how to brand and market your business, and how to use past business to create future business.

Our home staging classes combine business and decor

Here is what Staging and Redesign’s 13 module online home staging class will cover:

• MODULE 1: STAGING FACTS, FICTION & FUNDAMENTALS
• MODULE 2: TYPES OF CONSULTATIONS, JOBS & REVENUE STREAMS
• MODULE 3: DESIGN PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE
• MODULE 4: SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS & GETTING STARTED
• MODULE 5: UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHICS
• MODULE 6: TALKING THE TALK- UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE
• MODULE 7: CLIENTS, BIDS, SALES & MARKETING
• MODULE 8: OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS
• MODULE 9: PRICING STRATEGIES
• MODULE 10: ACCESSORIES, INVENTORY & MANAGEMENT
• MODULE 11: TEAM BUILDING
• MODULE 12: PHOTOGRAPHY & PORTFOLIO
• MODULE 13: TOOLS & SAFETY

Once you’ve taken all 13 of our online class modules, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running. We’ll still be there for you though. With our private Facebook group, students can talk to instructors and past graduates to help them field questions about working in today’s industry and real estate market. If you run into a challenging situation, you’ll have a community of problem solvers who have already been there.

Hands on learning and mentoring

Of course if you are one of those people who feels that they need hands on learning and mentoring, we have options for you as well. After taking your 13 module online course, we can connect you with one of our home staging professionals in your area where you can work with them on the job, or enroll in regular mentoring sessions by phone. Our plan allows you the flexibility you need, with industry names you can trust.

Call or email us for more information 904-466-2093.  Register for your online home staging classes here.

Whether you are ready to become a home stager, or take your staging company to the next level, our online home staging classes can help you succeed. All of our classes are taught by experienced professionals who actively run their own staging company.

Beginner online home staging classes

If you are ready to become a home stager, our Certification Course is where you’ll want to begin. This 13 module class will take you from design ideas to branding, to business.

Our 13 module online home staging class includes:

• MODULE 1: STAGING FACTS, FICTION & FUNDAMENTALS
• MODULE 2: TYPES OF CONSULTATIONS, JOBS & REVENUE STREAMS
• MODULE 3: DESIGN PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE
• MODULE 4: SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS & GETTING STARTED
• MODULE 5: UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHIC
• MODULE 6: TALKING THE TALK- UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE
• MODULE 7: CLIENTS, BIDS, SALES & MARKETING
• MODULE 8: OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS
• MODULE 9: PRICING STRATEGIES
• MODULE 10: ACCESSORIES, INVENTORY & MANAGEMENT
• MODULE 11: TEAM BUILDING
• MODULE 12: PHOTOGRAPHY & PORTFOLIO
• MODULE 13: TOOLS & SAFETY

Best of all our online home staging class is only $695

Advanced online home staging classes

Vacant Property Specialist- Our online vacant home staging class is the only one in the industry. Here you’ll learn everything you need to know to focus your business on the lucrative area of vacant homes. Taught by Annie Pinkser Brown, this four part course will help you decide whether owning or renting furniture is right for you and how each of these options work. You will learn how to properly bid and bill vacant home staging jobs and what forms to use.  Only $595

Create a business plan workshop- This online workbook will help you understand the process of creating a business plan and take you step by step to create your own.  Only $149

Curb Appeal Confidence- The only home staging class of its kind. Taught by curb appeal specialist Michelle Molinari, this class will help you understand the language of home and garden exterior. Find out which changes are most economical, how to help find suppliers and work with contractors. Only $149

Team Building for Growth & Success- If you are considering adding team members to your staging company this is the course for you. Taught by Linda Barnett, you will understand whether an independent contractor or employee is right for you, as well as rules and procedures you may want to consider. Only $149

Presentation Poise- Learn how to speak to groups with confidence. If you are ready to speak to real estate offices or host lunch and learns, this is the course that will help you succeed. Learn which body language habits you may need to avoid and which ones to adopt. Only $59

Real Estate Photography- If you re ready to improve your home staging portfolio, then consider this online home staging class. Broken into four modules, you can take the entire course or just the modules that you need. From $79 – $199

Home staging classes for where you are in business

Staging and Redesign is the only online staging training company that addresses classes for both beginning and experienced stagers. Because we are actively working in the industry, not just in training, we understand where you business has been and where it can go. Our instructors run some of the top producing and profitable businesses in the industry. Isn’t that who you want to learn from?

