Staging Strategies for the Home-Based Business
Staging Strategies for the Home-Based Business
The interior resembled something out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine with perfectly placed furniture and striking accents.
After we left, my husband and I drove around the neighbourhood to get an idea of what living there might be like. We finished up with a final drive by the house.
As we drove by, we observed the beautiful home décor being loaded into a van for transport to the next home to be viewed. The house had been staged in order to create a strong appeal to potential buyers.
Staging is a popular practice in selling homes today because it's designed to appeal to many of our psychological triggers such as wanting to be comfortable, admired by our peers, feeling a sense of closeness and family, being associated to beauty, etc.
As we drove out of the neighbourhood, I realized, real estate isn't the only market that can benefit from staging. Your home-based business, no matter what it is, may also benefit by making a few simple improvements to its "curb appeal."
Here are 5 simple improvements that may increase your prospect's interest in your business.
1. Lighten and brighten.
Homeowners who increase lighting average a 769% return on investment for making that one simple, yet powerful improvement. Imagine what that kind of return this would mean to your business! What can you do to make your business lighter and brighter?
As the representative of your business, how approachable are you? Do you smile and make eye contact with those you speak to? Do you make prospects feel welcome and heard? When they have finished speaking with you, do they feel lighter and at ease?
People want to do business with others who make them feel important, respected and valued.
2. Clean and declutter.
Owners who invest in cleaning and de-cluttering their home, see an average return on investment of 594%.
The simple act of putting things in order has a tremendous effect on how others perceive the value of your products and services. When you meet with a prospect, do you rummage through your purse or briefcase to find a pen or business cards? Is the back seat of your vehicle or your home office piled high with bags, boxes and books?
Like they say, a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind and this thought may be at the back of your prospect's mind when she's deciding whether or not to hire you.
3. Landscape and trim – by putting a few dollars into landscaping, homeowners can expect an average return of 266% for their investment.
Your landscape is your physical appearance. Do you dress in a professional manner and present well groomed? Image is everything.
Let's say you had two landscapers show up at your home to offer a quotation on yard work.
The first arrived in clean, casual clothes with a newer model vehicle and a notepad tucked under his arm. – The second arrived in a beaten down truck, looked like he had just rolled through a pig farm and pulled a muddy pack of smokes out of his front pocket to scribble notes on.
They both offer the same price. Who would you choose?
4. Upgrades – homes with upgraded fixtures, wiring, plumbing, shingles, etc. attract more customers.
How current is your business? Are you using technology or still doing everything by hand? Is your home phone also your business phone? Do you have a fax, e-mail or cell phone or do customers have only limited means of communicating with you? Do you offer various means of payment or cash or cheque only? The easier it is to reach and pay you, the more clients you'll attract.
5. Repairs – by making a few simple repairs, homes command much better selling prices.
What repairs would improve your business? This is an area where customer feedback is invaluable. Have customers had difficulty reaching you? Receiving information from you? Is your shipping provider giving top quality service?
Contact your existing clients and ask them what they would like to see more of, less of or if there is something they'd like to purchase that you don't currently offer.
Apply the concept of staging to your home-based business and enjoy the benefits of increased customers and higher sale values. Small improvements go a long way and provide a great return on investment
2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Staging Strategies for the HomeBased Business - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Hayes's Website.
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Yesterday, my real estate agent showed me a house I was interested in. It presented extremely well and felt like home the instant I walked through the door. The subtle scent of spice filled the air and music played softly in the background.
The interior resembled something out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine with perfectly placed furniture and striking accents.
After we left, my husband and I drove around the neighbourhood to get an idea of what living there might be like. We finished up with a final drive by the house.
As we drove by, we observed the beautiful home décor being loaded into a van for transport to the next home to be viewed. The house had been staged in order to create a strong appeal to potential buyers.
Staging is a popular practice in selling homes today because it's designed to appeal to many of our psychological triggers such as wanting to be comfortable, admired by our peers, feeling a sense of closeness and family, being associated to beauty, etc.
As we drove out of the neighbourhood, I realized, real estate isn't the only market that can benefit from staging. Your home-based business, no matter what it is, may also benefit by making a few simple improvements to its "curb appeal."
Here are 5 simple improvements that may increase your prospect's interest in your business.
1. Lighten and brighten.
Homeowners who increase lighting average a 769% return on investment for making that one simple, yet powerful improvement. Imagine what that kind of return this would mean to your business! What can you do to make your business lighter and brighter?
As the representative of your business, how approachable are you? Do you smile and make eye contact with those you speak to? Do you make prospects feel welcome and heard? When they have finished speaking with you, do they feel lighter and at ease?
People want to do business with others who make them feel important, respected and valued.
2. Clean and declutter.
Owners who invest in cleaning and de-cluttering their home, see an average return on investment of 594%.
The simple act of putting things in order has a tremendous effect on how others perceive the value of your products and services. When you meet with a prospect, do you rummage through your purse or briefcase to find a pen or business cards? Is the back seat of your vehicle or your home office piled high with bags, boxes and books?
Like they say, a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind and this thought may be at the back of your prospect's mind when she's deciding whether or not to hire you.
3. Landscape and trim – by putting a few dollars into landscaping, homeowners can expect an average return of 266% for their investment.
Your landscape is your physical appearance. Do you dress in a professional manner and present well groomed? Image is everything.
Let's say you had two landscapers show up at your home to offer a quotation on yard work.
The first arrived in clean, casual clothes with a newer model vehicle and a notepad tucked under his arm. – The second arrived in a beaten down truck, looked like he had just rolled through a pig farm and pulled a muddy pack of smokes out of his front pocket to scribble notes on.
They both offer the same price. Who would you choose?
4. Upgrades – homes with upgraded fixtures, wiring, plumbing, shingles, etc. attract more customers.
How current is your business? Are you using technology or still doing everything by hand? Is your home phone also your business phone? Do you have a fax, e-mail or cell phone or do customers have only limited means of communicating with you? Do you offer various means of payment or cash or cheque only? The easier it is to reach and pay you, the more clients you'll attract.
5. Repairs – by making a few simple repairs, homes command much better selling prices.
What repairs would improve your business? This is an area where customer feedback is invaluable. Have customers had difficulty reaching you? Receiving information from you? Is your shipping provider giving top quality service?
Contact your existing clients and ask them what they would like to see more of, less of or if there is something they'd like to purchase that you don't currently offer.
Apply the concept of staging to your home-based business and enjoy the benefits of increased customers and higher sale values. Small improvements go a long way and provide a great return on investment
2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Staging Strategies for the HomeBased Business - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Hayes's Website.
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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