I know I go a little overboard sometimes with bragging about our APSD Professional Home Stagers, but you know, when you are out there working your tail off, and you achieve great things, I think it is important that you are getting some well deserved recognition.

A few weeks back, I posted an article on what it takes to be a huge home staging success and a few of our members took it to heart…well, in fairness, they had taken it to heart about a year ago, when they first started with APSD.

Barbara Heathcote of NC and Mannie Tantawy of VA are both rolling in Home Staging Successes!  Barb and Mannie both came to APSD at the beginning of the  year and entered into the APSD Certified Home Stager Program.

In April, when I offered my Hand’s On Stager Pro course, they both registered and that is where they met.  From there, went on to take the APSD Property Scene Designer Program and are now, both in the APSD Certified Trainers  Course.

They are both having AMAZING Success–Barb just did a house this week (and secured 2 more stagings from different clients, she has an open house event scheduled as well and the opportunity to work with an “Investor of Influence” to stage all of his homes.

Mannie just put a house under contract that she staged…in just 26 days, and has booked 2 investors houses this week….notice I said “houses” because both clients have multiple properties, received another referral and hired an assistant because she was getting so much work!

Please take a moment to congratulate those APSD shining stars for taking their Training for Home Stagers to the next level!!!

So, how did they get to be such superstars while both working full time jobs?

They have specific similarities that they learned through their training for home staging at APSD, and acted on it.

1)      They both stopped to develop their vision so they knew very clearly what they wanted to achieve with their home staging business.

2)      They both took action.  Once they took their first APSD Home Stager Certification Course, they went out and found their “Home Staging Center of Influence” and did what it took to make that person happy.  Then, they took that to the next step with their home staging training.

3)      Both invested in themselves and their businesses by continuing their training in the home staging industry. They did not run out and say, “oh, I have to buy a bunch of stuff before I can do anything” or “I should do a staging or two before the next class,” they registered for the next class and then went out with the knowledge they already had and secured home staging jobs.

4)      Neither threw in the towel.  Mannie and Barb have both had their ups and downs, as do we all, but the truth is that they never threw in the towel.  They knew that they had the knowledge, expertise and skill that they learned from their home staging training to keep moving forward so that is the only direction they faced.

5)      And finally, they applied their training as certified home stagers.  Yes, this sounds simple, but I know for a fact that since coming to APSD and working with me, they have both raised their prices, they have both increased their business at least 4 fold, and they are both able to grow their home staging businesses to meet their vision…all in less than one year!

Barb and Mannie—CONGRATULATIONS!  You deserve all that you receive!

And if you want to learn to achieve the same success as these two APSD shining stars…you are about to have your chance…Come to the best  home staging training event of the YEAR… “STAGE!”  ww.apsdmembers.com/stage  It will take you to Center STAGE and help you to achieve your home staging dreams.

If you really want to learn to clarify your home staging vision, act on it, learn to tap into your new “home staging” center of influence, get more jobs, have clients coming to you instead of chasing them down….learn to market your home staging business… and so much more, then get registered for STAGE today, because this is a home staging training event like no other…and before you know it, you will be in the APSD Rock n Roll Home Staging Training Hall of Fame too!

www.APSDmembers.com/stage

Wishing you enormous Home Staging Success!
Kristy Morrison -COO APSD
& Karen Schaefer -Founder APSD

www.APSDmembers.com

Founder/Creative Director; APSD The Association of Property Scene Designers

The World Leader in Home Staging Training and Certification

A good friend of mine talks about the   3P’s of marketing- pain, problem and predicament and how by knowing these 3p’s of your client, you can effectively do a better job of marketing and I couldn’t agree more!

Unfortunately, in the Home Staging Industry, no one talks about Marketing Tips for Home Stagers so you would not know this…until now!

Once you take the time to understand your client’s “pain, problem and predicament” then you can address these things in your marketing.   Think about it….as home stagers, what “3P’s” do you recognize in your clients?  By the way, even as real estate agents and real estate investors, you would be seeing the same “3P’s.”

So, the first part, is to recognize the “3P’s” of your  client.  Step 2 would be to apply them to your marketing.  Here is the hard part: you have to deal with your client’s “3P’s” BEFORE you tell them how great you are.
If you look at all other home stagers, real estate agents and real estate investors,  the first thing they like to do in their marketing (or at least what they call marketing, but really are marketing tools such as flyers and business cards) is to talk about themselves, how  great they are and so on.  But what your client really wants to know is “can you solve my problem.”

To get clients to come chasing after you, instead of talking about yourself first, talk about how you can solve the problem of your client first. Empower this marketing tip for home stagers and define the  3P’s of your client and talk about that in your marketing.

What do you think are the pains, problems and predicaments for your clients?  How about if they can’t sell their house, it sits too long on the market so they can’t move or pay for the new house they already bought or any number of things…and ultimately it means they can’t get their house sold in the time frame in which they need to sell if for the money they want or need which puts them into the predicament of having a house sitting on the market draining their budget and energy.  Don’t you think this applies to all of us whether we are home stagers, real estate agents or real estate investors?  Of course it does!

