Hello

For the past few months I have been dedicating a lot of my time to learning new on-line and off-line marketing strategies. I've been doing this for two reasons. My business model is changing and therefore, my ideal client profile has changed with it. You may find that this is the case in your home staging or decorating business as well.

I believe in having a solid marketing plan with a variety of marketing tools that allow you to grow your business through 'pull' marketing rather than 'push' marketing.

There is a critical 'first step' before you even begin to think about developing a successful marketing campaign, and that requires that you are 100% clear on your Ideal Client Profile. Without this, it is a waste of time, money and energy to do your branding and creation of your marketing materials. If you don't know who they are, then how can you find them to attract them? I call that Marketing Madness so let's take a look at how you can create Marketing Magic!

Wishing you clarity on creating your 'Ideal Client Profile',

Dana

Dana J. Smithers
PRES Staging Resource Centre
Founder & Creative Director
Empowered Women In Business Coach

PS: My latest book Start & Run a Home Staging Business is available NOW in book stores this month. If you want to order it on line through my website just click the link above and THANK YOU!

PPS: If you are a home stager or interested in coming to a Meet Up with City Stagers I will be doing a talk there on Tuesday May 17th at 7pm. Love to have you join us!

PPPS: Come and join me at the Vancouver Public Library on May 26th. Find out how I grew my business from the ground up to a 6 figure income!
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Determining the profile of your IDEAL CLIENT is going to create MARKETING MAGIC so you attract more clients…

By now you know how important it is that you have a marketing plan so that your business will grow on a steady basis. Be aware that marketing plans can and may need to change if your business is not growing. Regardless, it is crucial that you understand whom your ideal client is because if you don't know who you are 'talking to', you won't know 'what to say', and you won't know 'where to find' them. Let's take a look at some of the key questions you need to be asking to help you create your Ideal Client Profile.

Questions you need to be asking to create your Ideal Client Profile…assuming you have a viable target market!

Even if you have not yet worked with your Ideal Client spend some time 'imagining' what he or she would be like. Ask yourself some of the following questions but also include ones that are very specific to your niche market. As a home stager your primary clients will be home sellers and realtors.

Here are a few key questions you need to be asking to create your:

Ideal Client Profile as a Home Seller:

Do they have enough money so they will happily pay my fee?
When I make my recommendations in preparing the house for selling are they eager to implement my suggestions?
Do they respect me and value my work as a professional home stager?
What kind of neighbourhood do they live in? Where do they shop?
Do they have a family and might they have elderly parents needing to downsize?
Would they be happy to refer me to people they know who are selling?

Ideal Client Profile as a Realtor:

Do they have enough money so they will happily pay my fee?
Do they respect me and value my work as a professional home stager?
What real estate company do they work for? Does the company have a good reputation in the market place?
Do they have a good reputation in the market place?
Will they introduce me to other realtors they know and give me a great referral?
Will they be on time for meetings and be willing to build an exclusive relationship with me as part of their marketing plan?

ANOTHER RAVING FAN TRAINING HOME CLIENT TESTIMONIAL!
A Separation or a Divorce Calls For a Whole New Look…read on…

Grateful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel for what Dana and her wonderful PRES students did for me. The new sense of energy that the changes made just has me feeling lighter … like a cloud has been lifted and light has been added to our home.

I needed a new sense of energy to flow through my home; having gone through a separation and divorce over the last few years, I really needed to finally feel like the marital home was now 'my' home. I actually liked most of my furniture and artwork but just couldn't see the forest for the trees in how I could make some positive changes. And Dana really seemed to 'get' that.

Dana came out and did a thorough consultation with me, asking what I didn't like and what wasn't working. While there, she provided a colour consultation as I will be selling in a few years and wanted to do that in stages. She picked out some great colours that will really brighten things up.

When I came home on the day of the reveal both my son and I were astonished at how spacious our home looked. Dana and her students even managed to get our beaten-up much-used family room looking good and organized. Now THAT was a challenge! I love the flow of the home and keep remarking on how I love how our home now looks. It's fantastic! So many friends and family have stopped by to look at the changes and all are amazed at what an enormous difference the changes have made to the look and feel of the entire space. And the best thing is, it feels even more like home now.

