I have been focused on vacant home staging for the last year. This is my niche. I almost never do owner occupied stagings - in fact in the last 3 months the only owner occupied stagings I have done were for my training facility during class & then my students did most of it. I was just their guide. Beginning last week things came completely unhinged! Everyday I received another call from an agent or homeowner in desperate need of staging TODAY! My week thus far and next week looks like this...
Monday - unstage home
Tuesday - 6 vacant consults
Wednesday - stage $1.14M property, 1 vacant consult
Thursday - have asst begin painting vacant unit, shop, 2 vacant consults
Friday - stage $699K home, spend time with family seeing Spiderman III
Monday - stage $250K home, shop
Tuesday - stage $350K home
Wednesday - stage $899K home (one that asst painted)
So, the big question, "Where did all this business come from?" "What kind of marketing do you do?"
- Newsletters!
- Handwritten cards
- Great personalized customer service brings referrals!
- Internet presence
- Stay focused on my niche & plan to succeed
I did speak to our local ERA office recently regarding their new Gold Plan - 2 of these jobs are ERA clients. I don't normally speak at agent meetings. I just don't have the time. For this new plan, I made the time!
I don't spend much money on marketing. My website, newsletters and the cost of note cards & stamps (about 10 - 15 cards a week) is my entire marketing budget. Targeting your market, keeping your name in front of them so they know where to find you when they do need you is the answer......
~Melissa Marro, www.StagingAndRedesign.com - become a member today!
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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocate and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. Selling her successful home staging company in January 2012, Marro is now a full time speaker and instructor for Staging And Resign and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.
For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.619.1593 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com
Tina - I own about 85% of my furniture inventory. The rest is rental. We don't have any good rental companies either. Basically I rent a white suede couch or a brown leather one - or I bring in one of mine & then there are 2 different bedroom sets that are OK (barely OK). Most of the time it's my stuff. We took out a couple of different loans in the beginning. I'm probably still in the red, but I am catching up quick.
Kathleen - My son graduates on the 20th, we have tons of family arriving days before and staying a week or so.... that vacation is coming (sort of)... then I teach the week of the 28th...
~Melissa Marro, www.StagingAndRedesign.com - become a member today!
How long did it take you to get this busy Melissa? Hopefully I will get half that busy.
Lynette
Melissa!! You Rock!! You are my goal!!
Sherri
Cindy - I personally use a 3 fold double sided brochure. It lists all of my services and is the same for agents and homeowners. I only use postcards as notes to agents - reminders, thank you, etc. Make sure you have before & after photos of the types of service you are selling. Keep in mind most of the time they won't actually read it.. only look at the photos and maybe some bulleted items. Brochures are expensive unless you order them at least 5000 at a time. While this is an effective marketing tool, I don't think its the best to get agent attention, unless you are passing them out at a company meeting. Don't blind mail brochures unless you are also targeting them in other ways....
Melissa Marro, www.StagingAndRedesign.com - become a member today!
Melissa - this is excellent advice for anyone to follow. Keeping the marketing costs to a minimum will help profit margins grow sooner. It is easy for newbies to hide behind marketing tools and not go out and actually meet their potential clients so again this is really good advice.
I am glad to see you take your weekends off!
Hi Melissa,
First of all, I want to say a big thank you for your postings and for sharing some of the things that have helped you reach your level of success. I truly appreciate it.
You mention above that you own about 85% of the furnishings you use in your staging's. Do you also own a moving truck (U-Haul type)? I find this charge increases my fee on average $125+ depending on distance (renting twice, once for setting up and once for tearing down). If not, do simply rent from one of the national companies and pass that fee along to your client? I was also wondering when your furnishings aren't all in your client's homes, where do you store them--how many storage units do you have?
Thanks again!
Sandi
detailsRedesignAndStaging.com
it's great to hear you are busy but remember to rest as well! in may i staged 14 jobs (mostly vacant) in 2 weeks working 12-16 hours/day. then i got super burnt out. so be sure to schedule some down time!
cheers,
cindy
Sandi - I have a mini-van which does hold an amazing amount of stuff, but for most of my moves I use a local moving company. I have a negotiated rate (based on how much business I give them) of $100 per move. Since I own the furniture and am not spending the money on rental, I can afford this extra expense. I do charge a $100 delivery fee to my client. While I may have to take $100 for removing furniture out of my budget, I make more money in the long run owning it. Also, I have one storage unit, which is usually nearly empty. I always try to move furniture directly from one unit to the next. Occassionally I have a home's worth of furniture in storage. Usually it is odds & end pieces or new pieces waiting for their first home.
Cindy - I know what you mean. I had to take a week off after that week. I am kind of back in the same 'bind' and no time off in site. Oh well, you can't complain that you are 'too successful' now can you?
Melissa..when I grow up,I want to be just like you!
Juiia
Hi Melissa, wow where do you find the energy, good on you! Our question (see our blog) is now much do you charge for doing a home, what does it depend on, can you give us some guidance.
We have been staging for a few months now, getting busy also. Advice greatly appreciated, that is if you can find the time! thanks.
Monday: Destage House #A. Give Consult $205K house.
Tuesday: Start to Stage Vacant #1, Bid another vacant. Pick up a dining room table from House #B.
Wednesday: Bring table from House #B to Vacant #2. Shop. Finish Vacant #1
Thursday: Take son to endocronoloist. Pick out flooring & colors for investor clients. Consult $199K house. IAHSP dinner & meeting.
Friday: Stage Vacant #2. Destage House #C. Find a place to store everything. Bid another vacant.
Saturday: PANIC AND DRINK GALLONS OF COFFEE!!!!
I love this business :)
I'm laughing about the Spiderman III movie. We saw it opening weekend, which is when this blog was written. I guess it is still timely... Spiderman III on the other hand, wait till it comes out on video! It was a waste of an evening. At least it wasn't working though....
Juliet - here in Charleston we are as busy as ever.... my schedule isn't quite this bad, but both Thursday and Friday I was finishing up homes until after 10pm. There just isn't enough time most of these days...