Jennie Norris, ASPM, IAHSP

“Thank you.” Two simple words that hold the power to elevate another’s attitude and validate a relationship.

Why don’t we hear these words more often? When my children were little, it was one of the first things I taught them - to be appreciative and say, “Thank you,” when someone did something for them or gave them something.

It is something that has to be taught as it is not an automatic, and it is something that shows good manners from childhood forward.

Why then as we enter the business world, does it seem so rare to receive a “Thank you” for a job well done? Showing appreciation to our clients should be on the top of our list, but somewhere along the way, it seems that the “loyal client” is forgotten or taken for granted in the quest to add more clients to our roster.

When I work with a client, of course I like to be appreciated for how hard I work, the services I provide, the extra effort I put in to a project, and how our whole team wants to make the client happy and have a success story to tell when our Staged houses sell. We make sure to appreciate our clients, and I am always shocked when I am not treated respectfully or with appreciation when I have the “client hat” on. I often say to myself, “If I treated my clients the way I have been treated by this company I would be out of business.”

As an ASP I feel that it is vital that our professional standards continue to set us apart from others that have not been taught that Home Staging is a viable business, and that honoring our client, and our relationships is the foundation to our success.

Showing appreciation is vitual for the longevity of any business and business owner. A saying or adage I really like is “It is easier to keep a current client happy than it is to find a new one.” How true.

So how can we show appreciation for our clients?

It’s as simple as 1-2-3.

1. Send thank you cards - handwritten. Never under-estimate the power of the pen! The written word is powerful - the sentiments we can share in a short amount of space when we sincerely express gratitude goes miles in locking our clients in to us for the long haul.

2. Give little appreciation gifts. This is not about spending a lot of money on things - it’s about giving little tokens of appreciation. One of my favorite things to give to my clients is a Starbucks Gift Card with a note that says, “You’re a Star in My Book.” The gift cards is usually about $5 - enough for a cup of coffee and a pastry, but the thought is what counts and I have received “Thank you cards” for my thank you cards!

3. Give Referrals. One of the best ways to show appreciation is to give a referral to your client. Remember what they do for a living and send business their way. Make sure that whoever you do refer mentions your name - so that your client knows that you want to help them succeed too.

Follow these simple suggestions for showing appreciation to your clients, and you will have a loyal client base that does value your relationship, send you referrals, and is with you for many years to come.

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" - Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard, circa 1940.

Those famous words helped immortalize the great Cecil B. DeMille. And it got me thinking. How many times have you had photos taken of yourself where you really were not prepared for that "close-up?" Or worse, been on television with a camera inches from your face showing every pore? It reminds me that there is nothing like preparation - lighting, makeup, positioning - that allows us to take that great photo or be on television without fear of looking "bad."

When applied to Home Staging we have to ask . . .

How many Sellers are ready for their Close Up?

My experience as a professional Home Stager tells me - not many. Even with the glut of television shows on Home Staging that should help educate the public to do SOMETHING to their houses before putting them up for sale, the fact remains, most Sellers are NOT prepared for their close-up.

However, when Buyers come in to a house, they notice EVERYTHING - and they do get Close-up. They notice not only the floor-plan, but how well cared for the house is. They notice smells. They look at grout, window tracks, windows, sinks, toilets, carpet stains, caulking in the tubs or showers - and if there is mildew, dirt, or debris, the assumption is that the house is not well-maintained. This causes a Buyer to be hesitant about purchasing a house - because they assume that they may have deeper issues to deal with should they purchase a house that is not "Show Ready."

Why aren't Sellers ready for their Close-up?

In most cases, it's because Sellers believe that their house is "fine the way they have lived in it" - and don't fully understand the WHY behind prepping it for the Buyer.

In other cases, the Seller allows emotions to cloud the need for prepping their house - feeling slighted or insulted when suggestions regarding cleanliness or de-cluttering are made.

And in some cases, it's because the people involved in helping sell the house lacked the courage to tell the Seller the truth about their house.

