Why “To The Trade” Pricing Matters

Why “To The Trade” Pricing Matters for Home Stagers

As I was adding another 12 “to the trade” vendors to the HSR Member Black Book, I thought it would be good to do a post on why trade pricing even matters for home stagers and their clients.  First off, “to the trade” pricing is discounted pricing given by vendors of all kinds to those people who will do volume shopping due to their professions ie. Professional Home Stagers and Interior Designers.  You have to prove that you are a professional home stager or designer by filling out an application and showing them some sort of proof of business ie. resell license, HSR certificate, professional memberships.

If you are a home stager and redesigner you should have access to several different vendors at “trade pricing” so you can shop on behalf of your client’s and either share your discount…or not.  The discounts can range from about 15-50% depending upon the vendor.

At the Home Staging Resource, we provide a detailed list of all the vendors you would want to connect with for trade pricing along with the contact names and direct links to the sign-up pages.  We have over 100 nationwide vendors we recommend who are familiar with our certification program and consider it your “ticket” to getting “to the trade” pricing.

As a trainer, I spend many hours sourcing these vendors and creating these relationships, so that my stagers don’t have to…it’s part of not having to reinvent the wheel when you go through our training.  The vendors are specific to the home staging industry.

I just added over 3 hours of video training on staging model homes, so within my research I found those 12 new vendors for that higher level of home.  Vendors like FrontGate, Shades of Light, Horchow, Arhaus, Surya, Home Decorators Collection, LS Fabrics and more were added to the already 100+ list I have curated.  If you’re a home stager who has not joined our program, you can absolutely contact those places directly for your discount but…

I’m able to get great pricing and connect with these vendors because of my network of over 3000 home stagers, so it’s a win-win for everyone!  Being over 3000 strong helps vendors take notice and build credibility within the industry.

Here’s a few tips for those of you connecting on your own with these vendors:

1. Make a List of the Types of Vendors You Think You Will Need

Not only will you want discounts at places that you will be shopping at regularly but what about service vendors and finish companies like carpet cleaners, flooring and lighting companies, moving companies and storage, greenery and fake food for merchandising…there are lots of vendors that stagers use regularly.

2. Think About Those Vendors That Can Make Your Job Easier

For instance, I just found out about an amazing vendor that you can hire hourly to help on a staging day, during a vacant staging or just to help a client move called “GetBellHops“.  GetBellHops uses only local college students, does a complete background check and is licensed and insured, so the stager doesn’t have to worry about liability and can trust they have a capable person they are working with.  I contacted them on behalf of the HSR network and now HSR members get a direct page to order the bellhops (at the click of a button) and a great discount!

3. Always ASK, Assume Volume and Negotiate Well

I always tell my members to assume that you will be successful and will be shopping like crazy for clients when you negotiate your trade discount.  Ask the vendor what their best discount is and how you can connect with them…always assume there is one.  I tell my members that since they have direct access to the HSR network, they can approach vendors as a network of 3000 not as a single company.  I’m always happy to personally email the vendor myself on behalf of the member if it’s a nationwide vendor that everyone can use.

4. Don’t Give Your Discount Away!

You earned the relationship with that vendor and many times had to go through hoops to get it, so don’t give your discount away!  It’s not unreasonable to split the discount with your clients as a benefit to them using you…but that discount is there because of YOU, so don’t devalue it.  One of the many benefits of working with a home stager is that we are able to source furnishings and service providers better and less expensively for our clients.

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

PS – Does your training provider always give you the latest, critical information as part of your membership?  Click on the image below, to see Why Certification Matters…

Free Staging Training Webinar

Join me for this free staging training webinar on Tuesday, April 12 entitled, “Top 8 Things Every New Stagers Needs to Know!”  Hope to see you there!

Home Stagers Story – Pursuing Her Dream

Is It Time to Choose Yourself?

I love this email I just got from Sharon Rapp, of Rapizazz a Charlotte, NC home stager…

When I decided to quit my job working for a Fortune 100 company, I knew this could be the opportunity for me to pursue my life-long dream to have my own business. I always loved decorating homes and had successfully staged several homes to sell. I knew it was something I would love to do but didn’t know where to start…

I think Sharon is very common of a lot of people who work in “Corporate America”.  Statistically, most people know they are not doing what they really love…yet are fearful of stepping out on their own as an entrepreneur.  I get that because I was the same way until I got laid-off.  When I got laid-off, I was crushed…you see I thought if I did a good job, I would always have one…but in Corporate America, that’s just not true.  Getting laid-off was the best thing for me because it changed the way I felt about business.  I realized that no matter what, you have to produce.  You can either produce for yourself (be an entrepreneur) and reap the full benefits of your hard work, OR produce for someone else (be an employee).  I say “choose yourself” which is what Sharon did!

