Three Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Business
Are you not getting the amount of business that you would like? Are your marketing efforts falling flat? I find that success in business comes from avoiding these five common pitfalls and thinking in “out of the box” ways to create additional income. In the HSR Training I have an hour long video detailing these alternative income streams but before I get to those, I need to also detail the problems I see most people do in their business that keeps them from having success…
1. Don’t Be A Copy Cat
One of the first things I have people do in my training is to list their strengths and how their background strengths can help their new business. I also have people list their weaknesses which will be “threats” to their business if they are not careful. The encouraging truth is that there are several ways to market yourself in the staging and redesign industry but what may work for one personality, may not work for another.
The key is to take your previous “life’s talents” and embed them into this new business and venture. For instance, I have ex-teachers who focus on agent presentations and classes in order to market their staging business. I have my outgoing personalities follow my “Open House Assessment” formula in order to market their business face-to-face. For those who are introverts, I teach them advanced ways to market their business online so traffic comes to them. The key is to focus on your strengths in order to market your business.
>>Know that whatever your background or current situation is, there is always a way to capitalize on it as a new entrepreneur!
Tori Toth of Stylish Stagers in New York used her prior experience as a TV Reporter to create video that helps to market her business and success!
2. Don’t Be A Renaissance Business!
Would you go to a restaurant advertising great burgers, tacos and sushi? Then why are we trying to be all things and talents to all clients and markets? It’s okay to expand your business within the staging and redesign world but to also say you’re an expert in Feng Shui, Organizing, Windows, Upholstery and an Artist is a bit overdone and cheapens your core talents.
This same truth holds for real estate agents who also want to be expert home stagers. Do you think your clients believe that you are awesome at both when each require very separate skill sets?
>>Pick One or Two Specialties and Be Awesome At Them!
3. Don’t Be A Renaissance Market Specialist!
Many people enter into the staging industry believing they have to invest in lots of furniture and accessories to make a go of it which couldn’t be more false. There is plenty of non-vacant business out there for everyone (I’ll list some ideas in my “Out of the Box” article). The truth is, there are several different “markets” (vacant, investor, occupied, high end, cottage, neighborhoods, commercial, styles) that we can “specialize” in yet too many stagers tend to not pick a niche or specialty in any one market
>>Consider a Niche Market and Be Awesome At It!
Hopefully this article helped to add clarity to your business!
XOXO – Happy Staging!
Audra Slinkey