A home staging consultation can be one of the most lucrative parts of a home staging business. For customers it is also usually one of the best and most affordable services offered by professional stagers. When you are deciding on a training or certification course, it is important that they cover this topic at length and with detail, not only on what you need to look for, but how you will present this to the customer.

What goes into a home staging consultation?

Our home staging certification program teaches three different home staging consultation types. The first is the Walk & Talk. With this type of consultation, the home stager will deliver all of the information to the home owner at the time of the walk through. The written consultation requires the stager to walk through the home, then deliver a written report to the agent and seller usually within 24-48 hours. The final is a combination of consultation and hands-on staging service.

Walk and Talk Consultations

If you only want to offer a Walk and Talk, then you will need to know what to look for in the home and how to discuss this the right way with both the agent and the homeowner. Tact and diplomacy are needed. You’ll probably also need to understand the “why” well enough to explain and gain motivation to help the seller move forward with the recommendations.

Written Home Staging Consultations

If you decide that you want to provide a written report (which is my personal choice for all consultations) then you’ll need to know how to write a comprehensive report with enough detailed information that your customer can do the recommended work. Our course teaches this by having you actually do a mock consultation as our first test. (There are only two tests, this one and a final overall open book, multiple choice exam.) Using the Market Ready Real Estate online  program, we show you how simple it is to create detailed, personalized reports in a very short period of time. Market Ready’s reporting system allows you to add photos to each room and select recommendations through a drop down and check box system.

Providing an editable checklist, the program also helps remind new home stagers what they should be looking for, helping to ease their mind and create a consistent overall look.

Combination staging and hands-on

Our final choice of home staging approaches is one that combines suggestions to the seller with a quick one hour hands-on stage. By showing what can be done with some small adjustments, the information conveyed in the consultation often has more impact. This also allows the stager to maximize each appointment.

Home Staging Consultations are great business

Developing a relationship with Realtors allows for more business for home stagers. Home staging consultations are the entry way to that relationship. Since consults are relatively low price points for both agents and sellers, when  you can provide comprehensive information and a way to help them stand out from their competition, Realtors will do more to recommend you.

Keeping your prices competitive, but high enough that they are profitable is a balancing act. Our home staging certification course provides multiple ways to calculate the right price for your services and helps you understand the variables so you can control and adjust as your expenses or the market shifts.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the hardest thing for me to come up with are the keywords that I want to use for a blog or page that I’m writing. Sure I know there are keyword checkers out there, but I feel that when you are trying to write long-tails, that they are less relevant. Maybe I’m just naive.

Ask someone else what they would search in Google

My first option when I’m really feeling mind blocked is to ask my husband or best friend. “If you were looking for homes in a neighborhood like xyz neighborhood, what would you Google?” Sometimes his answers are great, and sometimes they are way off base. A conversation last week went something like this.

(First off, I should say we just moved here about 1.5 years ago, so this should be easier than it is. Next I’ll say that my husband was in the Navy for 15 years, until he was medically discharged in 2000. With about 8 PCS moves under our belts we should have this down, but no.)

————————————————————-

Me: “Honey, I’m trying to write content for MovingtoMayport.com the website I’m building for the 3 Naval vessels moving to Jacksonville at the end of the year. If you were moving here, what would be Googling?”

Him: “Strip bars?”

Me: “Really? I don’t think the families will be Googling strip bars. Remember, I’m trying to help them find homes.”

Him: “Hmm. What about information on the barracks.”

Me: “Seriously?”

