It’s crazy to think that it is already that time of year – but also fun to think of all of the great things we can do for our clients during this time! 

Another fun thing – the online video training that I have developed. I have had a lot of great conversations about it – and wanted to share with you just a little taste of what is included!

In redesign, shopping for your client and adding accessories to a home is a great add-on service you can offer your clients.

Watch this video, part of my “Live” video series as I talk more about accessories…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t forget you can get full business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen

Beside the fact that the show makes me laugh and laugh, I love seeing the completely different homes the main characters live in – and lucky for them, they all have style!

Not everyone is so lucky – which is good for business!  Nothing is more fun than meeting someone who says they can’t decorate, and all they want is for you to make their home beautiful – my favorite kind of client!

This is especially true for “non-decorator” types who need to get their home ready for resale – they just can’t “see” what needs to happen.

If you aren’t offering Home Staging to your clients – you really want to consider it.  And if you have “stage fright” – For the past year I have been working on an online training program that can be accessed immediately to help you add Home Staging and Redesign to the services that you offer.

I am very pleased to say that the training is now available, and at a GREAT introductory price!

I am offering full blown all out business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

I sincerely do not believe that there is any training like this available any where else!

In a hurry? Go here.

In honor of the launch of this training, I will be spending the next several newsletters going over some of the most important aspects of running a successful business – and as you know, I think sending newsletters to your clients is one of those important things!

So enjoy the article below on “Stage Fright Part II” and please let me know if you have any questions by contacting me directly – mary@ Marylarsendesigns.com or just hitting reply to this newsletter.

Enjoy your TV “home tour”!!!
Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary

PS – welcome to all my new readers!

PS. If you’re worried about your business outlook, consider adding home staging or redesign to your business – learn how by clicking HERE.

Stage Fright?! – Part II

Stage Fright can most commonly be defined as “the fear of performing in front of an audience or group”.   Now, I know you aren’t exactly “performing” in front of an audience or a group when you are staging a home for sale but you are performing for an audience, that audience being the potential buyers of the home.

So why do we have “Stage Fright” when we first start staging homes?  It’s because you have been hired as a professional to help your client prepare their home for sale and you are a key player in the first impression a potential buyer has of the home.  This is a big responsibility and can be a little frightening in the beginning, especially if you’ve never actually taken part in a real, live home staging before.

That’s why I created my “Live” Staging videos; to help take some of the fear out of the home staging process and to give you tips and ideas.  Put yourself in Sterling’s shoes as you watch the “Live” videos of her and me staging a home.

Speaking of tips and ideas…as promised, I am going to share more of my tips and tricks of home staging with you.  In Stage Fright – Part I, we talked about Location, Location, Location.  Well, it is such an important topic that I am going to give you a few more ideas and suggestions on “Location” as it relates to staging a home.

Nothing makes more of an impact on a room than the placement of the furniture and accessories. While in business, you are going to see rooms filled with beautiful individual items, yet the arrangement, and therefore the overall feel, diminishes these elements.  You also will see rooms filled with dated and ugly furniture and accessories, and with the help of your correct placement, they will end up looking amazingly good.

The key to a successful room is achieving a sense of balance and proportion with furniture and accessories.  Your goal is to create a room that feels harmonious, balanced and connected.  The secret is to work with the pre-existing planes, lines, and angles of the space and your items to create your great look.  The following tips will help you achieve this goal:

Hard and Soft – When placing furniture in a living or family room, try to alternate hard pieces, such as tables and armoires, with soft pieces, such as upholstered chairs and ottomans.  Too many hard pieces together will make the room feel hard.  If hard pieces must be placed next to each other, greenery and plants can be used to soften the edges.

Magic Number Three and the Pleasing Triangle – When placing accessories and lighting, your eyes like sets of three.  That is why so many accessories you can buy today already come in a set of three.  And just like three, your eyes like triangles.  You will see this in shapes with high, medium, and low, as well as in lighting, having three points that can create the shape of a triangle throughout the room.

Too Much of a Good Thing – As you work on putting like things with like things, do not go overboard.  If you have a wall with three doors in it and two tall windows, placing an armoire on that wall that is virtually of the same shape will just be too much.  Try to break up the hard lines of the doors and windows with shaped draperies and strategically placed artwork to help move the eye up and down.

Follow these tips when staging your client’s home, and your work will surely impress your client – and all of the people who come to view the home!

