(UNITED STATES) July 24, 2012 – All home stagers will eventually come across a client that is not appreciative of their home staging results, says expert home stager Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva. Gould provides advice for finding the bright side of such a situation on the
Home Staging Business Report blog.
"As home stagers, we all face situations when a client doesn't seem appreciative of our efforts," says Gould, who founded the
Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. "But we need to see the bigger picture (and the bright side) so we don't let an ungrateful client suck the joy out of our home staging businesses."
According to Gould, some clients will never express their thanks no matter how terrific the results of a
home staging project. However, she does not think this behavior should always be interpreted as a complaint.
"I've had clients get $70,000 over their asking price and never actually say thanks," says Gould. "I can get upset believing they have no appreciation for my work, or assume they must be thankful for that cash windfall even if they haven't said so."
Gould also believes there is inherent satisfaction in having a
home staging business. In contrast, when Gould previously
worked with big corporations, she found it hard to see the tangible results of her efforts because they were always part of larger project with many variables that were hard to measure and were mostly out of her control.
"When we as home stagers walk into a house that's a 'horror show' and turn it into something beautiful, there is a ton of creative satisfaction that comes from that achievement," Gould says. "Then there's the layer of icing on top that comes from actually
making money doing this work that we love! It gets even better when the house sells in record time, or for more than anyone expected. Depending on the situation, that can actually be life-changing for our clients."
Gould shares her belief that even the most difficult situation generally has a "gift" inside of it.
"Our challenge is finding the (sometimes hidden) gift and putting our energies into that instead of the negative. Each client and experience could be the one that takes your
home staging business to a whole new level. You just never know!"
Lastly, Gould points out that one of the advantages of a home staging business is that difficult clients are not around very long: "You're off to the next project and a new client that will treat you better!"
For additional home staging business tips, Gould invites home stagers to visit the
Home Staging Business Report on the
Staging Diva website.
About Staging Diva The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars' worth of real estate, including 7 of her own homes. She is the president of Voice of Possibility Group Inc., which operates a home staging division, SixElements.com, in addition to StagingDiva.com, which has trained over 7,000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.
Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women's Day, Reader's Digest and more.
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