Amy Boxer

Don't miss Uptown Unveiled! this Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 5-10p. You can view the full program/lineup here.

25 bands on three stages. Art everywhere. Restaurant specials. Skateboard contest. Poetry Slam & more!

There are great things happening in Downtown Oakland these days, come and see how this great community is developing.

Are you struggling to get the same number of staging jobs or listings as you had last year?

Are you wondering if there is anything else you can do in this economy to increase your business?

Are you finding yourself not making the same amount of money as you did last year and working just as hard, if not harder?

Are you mystified by all this talk about "social media networking," "website optimization," "webinars," and "internet marketing?" Or maybe you understand the concepts, but just don't see how they can help you increase your business or know how to get started.

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then you need to come to Welcome Home's marketing workshops. This is planned as a four part series that will help you answer all of questions above.

Part 1 - Modern Marketing: The Basics (Wednesday, March 11th, 2:30 - 4 pm)

*Goal Setting and How to Develop and Implement a Marketing Plan

*The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing - which one is right for me?

*Find Me, Find My Business *To Website, or Not To Website

*10 Things You can do Today, for Free, to Market Yourself

Part 2 - How to Get a Website up in 30 Days and on a Budget

Part 3 - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) vs PPC (Pay Per Click)

Part 4 - Social Networking and Viral Marketing

Workshops will be held at our Dublin Warehouse

Welcome Home Furniture Rental

6938 Sierra Court

Dublin, CA 94568

925-828-3463

****WORKSHOPS ARE FREE AND SPACE IS LIMITED****

To sign up, please email: amy@welcomehomefurniture.com ASAP

With the pending birth of my second child in April and the turning of the seasons, I find myself struggling to find the right balance between accomplishing all of my work related goals and adequately responding to the nesting instinct that is taking over my entire being.

A key marketing technique that is used in Staging is to create perceived simplicity. The portrayal of a beautiful, uncluttered, clean and functional home is incredibly appealing in this age of super complexities -- so appealing, in fact, that people are willing to pay more for it.

Unfortunately, this “simplicity” ideal (and very appealing picture) is far from my reality as a professional, growing a small business, who is active in the community, trying to raise my family and be a good partner to my husband. There are, however, many wonderful things I have discovered which help me simplify and manage my busy home, work and what passes for my social life.

1. Retailmenot.com

Okay, so now it's confession time – I love bargains!!! I have always been a bargain shopper. I hate to pay full price and I love a good deal. Bargain shopping usually requires lots of time to dig through sale racks and stay aware of when and where the sales are. Who has time for that these days? I also love the convenience of on-line shopping, but I often find myself getting all the way to the check out page of a website and then thinking, "I don't want to spend $11 to have 2 pairs of $6 socks sent to me!" The solution

This is a fantastic website that only takes seconds to access all sorts of wonderful discount codes for on-line retailers. At the very least, there is almost always a promotional code posted for free shipping. There are many other bargains on there to find too. During the holidays, I found an unbelievable corporate promotional code for Omaha Steaks that saved me over 75% on gifts for business associates. I never order anything on a website without checking it first.

2.

Google 411 is a lifesaver! I am always on the GO GO GO and even with GPS in my car, I need to know where I am going. You should never ever call 411 again and pay $1.75 to get a phone number or address. Google 411 is so easy to use and it's free – you can text (SMS) message them, or call them. I have an entry in the address book of my cell phone for "google" with a work number as: 800-466-4411 and a mobile number of: 46645 (spells google).

The 800 number is a voice activated system similar to the 411 system, but it's free. Watch the demo here. If you text message the name of a person or business, the city, the state abbreviation – google will text message you back with the listing information within seconds, including the address – which is oh so handy. Most cell phones can dial the number straight from the text message too... no need for a paper and pen, or trying to remember numbers. It's great. It also has a bunch of other features you can play around with via the tutorial. Another favorite of mine is the weather feature, especially when I am traveling. You text, “W city name or zip, state” and Google with text you back the 5 day forecast, it is very handy. Try it.