Telling the Truth can be Tough

It can be tough to tell someone the truth - but are we truly helping a Seller when we refrain from letting them know about key issues or concerns we KNOW will impact the Sale?

NO. We have an obligation to help Sellers - and the key is to use proper timing and couch it in kindness. This is where someone that is trained to handle Sellers - stands out from those that use criticism and sarcasm (like on television) to tell the "truth."

How do we get a Seller ready for their Close-Up?

Sellers need an HONEST assessment of their house - and independent third party that is able to be subjective in the house and come up with a plan of action for the Seller.

Sellers need to be willing to implement the independent suggestions - in order to make their house appealing to ALL Buyers.

Where do Sellers get an Honest Assessment?

Sellers can hire a professional Home Stager who will come in and prepare a detailed Home Staging Plan - that addresses how to prep the house room by room, inside and outside. The Home Stager can also help implement the Staging Plan based on how much time and effort the Seller has.

The best place to locate an individual who can provide accurate recommendations is through the www.Stagedhomes.com directory of professionally trained Home Stagers.

Clean is a Relative Term

We need to help Sellers put aside their feelings and realize that Clean is a relative term. But when it comes to Selling, there must be a high standard of CLEAN applied to the house, and a Seller that truly wants to sell will be willing to put added effort into the preparation of their house so that the house stands up to the highest level of Cleanliness.

How much does it Cost?

Typically, a Home Staging Plan ranges from $150-$450 nationwide for an average size house (2,000-2,500 square feet), and is based on the size of the house and the time it takes to prepare the Plan.

Hands-on Staging could be an additional $200-$2,000 or more - again, depending on what is needed. What you want to stay away from is the "Stager" that tells you to remove everything from your house and replace it with trendy, costly decorations and furnishings - a tactic employed by those intent on Selling their "stuff" and not your house. Around the country, these "Stagers" charge in the tens-of-thousands of dollars to Stage a house - which is a disservice to Sellers.

Vacant houses do require a higher investment than when a Seller has things to work with in the house - furniture and décor. However, the statistics show that even having to rent furnishings and décor to Sell a house in most markets costs less than a price reduction.

Ask for Credentials and Insurance Policy

As a Seller - you can ask to see a Home Stager's credentials - and ask them what they mean. An Accreditation is the highest form of training for the Home Staging industry. Only one reputable company offers this form of training, and is linked to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to provide education on Home Staging. The Accredited Staging Professional® (ASP®) Course has been around for over 10 years and has nearly 40 years of experience behind it.

Also - be wary of Stagers on blog sites that have a lot of "points" - this does not make them an expert Stager - just someone that blogs a lot online. Think about it - if they are online blogging all the time they could not be "out there" actually Staging. Ask for references and referrals. A quality and qualified Stager will be able to produce both.

Lastly, make sure the Home Stager is INSURED. Without a valid insurance policy, YOU are at risk when you invite this person in to you house. If something is damaged or broken, and the Stager has no insurance policy, the repair costs will be on you.

The International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) - the only professional association that is based on education, excellence and ethics and serves the Home Staging Industry raised over a half million dollars for Worldwide Staging Service Week! Contributions of time, money, furnishings, materials, and decor were given to charitable groups such as the Ronald McDonald House, women's shelters, abused children's homes, homeless shelters, and more.

As the only association serving the Home Staging industry that has an annual goal of giving back to communities around the country, we are very proud of the accomplishments of many of our over 100 chapters nationwide and in Canada. This year, more than ever, the people that received the efforts of our IAHSP Chapter members and ASPs were very much in need.

Although the economy may have taken a toll on other groups reaching out to support those in need, IAHSP continued its commitment to providing help and support to people all over.

You can watch the Worldwide Staging Service Week video montage that shows some of our IAHSP Chapter projects by linking to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11KhloxKFVc where it is featured on You Tube.

Congratulations to IAHSP, our IAHSP Chapters and the IAHSP Foundation on another successful year!

- Jennie

Jennie Norris, ASPM, IAHSP

President IAHSP - 2009-2010

I was watching this media segment on some celebrity nonsense, and they kept referring to people as "Posers." In fact, one urban dictionary definition of "Poser" is:

A poser is someone who tries to fit into a profile they aren't. People who try to give off the impression that they are one thing when they are really another.

