Moving from No to Yes in Today’s Market

Not a day goes by without my feeling of pride for the many ASPs and ASPM’s Stagers who work hard each day on behalf of the sellers and real estate professionals they serve. For all of you, please know that I am thinking of you and that I am so proud of you. I’m often asked for advice and this is true in today’s market too given the market conditions we currently are faced with. I thought I would share with all of you some of what I always recommend: 1. Stay focused 2. Stay positive 3. Believe … in yourself and in ASP Staging for it works! 4. Be passionate everywhere you go 5. Remember, every ‘no’ is one step closer to a ‘YES’. It’s OK to hear a no; it also allows you to keep honing your marketing and business skills. 6. Great things take time 7. Tell everyone you meet who you are and what you do as an ASP 8. Do not ask ‘do you know someone who needs to Stage®’ but ask instead ‘WHO do you know who is selling their house or needs to Stage®.’ By saying it that way their minds will go to a different place as they begin to hunt for names. The question ‘do you know someone’ makes it too easy to stay no. 9. Offer to Stage® the reception area at a real estate office to show off your talent and serve lunch too. 10. Give a talk in real estate offices, go on tour with them and make suggestions in their listings and cater lunch. You’re certain to get business as you will be with them ALL day that way. It’s an idea I speak about in our ASP Course but many tend to forget to do it! 11. Educate both sellers and agents. Use ASP Home Staging statistics, which is available at StagedHomes.com. Make sure to always display and update before and after ASP Staging pictures in your CareerBook®, in your flyers, on your ASP Featured page and on your own website, blog and be active in any social media network such as FaceBook. Share your ASP stories.  Use the books I’ve written. Let sellers read my books (let me convince them) or do a book study around my new book in your IAHSP Chapter meeting or any of my other books (you convince the sellers by showing solid proof) and list all the things you do to help the seller and agents understand the process by which you work. Study again your ASP Manual, practice again my Staging sayings, watch the DVD’s I’ve created for you, watch the video clips on the StagedHomes.com website from our TV shows – these are all available valuable resources to educate sellers and agents on ASP Staging and why they need us. There’s more! Share with your prospects our ASP Staging Criteria and conduct educational meetings in our IAHSP Chapters through IAHSP. 12. Did I say believe? I’ll say it again! In all my 38 years, I’ve heard thousands and thousands of no’s, long before I knew you or had shared Staging with others except my own sellers. Actually, I believe I have heard more no’s than anyone on the planet when it comes to Staging and always, always, sooner or later they all arrived at YES….. the key is to believe and know that you are on the right path. All these are recommendations on how you can learn and work and grow through this market. I am so proud of each of you…… ASP’s are the greatest and I thank you for being an ASP®! I remain your number one fan…….. Happy ASP Staging….. Barb Barb Schwarz, ASP, ASPM , AB , IAHSP The Creator of Home Staging CEO www.Stagedhomes.com IAHSP Founder and Chairwoman of The Board of The International Association of Home Staging Professionals and Foundation  www.iahsp.com.

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