Julie Cochrane, AMP
Mortgage Broker
Dominion Lending – Interest Advantage
P 604.943.8713
F 604.943.8763
www.JulieCochrane.ca
jcochrane@dominionlending.ca

A fantastic book that I would like to recommend on this topic is Attracting Perfect Customers by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez. In the book they have created the 'Strategic Attraction Planning Process' which I recommend you do as it will give you clarity on not only who your ideal client is, but also who is not your ideal client.

If you don't have the book then make up your own Ideal Client Profile List by using a Contrast technique. Divide your paper in two columns and on the left hand side put the heading IDEAL CLIENT and on the right hand side put NOT MY IDEAL CLIENT. Using the questions listed above create the two profiles and once you are done tear up that 'Not My Ideal Client' side and focus only on attracting your Ideal Client.

And please, if you find someone who is not your ideal client, thank them for their time, refer them if you want to, and let them go. You'll be happier in the end - I guarantee it!

Remember the Law of Attraction is at work here as well.

As much as you are seeking your ideal client, they are also seeking you.

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Want to use this article in your next ezine or on your website? Please do! Here's what you need to include:

Dana Smithers is founder and creative director of the PRES Staging Resource Centre, a company devoted to teaching entrepreneurial women how to start and run their home staging business. Through her workshops, courses, mentoring programs, and products, Dana shows her students how to live their dream of becoming a home stager whether part time or full time.

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTATION May 26^th

Find out how home staging industry leader Dana J. Smithers grew her business from the ground up to a 6 figure business!

Join home staging industry leader, Dana J. Smithers author of Start & Run a Home Staging Business at the Vancouver Public Library on Thursday May 26th. She shares her secrets to building her business from the ground up. It requires a lot of hard work so if you aren't prepared to do that this talk won't be for you!

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MEET UP CITY STAGERS TUESDAY MAY 17^TH

Find out how home staging industry leader Dana J. Smithers grew her business from the ground

Join home staging industry leader, Dana J. Smithers author of Start & Run a Home Staging Business at the Vancouver Public Library on Tuesday May 17th. She shares her secrets to building her business from the ground up. It requires a lot of hard work so if you aren't prepared to do that this talk won't be for you!

Click for Details

HOW TO START & RUN A HOME STAGING BUSINESS BOOK IS HERE!

Dana J. Smithers' NEW book How To Start & Run a Home Staging Business has finally hit the bookstores. This book is jam packed with home staging business tips and proven strategies to propel your business forward. Whether you are an existing home stager or a newbie or a want-to-be this book will guide you to success...
Click here to preorder

BONUS OFFER $100 REFERRAL FEE!!!

At the PRES Staging Resource Centre we are happy to pay anyone a $100 Referral Fee for sending someone to our 5 Day Professional Home Staging & Redesign Course. Just let us know the name of the person by emailing us at info@PresStaging.com. This past year we paid over $1000 in referral fees!

PRES 2011 COURSE SCHEDULE – NEW DATE ADDED IN JULY!

Our PRES Staging & Redesign Training Program offers accelerated learning techniques so that when you leave the course you can confidently start your home staging business. You will be given templates, no-fail staging formulas, a step-by-step business start up process and learn insider secrets shared by industry leader Dana J. Smithers. If you are serious about wanting to become a home stager this hands-on training course is for you. For more information about the PRES 5 Day Professional PRES Staging & Redesign course click here.

NEXT COURSE DATE: June 20 – 24^th and it is starting to fill up NOW!!! Register BEFORE May 20th to receive $200 OFF!

COURSE DATE: July 11 - 15^th

Dana has launched her new website Empowered Women In Business. She has been mentoring women entrepreneurs for years and has now taken on a new client base in addition to the home stagers she has worked with. She says it's thrilling to see women move forward so quickly getting the results they are looking for whether it is setting up a marketing strategy, defining ideal clients or having a negative mindset shift into positive action. To get your 'Free' CD on her 7 Destinations Road Map to Success just go to the site and make sure you sign up for her Empowered Women In Business ezine.

Believe it. Pigs DO Fly!!!

You may absolutely share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

The PRES® Entrepreneurs Newsletter is written by Dana J. Smithers of www.PresStaging.com. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to info@PresStaging.com.

405 - 170 West 1st Street
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3P2 Canada

www.presstaging.com