Also, a poser can be one who says they can do something that they can't.

I know we all have Staging Posers in our markets. I ran across one that was hired to do a Staging project, and turns out he was a Realtor "Posing" as a Stager - who picked out rental furniture that was a total mish-mash, but was cheaper than a real Stager. End result - the house did not sell when it should - and the client ended up spending way more money to have it done right the second time around!

These Posers are people that claim they know how to Stage but really don't. This person could be anyone from the homeowner who thinks because they watch HGTV they can successfully Stage their house, to a person that reads a book or a "how-to" pamphlet created and all of a sudden is an "expert" on what to do, to someone that actually starts up a Staging business, but really has no idea what Staging is all about. Although some of the media shows and publications help, the GIFT of Staging is not something you can just wake up one day and claim to have. To me it is a God-given gift was have from birth - the abiltiy to see things in a new way, to picture and envision rooms, yards, houses transformed. Not everyone has it - so not everyone can be a Stager.

According to one website: Calling someone a poser is the same thing as accusing them of being fake or inauthentic. They may talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk

How do we overcome the Posers in our own industry?

First, I hate to say it here on a blog site, but just because someone is writing about it - does not mean they are actually doing it. The public has to be savvy about not just picking someone because they have a bunch of points. Sadly, some are impressed by that, but as I blogged in the past, http://activerain.com/blogsview/371376/If-You-Are-In-Here-You-Are-Not-Out-There if a person is always in "here" blogging, and on numerous other sites posting things, they could not possibly be out "there" as much as a they claim, unless they literally never sleep. That, to me, is a Poser.

Writing about it and DOING it are two totally different things! Now I know Blogging can be like a full-time job - and it IS for some that actually get paid to comment on life, websites, etc., or for those that want to parlay their blog sites into publiciations. . . However, when our full time job we "blog about" is Staging - how can we be wearing both hats and be legit in our business? I know there are some that make it work, but a non-Poser will have a balance - not spending all their time on a blog site, and have real examples of productive work - which brings me to the next point.

Hopefully the public is savvy enough to actually look at the portfolios of the potential Stager - and makes sure that the photos included are of their work. And a Stager that is really out there running a business will have RECENT examples of successful Staging work, and statistics they track. Or at least they should. If they are promoting the same old photo from a year ago, chances are they have not really been "out there" Staging and are "posing" with those that have been out there working.

I know the tough market has meant business slow down for many markets - mine included - and yet because we are in this long term, we have recent examples and success stories we could share. A Poser will not have those.

Next - ASK for Credentials. A Poser won't have any. That is a pretty simple solution there. A Home Staging Poser will most likely talk about how much they love decorating, or perhaps they even came from a different parallel field, but they really won't be able to talk too much about how they have self-educated themselves in this field, or reference classes they may have taken.

How about ASKING for Insurance. A Poser probably will not have made the investment to insure a business that does not really exist. They want to be considered a Home Stager, but they don't really want to make the investment in a business. Not only does it leave their clients at risk, but they are putting their own family at risk by not insuring their business.

How about this important distinction: A Poser will not have success. Because they really don't know what they are doing, their houses don't sell and they cannot toot their horn over fabulous Staging transformations that result in record sales, or other stats that help sustain the Staging market.

Finally I think this question really weeds out the Posers from the Home Stagers that really plan on doing this as long as their minds will allow . . . Ask the Poser "How long do you see yourself doing this and why?" The Poser usually looks at Staging as a quick buck, and gets out as fast as they got in when the going gets tough. Or the Poser does not understand truly how Staging can work to sell a house - and will just dump in basic decor or a ton of greenery and call the house "Staged."

Posers are all talk and very little walk. They want to be like those that are successful in this fun, exciting, roller coaster ride of a business we call Staging - but it's time to identify the Posers so that the public does not get led down a primrose path of false expectations.

What is your take - and how many of you have met a Poser in your Market? Do tell!!

Jennie