So, instead of saying “I have been a real estate agent or home stager or real estate investor for 75 years…” say “Our average DOM for our clients is only 21 in today’s market and we can help you too.”  Now, I can introduce myself and tell them how great I am because I have identified their “3p’s,” addressed them and offered a solution.  What a great marketing tip for home stagers!

What CTA do we want here?  Only one, clear, concise and accurate.

Sound easy?  Good, then go out and do it and make sure you post your results for me.  And as always, I love hearing your comments and feedback so either post them for me here, or go to my marketing blog at www.apsdmembers.com/blog.

To your greatest home staging success!
Kristy Morrison -COO APSD
& Karen Schaefer -Founder of APSD

The Association of Property Scene Designers -  The World Leader in Home Staging Training and Certification

Do you love our content and are interested in learning a TON MORE? you wont want to miss our annual event called STAGE.  Check out our special pricing we have on RIGHT NOW here:  www.APSDmembers.com/STAGE

*Article written by Karen Schaefer & posted with permission.

One of the best Marketing Ideas for Home Stagers was given to me by one of my mentors always told me to look and see what everyone else in your industry is doing and then, to achieve your greatest home staging marketing success, do the opposite.

I have to admit that I am inclined to do this anyway.  I have never been all that concerned with competition, always knowing there were plenty of houses to go around for as many Home Stagers or Home Staging Training and Certification companies that wanted to toss their hats in the ring but I am always looking for new and great marketing ideas for home stagers to share with all of you and this is one of the best.

Of course, there is always work ethic to be considered.  If you hold something in your heart, then you will also be able to outwork your home staging competition any day of the week.

Then, we all hear “work smart, not hard.” Most days, if someone said that to me, I would shoot them.  We don’t live in that kind of society anymore, you have to work hard if you want to compete in the home staging industry or step above your home staging or real estate competition.

I prefer the “hard/smart” work ethic.  That is where my mentor comes into play.  If you really want to be the leader in your market place or not feel like all you are doing is “competing to the point of exhaustion” then you need to look around at your competition, see what they are doing (for what this is worth, this is not difficult as they generally ALL do the same thing) and then do the opposite—this is the best marketing idea for home stagers.

That is the same philosophy that I embraced when I first started out in the Home Staging Industry and then carried it with me into APSD, our Home Staging Training and Home staging Certification Company.

With home staging, I was one of the few home stagers that really went after the real estate investor market, probably because I was an investor but also because everyone else was going after real estate agents.  It was my mission statement for my home staging business…’serve investors!’ J

Then, when everyone else was recreating “Pottery Barn,” I developed a proprietary APSD Home Staging System with Scene Creation and Pockets of Emotion™ w which resulted in our APSD 6 Step Proven Home Staging Pyramid so that our certified APSD Home Staging Professionals could follow a proven system with proven results—and see some of the best marketing in the home staging industry.

Today, we are ready to take another step.  As so many so-called Home Staging Training and Certification companies enter the market (new home stager beware…who are these people and do they really qualify to train you?), we will be taking our business in yet another direction.  This is how you active and implement the very best home staging marketing for your home staging business.

With APSD and the Home Staging Professionals that have been certified with us in 8 countries, I always tell them to focus their home staging marketing toward being the leader of their community in the home staging industry.  That doesn’t mean they have to secure the most home staging jobs for the most amount of money, but it means that they should always focus on doing their home staging marketing different than anyone else in their market place and they will naturally stand out as the leader.  The benefit here is that your clients come to you instead of you constantly chasing them down.

Just a few quick ways to “do the opposite:’

1)      Market your home staging business consistently.  All of the APSD certified members know that marketing is key.    At every level of APSD Home Stager Training, beginning with our APSD Certified Home Stager Program (www.APSDmembers.com/HomeStagerCertification  ) I literally give them the marketing pieces and tools they need to go out and get home staging jobs.

2)      Get consistent.  Once you have the materials to market yourself and your home staging business and services, you have to develop a consistent cycle of marketing.  I always teach the 1,7,30 day marketing cycle which I have discussed previously at length.

Just by doing home staging marketing and then getting consistent, I can promise you that you are already WAY ahead of your home staging competition (by the way, for all of you that are reading this, obviously the same thing applies to your real estate business, your real estate investing business, interior design, organization, etc.)