I found HSR’s training program and was pleasantly surprised to find that the training included the A-to-Z’s of starting up a home staging and redesign business. What a windfall of a find! I especially loved the marketing training to “Bling Your Brand”. Audra is so insightful!

It’s not easy to choose yourself and not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, so you should always do your research and do some serious soul searching.  Finally, this is what Sharon had to say about where she is now…

Thanks Sharon!

Here’s a few more recent testimonials from HSR members who have chosen themselves…

Free Webinar – 6 Steps to Picking Paint Color

DO YOU LOVE COLOR?  DO YOU WANT TO LEARN EASY WAYS TO PICK PAINT COLORS FOR STAGING CLIENTS?

Join Audra (and over 500 fellow home stagers) for a FREE, LIVE Webinar Event on the:

"6 Easy Steps to Picking the Best Color Schemes for Clients"

Reserve My Seat!

In this information packed webinar directed to home stagers and designers, you will learn:

• Common color mistake to avoid
• Paint and color statistics you should know as a stager and designer
• Audra's 4 secrets to picking ideal color schemes
• How to break color down to de-mystify the process
• Rules of color and how to follow an easy process for success

Bonus - Audra's Top 10 Staging Paint Colors (and When to Use Them) Ebook!

Audra has trained hundreds of design professionals how to understand color, create the color perfect homeTM for your clients and market the color consulting side of your business.

Audra's Certified Color Expert training course was awarded the 2017 RESA Innovative Product of the Year Award!

DO YOU LOVE COLOR?  DO YOU WANT TO LEARN EASY WAYS TO PICK PAINT COLORS FOR STAGING CLIENTS?

Join Audra (and over 500 fellow home stagers) for a FREE, LIVE Webinar Event on the:

"6 Easy Steps to Picking the Best Color Schemes for Clients"

Reserve My Seat!

Picking the right paint colors for your clients is not easy!  Here is a free, webinar training on how to pick paint color schemes for clients…sign up today!

Model Home Staging

Secrets to Model Home Staging

I’m so excited to announce an advanced training class I’m adding to the HSR Certification program on Successful Model Home Staging.  This class is free to Home Staging Resource members and will cover EVERY aspect of designing and staging a model home.

I created this class because I had so many members get calls from new home builders and I wanted to make sure they were well prepared to handle this business!

If you are a home builder looking for a stager who is well-trained in handling model home staging, click here to go to our directory

Here’s what I go over in my class and what YOU should know about model home staging:

• How to Define the Buyer Demographic and Create Your Home Owner Profile – My 10-step research process that is critical to selling your concept to the builder and setting yourself apart from your competition
• Five Design Rules for Every Model Home – These are rules of thumb that should never be broken
• Audra’s Five-Step Formula for Design Success – I’m very clear on how you should pick your finishes, fixtures, furnishings, window treatments, art and accessories for these homes.  What to splurge on and what to save on so you get the most bang for the builder’s buck!
• Training Your Eye Using My Formula – I show you an easy way to know exactly how to design for your area plus over 50 photo examples
• Most Important Questions to Ask the Builder – The interview sheet and why the answers will determine your price, services and concept
• Sharing Your Vision – How to easily create a concept board that communicates your vision and expertise while NOT looking cartoony!
• How to Price Your Services – What the builder expects, customizing your quote, working within budget, getting what you’re worth and setting expectations!
• Setting Up Your Critical Vendor List –  Using my design formula, there are critical vendors you will want to source your materials from that I recommend.

Plus…all the forms, price guides, interview sheet, step-by-step process, vendor list (trade discounts), product ideas and more!

The live webinar will be this Wednesday, March 11 at 10am (pacific time) and will go at least 2 hours.  I may have to break it up into 2-parts since there’s a lot to go over!  If you are an HSR member, login to the Members Area to attend but don’t worry, I will be recording this session and adding it to the advanced section of the training.

By the way, much of the process I outline will be perfect for your design clients as well!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

PS – Does your training provider always give you the latest, critical information as part of your membership?  Click on the image below, to see Why Certification Matters…