—————————————————————-

This post really isn’t about mocking my husband, though sometimes I admit that I do love to do that. It is about the idea that coming up with keywords and phrases isn’t always easy. I’m still working on that list. I have a lot of writing to do to accomplish what I want to accomplish. What I am fairly certain of though is that writing about strip bars or the barracks won’t help me sell a house to the families moving here. Later he came up with the idea of restaurant reviews. That’s probably a good idea for once they are here, but I still need to get to them before they get here and find a place to live.

How do you Google?

So, what techniques do you use when considering how to write your SEO driven blogs? Do you rely strictly on the Google Keywords tool, or do you have another system that works for you?

Wondering if online home staging training is right for you? One of the most common questions that I get is if classroom style training or online home staging training is better. The truth is that one isn’t necessarily better than another. Online courses do have their benefits, however.

Online home staging training is less expensive than classroom courses

Because we have less overhead, online home staging training is usually less expensive than traditional classroom style courses. Most GOOD classroom courses range from $1800 – $3000 for three days to five days of training. A typical three day class includes 2 days in a classroom, and one day in the field. A typical five day course includes mornings in the classroom, then field work in the afternoon. All in all, most classroom courses have no more than about 16 hours of actual classroom training.

The high costs of classroom home staging training doesn’t stop at the training itself. It continues with:

• Travel costs – often including gas, hotels, and parking fees
• Meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner are not usually included in the class fees. Plan on 3-5 days of take out or restaurant meals.
• High pressure sales – one of the ways that many of these courses make money is with add-on impulse buys. Instructors are trained on how to sell you things like branded clipboards, portfolio binders, tool bags, and more. All of these are heavily marked up and most are not necessary for your business.

Of course you’ll also have to wait for a good class to come to your area. If your solution is just to take the one that is closest to you, or the next one coming up rather than the one with the best curriculum can be very costly. Not all classes are created equal.

Online home staging training at your own pace

Becoming a great home stager isn’t really something you can do in a weekend. It takes time and understanding your market. By the end of a class style course, you are usually exhausted and full of information that you won’t put to use for weeks or months. By the time you do need it, you’ll have a fragment of remembering that it was discussed, but the content will be lost. Sure, you can try to break out that 3″ binder collecting dust on the shelf, but reading probably won’t jog your memory the same way.

Our 13 module online training system is designed to stay with you over the course of your career. In the beginning, you’ll probably take the course on nights or weekends, fitting the course in where you have time to dedicate yourself. While you can crank it out on the same grueling schedule that the 3 day classroom courses use, very few of our students opt to do that. Instead, they take their time, watch and rewatch modules, absorbing information in the pace they can learn it.

The real benefit, however, is that you’ll always have access to the course material. If your first appointment isn’t for weeks after you watched Module 2 on the home staging consultation, then you can always go back before your appointment and re-watch this module. Refresh your memory before you interact with the customer so that you feel fully prepared.

If your first vacant home staging job isn’t for months after you have taken the course, and you don’t remember how to price the job, it’s OK. You can just login and refresh  your memory.

The most comprehensive information on TODAY’S industry

Because our online home staging training course is updated with any major industry changes, you’ll always have access to the most current information. When we record new modules, cite or link new statistics, or find interesting information that we think you should know, it will all be housed within the appropriate module for that topic. Whether you took the course yesterday or two years ago, you still have access to the most current information.

A private Facebook group let’s you collaborate

SAR’s online home staging training course makes sure that you are never alone. Taking our class means that you will also be given access to a private Facebook group where you can interact with other home stagers who took the course as well as all of the SAR staging instructors. When an issue arises that you aren’t sure how to handle it, or you have had a large or small achievement that you want to crow about, we are here for you. Simply post in the group and instantly you’ll have access to a group of like minded people to discuss with.

Instructors who are actively working as home staging professionals

Did you know that most of the instructors in home staging classes don’t actual stage homes? Most of them haven’t in years. Some haven’t staged a home in decades. The information that they have about our industry is out of date and most of it theoretical. One way to weed through these instructors is to ask to view their RECENT home staging jobs. Be sure to stress that you don’t want to see class photos, but rather you want to see their local home staging jobs.