For training, be sure to visit www.certifiedprohomestaging.com !!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

The weather has been beautiful, my customers have their wallets open, and I am really looking forward to a great holiday season!

For the past year I have been working on an online training program that can be accessed immediately to help people add Home Staging and Redesign to the services that they offer.

I am very pleased to say that the training is now available, and at a GREAT introductory price!

I am offering full blown all out business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

I sincerely do not believe that there is any training like this available any where else!

In a hurry? Go here.

In honor of the launch of this training, I will be spending the next several newsletters going over some of the most important aspects of running a successful business – and as you know, I think sending newsletters to your clients is one of those important things!

So enjoy the article below on “Stage Fright” and please let me know if you have any questions by contacting me directly – mary@ Marylarsendesigns.com or just hitting reply to this newsletter.

Happy Happy Fall!!!
Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary

PS – welcome to all my new readers!

PS. If you’re worried about your business outlook, consider adding home staging or redesign to your business – learn how by clicking HERE.

Stage Fright?! – Part I

We’ve all had it; our first school play, first spelling bee, first time speaking in public….  Stage Fright is a difficult obstacle to overcome.  But I’m not talking about the fear of being on stage; I’m talking about the fear of staging…Home Staging.

Even if you’ve been in the design business for years and feel comfortable and confident talking to clients, even if you’ve taken training classes and become certified in Home Staging, you know what to do, you know how to do it, but your “Stage Fright” is stopping you.

I heard this from so many of my Home Staging and Redesign students that I decided to come up with a solution; a solution that brings you as close as you can to get to a “real, live” home staging without actually being there.

Walk with me and Sterling, a Home Staging student, as we stage a home for sale.  We take a look at everything from curb appeal, the exterior of the home and then move inside and begin the transformation.

You have heard that Location, Location, Location is important in selling real estate, well, we as Home Stagers can’t do anything about the location of the home but we can place furniture and accessories inside the home in a manner that shows off its features.  In the “Live” videos, watch me and Sterling as we discuss and decide upon furniture and accessory placement in order to draw the potential buyer’s eyes to the focal point and highlights of the room.

While we’re on the subject of Location, Location, Location, let me share one of my favorite trade tips…It is not what you have – it is where you put it. A successfully staged home will have a sense of balance and proportion with the furniture and accessories.  Here are a few tips to help you achieve that goal:

Reading the Room – You read the room from left to right, just as you read a book.  Keep your eyes moving smoothly around the room by creating highs and lows, much like an undulating wave or the shape of an S curve on its side.  Use accessories, artwork, and window treatments to help build the highs and lows.

Let Shapes Lead You – Use the shapes of the room and the shapes of the items in the room to help guide you in your design process.  For example, an angle built into a room, such as a fireplace built into a corner, dictates that you place a piece of furniture in the room on a corresponding angle in order to achieve a sense of balance so the room can “feel” right.

Like with Like – Similar shapes work best when they are together.  If you have a short wall and a tall wall, typically your short furniture piece will go on your short wall, and your tall furniture will go on your tall wall.  This also works with a horizontal piece of art over a long sofa or using small accessories in a small room and large accessories in a large room.  Think tall with tall, small with small, narrow with narrow, wide with wide.

You will learn even more tips and tricks of Home Staging in the “Live” Home Staging videos.  Learn why we do the things we do and most of all, gain the confidence that you need to stage a home on your own.  And, just like the fancy TV shows, we even captured the homeowner’s reaction when they walked in to see their newly transformed space.

You can get fully certified in Home Staging or Real Estate Staging – or -

if you’ve always just wanted to know and see the process for home staging OR redesign – you can get THAT video online training too!

Check it out at www.certifiedprohomestaging.com for ALL of the info – and let me know what you think!!!

Best,

-Mary Larsen

PS – the actual videos are much more clear and crisp than the samples shown on the page.

Just as I was standing around wondering what I would write about today, I received Jack Canfield’s newsletter – and bang! You’ve got an article!!!

Today I am sharing  “Part I – 7 Ways to Boost Your Business” – and I know you will love it!

This was perfect timing because I am getting ready for my presentations at Expo (have you signed up yet?) and that always leads to some “asking.”

Have a great rest of the week!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen

7 Ways to Boost Your Business, or How to Ask to Get Ahead
by Jack Canfield

Ask and you shall receive.

How many times have you heard that? But how many times have you used this fundamental truth in your daily life recently?

Let me put it this way: when was the last time you asked for a written endorsement from a client or colleague?

