Have you Created Your 2010 Business Plan Yet? I hope these tips will help you.

In recent weeks I have several tips on strategies and tactics you can include in your 2010 business plan at the Stagedhomes.com blog, and I thought I’d share a summary here at the Stagedhomes.com blog. Tip 1. One Month Left of 2009: Is Your 2010 Business Plan Ready for Launch? Here’s my first tip: Conduct a SWOT and Gap analysis A SWOT analysis will help you take an overall snapshot of your business to assess your internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats in the marketplace. Please click here to continue reading One Month Left of 2009: Is Your 2010 Business Plan Ready for Launch? Tip 2. Business Plan 2010 – Tip 2: Start Blogging. 2009 marked the year when social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube grew phenomenally fast. I recently read that Facebook doubled the number of users from early fall in 2008 until a year later in 2009. According to Facebook, over 300,000,000 people around the world are now using their system to stay in contact with friends. Imagine that – that’s close to the population of our country! Speaking of Facebook, have you become a fan of Stagedhomes at Facebook yet? Click here if you haven’t. Social media presents an incredible opportunity for professionals to find and build new relationships and create closer connections with existing clients and influencers. Farming used to consist of postcards distributed throughout the year, its frequency often limited by budgetary reasons. Furthermore, since postcards and fliers only allow the sender to engage in one-way communication, the effectiveness of building a relationship with the recipient can certainly be questioned. Please click here to continue reading Business Plan 2010 – Tip 2: Start Blogging. Tip 3. Business Plan 2010 – Tip 3: Start Planning by Using Financial Forecasting, Budgeting and Monitoring. Do you run your business with a close eye on your financial situation? You should. In our industry, revenues typically fluctuate from month to month. Since we may often have months with little income – holiday and vacation seasons are prime examples of such time periods – and others with a higher level of activity and revenue, it is absolutely essential to plan ahead to ensure financial stability. Today’s tip covers three very essential parts of business planning: forecasting, budgeting and monitoring. In addition, I’ll describe a couple of financial term you must keep a very close eye on: cash flow and balance sheet. Please click here to continue reading Business Plan 2010 – Tip 3: Start Planning by Using Financial Forecasting, Budgeting and Monitoring. Tip 4. Business Plan – Tip 4: Advance Your Staging Techniques in 2010.Today I thought I’d share my recommendations specifically for the services you provide. Learning is a life-long exercise; for 2010, I suggest you advance your Staging® techniques. Please click here. Here’s another tip I would like to share. You’re at an open house together with a Realtor® you’d like to form a business relationship with when a visiting broker stops and asks what brought you there. “I’m an Accredited Home Staging Professional,” is likely your response. Unfortunately, that description will not spell out the value you bring to a transaction to the consumers and even many real estate industry professionals you tell it to. In today’s tip I thought I’d share with you how to make sure every message you deliver, whether delivered in person, print or online, is as effective and powerful as it should be. No matter how you meet a consumer or real estate industry professional – in person, through your blog or website, and even Facebook and Twitter – it’s essential to make sure that the messages you provide instantly give a vivid picture of what you do and the positive impact of your work. Please click here to read “Let Me Tell You How I Work”: How to Create a Powerful Value Message and Why it Matters. Barb Barb Schwarz The Creator of Home Staging® CEO StagedHomes.com Founder/Chairwoman, The International Association of Home Staging Professionals