3)      Take a leap of faith.  Most home stagers will just do the same thing every time.  There is nothing wrong with this if it is your home staging marketing system, it works and it is right for the home and new buyer however,  if you really want to take a step ahead of your competition, learn the fine art of scene  creation and Pockets of Emotion.  This is what will make your home more memorable than any other home stager in your marketplace.  Now when the agent is showing the buyer 25 homes, and all they can remember is yours…guess whose they buy?  And guess who gets another home staging job from the agent?  YOU!!! Yippeee!!!!   Scene Creation and Pockets of Emotion™ are the single best selling secret in real estate.  It is why I spend so much time on them in our APSD Certified Home Stager Training Program (www.APSDmembers.com/HomeStagerCertification  )

So, no matter where you have been trained before or how long (or short) you have been doing home staging jobs, the real key to success is to learn what everyone else is doing…and do the opposite…it works for our members in over 14countries….try it and let me know your ‘outrageous home staging marketing results.’

To your home staging success,

Kristy Morrison  -COO ASPD
& Karen Schaefer -Founder APSD

Join me at the “BIGGEST OUT OF THE BOX” home staging event of the year; ‘STAGE!’ www.APSDmembers.com/STAGE

See you at ‘STAGE!”

*Article written by Karen Schaefer and posted with permission

Ottawa Ontario Business WOMAN NAMED AS FINALIST IN THREE OF THE
2012 REAL ESTATE STAGING ASSOCIATION’S 2012 HOME STAGING INDUSTRY AWARDS

Winners to Be Announced in Las Vegas at the industry’s yearly convention February 1, 2012

Ottawa Ontario (Barrhaven)- December 1, 2011 Kristy Morrison CEO of Capital Home Staging & Design is named as a finalist in the Real Estate Staging Association™ (RESA®) Home Staging Industry Award™ in the Company of the Year award. As well as one of her staging professionals Alanna Tozer is RESA’s Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist in Canada. Kristy’s husband Eric Bowen is also a finalist in Spouse of the Year for Canada. Industry professionals from all over North America submitted for consideration for the industry’s most prestigious awards.

The RESA® Home Staging Industry Awards™ are the most prestigious awards in the home staging industry. Home Staging professionals from all across North America compete. RESA® will recognize professional stagers in different regions of North America and each of those winners will compete for the overall crowning of the RESA Rookie Stager of the Year™. Company of The Year™, Spouse of the Year™, in both the United States and Canada.

“RESA® congratulates and recognizes each person for their contributions to our industry. Our Industry Awards are a wonderful way to give back to the staging industry as a whole and to recognize some amazing people” said, Shell Brodnax, President/CEO of RESA.

“I am so proud to have my company as a finalist in 3 of RESA’s prestigious categories. Company of the Year as well as one of my stagers as Rookie Stager of the Year, as well as my own husband Eric Bowen as RESA Spouse of the Year representing supportive husbands in the industry. These awards are the Grammies of the staging industry taking place in Las Vegas to be nominated is a complete honor and I wish all finalists the best!” Kristy Morrison –CEO of Capital Home Staging & Design / APSD Certified Master Trainer

The finalists will be judged by a panel of industry professionals and the winners will be announced at the RESA Home Staging International Convention, February 1, 2012 in Las Vegas.

For more information regarding Real Estate Staging, please visit www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com or www.RESAConvention.com or call 888-201-8687 For more information on Capital Home Staging & Design in Ottawa Ontario Canada. Please visit www.CapitalHomeStagingAndDesign.ca 613 832-8958.

Kristy Morrison
CEO of Capital Home Staging & Design
APSD Certified Master Trainer

DIY decorating can be quite hard as most people don’t know where to start. Well, THE PLAN is the first place anyone should start with a DIY (or even professionally done decorating) I decided to redecorate my office because it was boring ugly, cluttered, and overwhelming. Here are the BEFORE PHOTOS……

Yes I am embarrassed to say that this was my office space……

(Above the LEFT WALL)

(Above the RIGHT WALL)

So where did I start with my plan? the ROOM layout, how did I want to move my furniture in order to make it functional as well as beautiful focal points when I have staff or guests in my room. To play with the room design I used my IPAD app for room designs (Home Design 3D –LIVE cad)

(Above the LEFT Wall)

(Above the birds eye view of my small room)

I KNEW I wanted to wall paper one wall to create a subtle yet impactful art piece. I also LOVE book shelves so I have to buy those to add to the space. The seating space is for me to read my business books or for my staff during reviews etc. Changing the light was VERY important because I hated the standard 30yr old builders fixture –HORRIBLE! Flooring I had installed earlier on when I moved into the house so I didn’t have to have the carpet under my desk & chair.

want to see the after??……………

(Above the LEFT WALL)

(Above: the RIGHT wall + new light fixture)

So, as you can see it’s QUITE the transformation.
Added: 2 Bookshelves, 2 chairs, Area rug, Clock, Light fixture, Accessories for book shelf. Small table, Painted the walls a grey – purple called “Enigma” and wallpapered the window wall. A White roman Blind is on order for the window.
Removed: Corner table –moved printer to closet, CLUTTER, diplomas, etc

Should you ever need a room transformation my team at Capital Home Staging & Design can help!

Kristy Morrison
CEO Capital Home Staging & Design
APSD Certified Master Trainer.