If they are one of the few that actually does still stage, examine the work. Does it represent the kind of work that you want to do in your business? Remember, this is how they will teach you to work.

Still thinking that you want hands-on training for your new home staging career?

Don’t worry. Our online home staging class isn’t all we have to offer. You always have the option of training with one of our instructors. After you have completed your online course, you can choose either our mentoring/coaching sessions or hands-on staging package.

The hands-on staging package allows you to work specifically with one of our instructors on a live job site. After registering, we’ll connect you with the instructor of your choice and you’ll set up your training directly with them. One of the benefits here is that you won’t be working with dozens of other new trainees, rather you’ll spend the day in a much more private session. This won’t be whatever job the training company could throw together for the class dates, rather it will be a real job, with a real client, with real contracts and customer expectations. $495 for 1 day of training.

Mentoring and coaching sessions can be purchased one at a time, or as a bundle at a discount. These give you one to one conversation on the topic of your choice with the instructor of your choice, up to an hour at a time. Learn from some of the best home stagers in the industry and grow your business on your terms. $125/hr or $495 for 4 sessions.

Bundle your home staging training for the best value

Still thinking about that classroom training? Consider this. If you bundled your online home staging training with hands-on training, and four sessions of mentoring, you’ll only spend $1685. That is still much less than nearly every other classroom style course. Yet instead of being one of many during the hands-on portion, you’ll be working along side your instructor in an assistant style role, learning from them closely. You’ll have unlimited access to all of the training forever, you’ll have four one-on-one, one hour mentoring sessions to grow your business and work out hurdles, and you’ll have access to a private community of students and instructors to share your difficulties and successes.

Start your home staging business today.

Today as I sat in my real estate sales meeting, watching a virtual caravan of the most recent listings in our office, I heard two different agents advise as the admin flipped through the photos, “New photos are coming soon.” Right now these listings are live on MLS, potential buyers are viewing them, but they are not the best they can be. The professional photos should be up in a week.

Show the best photos from day 1 of a new listing

This situation reminds me of the old, “I’ll see how the showings go this weekend before I decide if I’m going to stage.” homeowner mentality. How is it that so few “experienced” agents seem to understand that the best activity is always going to be at the beginning of the listing period? Let’s look at this chart by Redfin on the first week of listing activity.

The red line indicates when the home is first listed. The green line indicated activity after it has been updated.

New listings have four times the activity of updated listing

The strategy of updating photos, prices, or staging the home at any time other than BEFORE the listing goes live simply puts the listing at a disadvantage. Holding off means that home sellers have one quarter the chance of success as if they had done the required activity at the time of listing.

One of the things that really makes me crazy in my market is getting listing alerts for a particular neighborhood where I have interested buyers, only to realize that there are no photos. While the agent may have the best professional images imaginable, and the home may be perfect for my home buyers, chances are they will never know. By the time the photos are updated, the listing won’t be fresh. New photos isn’t one of the activities that puts the listing back on our hot sheet. I’m not likely to go back and look in a few days to see if the listing now has photos, neither are most other agents, or potential home buyers. The opportunity is simply gone.

Don’t wait to update your listing, make it fabulous right out of the gate.

Professionally staging each listing PRIOR to listing, getting professional photos PRIOR to listing, and pricing the home properly AT THE TIME of listing is the key to maximizing the final sale price and profitability of any sale.

Are you wondering how you can start a successful home staging company with online training? If you’ve been researching home staging training courses you are probably trying to decide if an online course, or a classroom style course is better. The truth is that they are both very different and the right course will depend on your dedication, time, and personality.

Advantages of an online home staging training course

The first thing you need to decide is if an online home staging training course is right for you. Below is a list of some of the advantages that our course offers.