3. Commercial Kitchens

I love to cook, but not every night, and these days I don't always have time to come up with an idea, make a shopping list, spend an hour at the grocery store, come home, chop, prep, stir, cook, eat, clean, ahh! Solution: assemble yourself commercial kitchen. These companies have popped up all over the country. They do all the planning, shopping and prep. For most of these companies, you place your order on-line by selecting the meals you like from their monthly menu. When you arrive, you wash up, put on an apron and go station to station, following the easy to read directions on how to assemble that particular item. The ingredients are chopped, the mixing bowls are there, and they do the clean up. You simply take your meals home – all complete with a sticker right on the bag or "to-go" type container on how to cook it when you get home. They freeze great too. I usually order 8 meals at a time, but split them into 2 portions each that feed my husband, toddler and me… so I get 16 meals and it runs about $200 and it takes about 2 hours. If I go once a month, I have plenty of food for all those days that I can't think about what to make for dinner. There are several nationwide chains/franchises – I have heard great things about Dream Dinners, although I have never been. I wasn't, however, a big fan of My Girlfriends Kitchen, the menu and recipes were a little less than healthy or exciting for my taste (picture Salisbury Steak with heavy gravy).

My favorite local spots (in order of prefereance) are: Ensembles in San Ramon and The Full Plate in Oakland

.

4. VolunteerMatch.com

Finally, my best find for an easy and rewarding way to connect with my community is through volunteermatch.com. They seem to have the most comprehensive, easy to navigate, directory with options to please anyone. You can simply type in your zip code and a keyword about what it is you may be interested in and hundreds of options appear. You can choose from one time activities, to ongoing commitments. It is a great way to easily be able to give back to your community, doing something that interests you, and I promise, will give you back far more than you ever contribute.

5. Easy, Affordable Airport Transportation

I have had to fly out of SFO a couple of times in the past few months for fairly long trips (a week+). There is no easy way to get there, especially with an 18 month old in tow. Now I have found, Gustavo Bastos from Rio Limousine and I couldn't be more pleased. He charges me $60 from Oakland to SFO in his town-car. For most trips, that's less than any parking I have found and you don't have to make two stops, schlep on a shuttle bus with your luggage, etc. It saves so much time and he is wonderful, polite, on time, and professional. I can't say enough good things about him. Contact numbers are 707-419-1415 or 415-846-0238

Check out his website, I understand he also does wine country tours.

Until next time, live balanced and beautifully and succeed with a plan.

____________________________________________________________________________

Amy Boxer – Owner & Co-Founder

Welcome Home Furniture Rental & Staging

www.WelcomeHomeStaging.com

(925) 828-3463

The Key To Selling Success....

TOP TEN REASONS TO STAGE

10. Staged homes tend to sell for more money.
9. Staged homes sell faster than non-staged.
8. Staging costs a fraction of a price reduction.
7. Staging distinguishes you from the competition.
6. Dated furnishings make the home seem dated.
5. Staging improves online marketing efforts.
4. Staged homes more often appraise for full value.
3. Staging helps buyers see themselves living there.
2. A first impression is a lasting impression.
1. In today's market, you can't afford NOT to stage!

Welcome Home has staged hundreds of homes and knows how to make your listing stand out from the rest and get it sold!

Knock, Knock, Knock....

If you listen closely, you can hear that sound all day long... even in this shrinking market. Like a pond of water drying on clay, cracks of opportunity are left everywhere. These cracks leave us options to go new places and do new things.

The reality is that so much of this economic down-turn is emotional. The stock market's peaks and valleys are reflections of people's emotional reactions to news, world events, and situations. The same thing happens in our own businesses. With all the negative headlines and forecasts, we immediately assume our business will be down. That this year just "won't be quite as good as last year." But here we have another opportunity -- an opportunity to step into that fear and refuse to let those mantras control what we do with our days. We can choose to step into those fears and invest in what we know makes sense.

In many ways, we have more choices now than ever. You can choose to branch out and find success and ways to grow, or sit still and let the wave of the recession carry you out into the water. To feel stable, however, we need to keep our primary business philosophies and models in tact. Now is the perfect time to refocus back on the basics of our individual business plans. What you focus on in life, becomes reality.

In the real estate industry, we know staged homes sell faster and for more money, period. We know this is true, regardless of the economy. As stagers, we must own this truth wholly and be able to sell it as religion. As Realtors, even though budgets are tighter than ever and the pressure to cut every cost corner is stronger than ever, it is the time to refocus and continue to stick by the principles that you know will do right by your clients. Now is the time to sharpen your tools and tackle that wave, or be carried out to sea.