How about feedback from your customers? Or the opportunity to renegotiate something that just doesn’t work for you?

I can’t tell you how often I watch business professionals–especially those in sales and marketing positions–falter because they simply stop practicing the art of asking.

If you were to ask successful top executives how they got to where they are, I bet most would admit they “asked to get to the top.” In other words, they knew when and how to ask the right questions so they could gather the right information, build their reputation, seek useful referrals, generate new business, and expand their audience or customer base.

If the simple act of asking is so critical, then why don’t more people do it?

Because for some reason, people falsely think asking implies weakness and sets one up for potential rejection. It’s easy to come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid asking questions that can return unexpected or critical answers. Yet the world responds to those who ask.
If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren’t doing enough asking.

Here are seven asking strategies you can implement in your business (and in life) to boost your results:

1.) Ask for Information
You can never have too much information; in fact, the higher up you go, the more you need to know. To win potential new clients, you first need to have an understanding about their current challenges, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service.
Ask questions starting with the words who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate a prospect’s needs can you offer a solution.

2.) Ask for Business
Would you believe that more than 60 percent of the time salespeople never ask for the order after giving a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service?!
It’s true, and a painful statistic that could put anyone out of business quickly if it’s not changed. Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don’t waffle or talk around it–or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. No doubt you have heard of many good ways to ask the question, “Would you like to give it a try?” The point is, ask.

3.) Ask for Written Endorsements
These can be difficult to ask for if you don’t like tooting your own horn, but well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your product or service and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and gets the job done on time.

When is the best time to ask? Right after you have provided excellent service, gone the extra mile, or made your customer really happy. Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

4.) Ask for Top-Quality Referrals
Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It’s the easiest, least expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace. Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It’s a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you ask the easier it becomes.

5.) Ask for More Business
Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It’s easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

6.) Ask for Feedback
This is an important component of asking that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting your customers’ needs? Ask them, “How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Please share what you like or don’t like about our products.” Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions. It’s a powerful way to fine-tune your business.

7.) Ask to Renegotiate
The negotiating room should never be locked up for good. Regular business activities include negotiation and often re-negotiation. Many networkers get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation, yet this is simply another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your personal life, too, such as changing your credit card terms and rates. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of a win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in stone. It’s only in stone if you don’t speak up!

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

I actually learned about The Tipping Point in a class I attended at the Expo several years ago [I'm speaking at the next one in May - hope you can be there!] and it was so good that I made it a point to continue to look out for his new books.

For Christmas this year I asked for his new book - Outliers – The Story of Success. And not surprisingly – I loved it!  The man is an incredible story teller, and he looks at things differently which makes you think about things differently – and I truly found the book fascinating.  So I decided to tell him.

I found his website online, went to the contact us page and sent him an email.  Told him I loved his book(s) and if he was ever in town I’d be happy to host him for dinner.  (My sister pointed out that Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye said something to the effect of  “you know you’ve read a good book when you want to have dinner with the author.” I do love J.D. Salinger so I decided I keep good company.)

And not too long afterwards – he wrote back.  He hit reply – he wrote back.  He said thanks for taking the time to write – I appreciate it.   That was it.  And it knocked my socks off.

I immediately forwarded it to all of my family and told them that I want Malcolm to be my new best friend.

So that’s it.  Simple but Powerful.  All the man did was reply graciously to an email.

Think about what’s going on in your life.  Who has been in touch with you that you haven’t gotten back in touch with?  What potential client called and you didn’t return the call?  Who sent an email – maybe even a potential client- and somehow you let it slip through the cracks?

I talk to a lot of designers and when I ask them about this – getting back in touch with people who they have let slip through the cracks – they often say it is too late, too much time has gone by and they missed the chance.

Personally, I don’t believe there is any such thing as  “only having one chance to do something right.” I think there are lots and lots and lots of chances, new ones every day, and no matter how long ago the contact was made - you can STILL get back in touch. As always- simply be truthful.  Try “I don’t know how this slipped through the cracks.  Are you still in need of some help with your design project?  If so – I’d love to speak with you.  If not, good luck with your project and hope it turns out great.”

It is these simple yet powerful things that really make a difference for people – it is why they remember you later.

What simple thing have you done lately?  Tell me about it below – I’d love to know. I’d also love to know if any of you now take the opportunity to get in touch with someone you let fall through the cracks – leave your comment below!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

PS – If you read last week’s blog you know I am a fan of Art Sobczak – well, he and I are on the same wavelength again!  Check out is story about “doing the little things” - Low-Tech, high touch for Big impact.