• Take the course at your own pace. No more trying to find the right location, or a weekend that works for your schedule. Now you can take the course soon as you are ready, watch our online modules in the evenings after the kids go to bed, complete the course in a weekend, or spread it out over several months.
• No travel expenses. Our online home staging course is taken in the comfort of your own home or office. There is no need to pay for travel, hotel rooms, lunches and dinners out.
• Unlimited access to training materials. Because our course is kept online and updates are done digitally, you’ll always have access to the latest and greatest. Once you have registered, your access will never terminate.
• Lessons are ready for you when you need to learn them. One of the most difficult parts of attending a classroom style course is the mind numbing amount of information you’ll receive in only two or three days. Keeping track of it all can be overwhelming. By the time you are ready for your first home staging consultation or quote, you probably won’t remember half of what you were taught. With our online modules and unlimited access, you can always replay the lesson so you have it fresh in your mind.
• Constant access to our instructors. Part of your online course includes access to our private Facebook community. This is where you can ask questions about what’s going on in your business, voice any problems or concerns you are having with your business, or simply converse behind closed doors with the instructors and other students. By the way this is also a great place to share your blog posts so we can help share them, gaining you additional exposure.

How to start a home staging business with your staging training

Not all home staging training companies are created equal. One of the most important variables that you may need to consider is the level of experience and expertise of the instructor as well as when the course material was last updated. The truth is that many home staging instructors have never owned or operated a home staging business, or even if they did, it was 5 years or more ago.

Because the market is constantly changing, having a home staging instructor that is active in today’s real estate market is vital. While many trainers have made a career of teaching new home stagers and are skilled educators, they don’t know today’s trends or difficulties. How will they help you overcome objections by homeowners and Realtors if they haven’t had to do it in years?

Good stagers fail where good marketers succeed

One of the biggest factors of the success of a new home staging business is actually not how good the home stager is, it’s how good of a marketer they are. Over the past many years, I’ve seen some great home stagers close their doors because they simply didn’t know how to market their business. A home staging course that is heavy on design concept as opposed to a heavy focus on pricing, marketing, statistics, branding, and profitability may create great home stagers, but unsuccessful businesses.

This isn’t to say that design and decor lessons aren’t important, but the truth is that you are taking a course to learn how to have a successful home staging business, probably because you already have some decor talents.

When you consider which home staging training course is right for you, ask the training provider to have the instructor provide a sample of some of their company’s home staging literature, professional portfolio, or other marketing materials. (Be sure it is for the home staging company of the instructor, not that of the training company.)

Our online home staging training can help you start a new business

If you are serious about starting a new home staging business, then consider SAR’s online class. Our class is regularly updated, taught by some of the most successful stagers in the industry today, and is heavily focused on business.

Register for our online class today, only $695 for all 13 modules.

When your home staging business starts feeling growing pains should you build a home staging team, or refer excess work to other local home stagers? This isn’t a one size fits all business, and the right answer may be different for everyone reading this blog. In either case, it is important to understand what you want from your business model, both long and short term as well as your daily routine.

The pros and cons of building a home staging team

As most people know, this was an area that really propelled my home staging business. Enjoying the marketing part of my business, the cat and mouse game of getting and staying in front of customers, more than the actual hands-on staging process made building a home staging team a no brainer for me. The trick was finding people who I could trust with my business. Sure, they didn’t have to handle the marketing or finances, but they represented my company and as an extension were representing ME.

Who do you trust with your home staging company’s image?

SAR Instructors, RESA 2011

Not only do you have to worry about general professional appearance and friendly relationships, but what if your new team member gives poor recommendations? This has happened to more than one big time home stager that I know. When they find out from a customer that the advice or behavior has been less than fabulous, heads are likely to roll. We take our reputations seriously and one bad encounter can have tremendous consequences.

In another situation, probably less unique than I would like to think, I had one team member who started taking her own customers and having the customer pay her personally for consultations. Apparently this had been going on for months. We only found out about it because a customer couldn’t reach this consultant one day and was in a hurry to lock down services for a new listing. When we arrived and asked for a check, he wanted to know the stager’s name so he could make it out to her….. not the company. BUSTED.

Unfortunately it can be really easy to not know what’s really going wrong out there. Hopefully you maintain a good enough relationship with your customers that they’ll tell you when something sees fishy, but often they don’t know. This is another great reason to educate your agents on how your business is run. This way they’ll keep you informed when you aren’t there. 

Legal and tax liability for home staging team members

Are your team members independent contractors or are they employees? Do you know the legal and tax related liabilities, differences and consequences of each option? You may think that you can simply claim a stager as an independent contractor but by the law, if you control their schedule or the way they work, they may legally be considered an employee. These things get tricky and if you aren’t careful, they will bite you in the end. That is not to say that an independent contractor isn’t a valid option. You just need to understand the laws and liabilities.

What happens when a team member leaves your company

Another consideration, whether hiring an employee or using an independent contractor is the idea of what happens when they leave your company? If you want to have an enforceable no-compete clause, then really you need to have had an employer-employee relationship.

How will you handle customers that your home staging team member serviced when they were working for you? Will you notify the customers, and if so, what will you say to them? What if you find out that your customers are now working with them and their new company?

How will you handle proprietary information, like flyers, pricing, systems, etc? Have you just given your competition your best kept secrets?

Do you want to stage, or do you want to manage a team?

This may be one of the most important questions to ask yourself when deciding whether it is better to refer your excess business to another home staging company, or build a home staging team. Where are your passions? Do you really want the excess paperwork, regular communication, liability, and potential lack of control of adding someone to your company or would it be easier, and better to simply give up the business temporarily? Again, understanding the way you work and how you want your company to run down the road is an important part of the puzzle.

Want to know more? Take Linda Barnett’s Team Building for Growth and Success online course

Referring excess business to another home staging company

This leads us back to the idea of simply referring work to another home stager when you find your schedule too full. This is also where strong communication and knowledge of your local competition plays a big factor. Local RESA chapters can help create a stager alliance and referral base. Busy stagers can refer work to other competent professionals who haven’t quite hit their stride yet. Since both members belong to the local chapter, and both members have signed a code of ethics agreement, the relationship (hopefully) should be built on professionalism and trust.

Getting paid a referral fee by other home stagers

There are a lot of differing opinions on when a referral fee is appropriate. In my opinion, I treat this as any other real estate transaction. If you were a Realtor,  you would typically pay a 25% referral fee, of the commission paid, to the referring Realtor. For a $200 consultation, that means a $50 referral fee. While no one really wants to make less for their work, the truth is that this is business you would not have otherwise had. If you don’t like the referral fee rate, then negotiate (before you take the referral) or decide not to take it.

If you have another system worked out with a local home stager. That’s fine. Again, this is not a one size fits all business. Just be sure that all of the negotiations have happened before you take the referral to avoid any hard feelings.

Whose customer is it?

Now this is where things can get a bit sticky. If the customer is a new one, and they’ve never had any loyalty to you, chances are that they will probably become the customer of the referred home stager. If they are a good customer that needs service now, but you can’t help them, then they will probably return to you for future business. In either case, whatever they decide, they are the customer and they’ll decide who they want to work with. If you decide to refer business out to another home stager then this is a risk you’ll need to be willing to take.

Just like commissions, future marketing and whether the referred stager is going to solicit to this customer should all be determined before the referral is given. A clear understanding of what’s going to happen, before it does will save a lot of strife and bad feelings.

Which is right for you? Will you build a home staging team, or refer the work?

So, have you decided what the right course of business is for you? It’s not an easy choice. The variables are wide and deep. Ultimately we need to support the decisions of our fellow home staging industry professionals. The reasons you made your choices on building a team, or referring work to another local stager may not apply to them.

If you want to learn more about building a home staging team, take Linda Barnett‘s Team Building for Growth and Success course. This online module is only $149 and will provide in depth information on the following subjects:

Home Staging Team Building for Growth and Success

• Identify the skills and functions needed to create your dream team
• Determine a staffing structure that maximizes productivity and profit
• Maximize the effectiveness of your Independent Contractor Agreement
• Recognize the optimal time to hire members.
• Recognize the advantage of working with newly-certified and experienced stagers
• Enhance how you recruit, train, compensate, and retain team members
• Enhance your company by working with external groups and resources
• Recognize the importance of maintaining your team’s tools for success
• Follow the best practices of team building

Buy this course now, only $149.