Thursday, June 22, 2006

Creative networking

For those who are bringing a new product or idea to market, the length of time it takes to educate the market can be frustrating. Just ask Cindy Young, owner of Hourglass Home Impressions, a company that helps homeowners sell their homes more quickly by taking the owner's personality out of the home. This is called staging® by the International Association for Home Staging Professionals. This concept is readily accepted on both coasts, in fact it is a given that when you put you home on the market, you call your stager at the same time you ring up your Realtor®. That said, Cindy is in the midwest where the market tends to lag behind the trends. Also, the real estate market is glutted at the moment with many homes for sale and fewer buyers looking. Many homeowners can't see the value of paying a bit more to rearrange their homes. But that's where they are wrong.

Cindy is in the middle of trying to educate her market. People are not learning the lessons quickly enough for her. As a smart entrepreneur she asked for help from a few of her business friends. They suggested that she might link with a carpet cleaner who is called in to clean the spots out of the carpeting just before the sign goes out in front of the house. This person could recommend the use of Cindy's services, just as the carpet cleaner's services are being engaged. Cindy can return the favor when her business starts to take off and she is called in first. Additionally, one friend suggested asking to speak before home owner's association meetings. Staged homes get sold more quickly, and from the association member's point of view, it helps to keep the public perception of home values higher when there is NOT a glut of for sale signs sitting in front of houses.

Educating a market about a new idea is always a challenge. If you were Cindy's friend, what ways would you suggest (that wouldn't take a lot of cash) to move her business to the next level?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it is a very good idea to hookup with several realtors within > the area and speak at the local board's meetings for realtors. I would > make some inquiry into how long the average house is on the market, if > it is priced right and is that area moving. If all those answers are > "yes" then the thing to do is staging.
> Why? Because people are not receiving it well.
> Start at the curb! You must get them in.
> Cindy needs to present "before" & "after" pictures and info. "Before" > and how long on the market. Then "after" with pictures and days on the > market. Put this info up front and bold in her marketing information. > MaryAnn Mills
> Sulphur Springs Realty

Anonymous said...

Gather unbiased, third party data on the "staging" trend from larger markets; gather your own success stories and pitch a story to the media: print and broadcast.

I bet that the producer of WTOL's AM Saturday would love the visual of Cindy doing a "mini" live staging -- showing the before and after in real time throughout the AM Saturday's broadcast time.