When these moments happen, it reassures me that I am where I am supposed to be, doing the things I am supposed to be doing.

This week my moment was about – of all things – making phone calls! And yes, it can apply to you too.  It all started with a phone call of my own.

1. Last Thursday I called a past client and was very happy when she was ready to start another series of consulting calls with me.

2. The next day my handyman called to tell me he didn’t have any work, and what should he do.  I often coach him on business practices, and I often tell him he needs to reach out to past happy clients – those clients are your best source for new work or new referrals.  I asked him how many past clients he had reached out to (this is an ongoing discussion with us, so I knew the answer) and yep, not one.  I told him I wasn’t going to talk to him anymore until he called 3 past happy clients. I also told him this call was easy to do – ask about their past work, and ask if they have any new work.

3. Jokingly he says to me – So Mrs. Larsen, I know you love your backsplash, do you have any other work around the house, cabinetry, handyman, painting that you might want to have done?

4.  And I DID – I had been meaning to call him for several weeks about some cracks in my ceiling – and had totally forgotten so I lined up some work for him that weekend.

5. About 30 minutes later he called me back and said - it worked, it worked! The very first client he called said she didn’t know he did all those things, and she had a whole list for him to do.

6. Then one of my consulting clients called for her weekly call.  I asked her what she had done since our last call to try to get some work and she said – you mean besides pull my hair out? So we talked about the fact that she has never not once in her 6 years of business – beyond initial follow up right after a project – called a client to see how they were doing and was there anything she could do for them or was there someone “just like them” that they would introduce her to by facebook or email to see if she could help them.  I told her the handyman story for encouragement.

7. All of these things took place between Thursday and Tuesday.

8. And Tuesday morning I received a marketing newsletter from one of my favorite marketers - Art Sobczak – titled “Here’s the Best Time to Call a Prospect.” I swear I burst out laughing. A list of the BEST TIME to call someone.    Talk about reassurance that I am in the right place, doing the thing I am supposed to do!  Here is a link to his newsletter – you might want to check it out for even more ideas. And here’s a little secret – the real answer for calling a past great client is any time – because you need to take action to make action happen in your business.

9. My favorite tip from his list – A buyer wishes they could find a vendor (replace designer for the word vendor) who “gets it right the first time”. Ah, I love that!!!

So.  How long has it been since you CALLED a past client? How long has it been since you reached out rather than waited for someone to call you?  Don’t overthink it -just pick up the phone and call. Really. That simple.  And comment below and let me and everyone else know how it goes – I’m confident it will be great.

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

Not surprisingly, the topic that I am most asked to help other designers with is … big drumroll here - “How Can I Make More Money Doing What I Love?” And not surprisingly there are a myriad of ways to answer and address that question.

One of the exercises that I use with a lot of my clients centers around a personal mindset change – and believing that what you are looking for – more profits – is out there for you.  This simple exercise can help you come to believe just that.

This is important because the way you think about things is the way you provide solutions to things.  So getting a new perspective – saying the money you want is there – allows your mind to come up with solutions to getting that money – as opposed to the “solutions” that show up when you don’t believe the money is there.

As “they” say – it’s all in your perspective.

So your challenge:  For just one week – anytime *f.r.e.e.* money shows up in your life – take it. If you see change on the ground, lean down and pick it up.  If a vendor says we are shipping for free this week and you know you need to order someting – do it now.  If a friend says, hey, let me pick up lunch – let them.  For one solid week.

The idea behind this is that you will begin to see that yes, the money is out there.  It is there for you. And that perspective might just be the thing you need to start coming up with new ways to answer the age old question – How Can I Make More Money.

My tiny little present to you this week is for those of you who use Verizon. Maybe you have heard or seen over the past couple of weeks that Verizon has revamped all of their programs and pricing schemes.  After hearing several of their ads, most of which sounded to me like they were for new customers, I got curious enough to call.  And good golly – just for the asking – my service INCREASED AND my monthly cell phone bill DROPPED by a full $30 a month. Because I called looking for that free money.

I am under the impression that Verizon is NOT changing their pricing for people who may already be paying a higher price for the same program – I believe you have to contact them.  So – on your week’s worth of free money - make contacting Verizon a priority – you’ll be glad you did.

I’d love to hear what your week’s worth of free money does for you and your mindset – leave a comment.

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen