If you’ve ever walked into a client’s home and heard them apologize for “the mess,” and then stood there looking around, unable to find anything actually wrong, you already understand the biggest blind spot staging business owners have about their own businesses.
We see every flaw. Buyers usually don’t. That mismatch is at the root of most of the mistakes I see owners make when they start preparing to sell.
I’ve been doing this work, both running my own staging business for 15 years and now helping other stagers prepare theirs for sale, long enough to see the same handful of mistakes come up again and again. Here are the ones worth knowing about before you start.
1. Waiting until you “have to” sell
The most common mistake is waiting until burnout, a life change, or a shifting market forces the decision, and then scrambling. Preparation isn’t something you do when you decide to sell. It’s what gives you the option to sell well, on your own terms, whenever that day comes.
Here’s the reframe I give clients: “I’m not ready to sell” usually just means you haven’t finished preparing yet. Almost everything that improves your exit-readiness (clearer financials, stronger systems, less owner dependence) also makes the business better to run today, whether or not you ever actually sell it.
2. Expecting a fast close, even when you’re fully prepared
This is the one people don’t see coming. Even a business that’s done all the work, clean financials, documented systems, healthy inventory, doesn’t typically close in a matter of weeks. Buyer vetting, funding, due diligence, and a real transition plan all take time.
A realistic window is 6-12 months from listing to close, and more complex deals (bigger businesses, financing contingencies, longer transition periods) can stretch closer to two years. Being fully prepared doesn’t shorten that timeline nearly as much as people expect. What it does is make the process smoother and far less stressful while you’re in it.
3. Spending your energy on what buyers don’t actually care about
Owners often polish the wrong things: new marketing, more volume, a trendier inventory look, while leaving the things buyers actually evaluate untouched. What buyers are really assessing is risk:
Predictable, repeatable revenue. Not a couple of great months.
Systems and transferability. Can this run without you specifically driving it.
Client diversity. Concentration in one client or brokerage reads as risk, even if it feels solid to you.
Clean, explainable financials. Doesn’t need to be perfect, just clear.
Inventory performance. Turnover and utilization, not how much you own or how new it looks.
I say this to clients constantly: don’t refresh your entire inventory before you sell. A five-year-old sofa that rents constantly is worth more to a buyer than a brand-new one sitting on the rack. Buyers pay for productive, not new.
4. Believing “it’s all in my head” means it doesn’t count
Owners frequently assume they have no real systems because nothing’s written down. But a process is just “how something gets done,” repetition, not a document. The mistake isn’t lacking systems. It’s leaving them undocumented and untransferable, which is exactly what makes buyers nervous, because it puts continuity entirely at risk if something happens to you.
5. Over-preparing in the wrong direction
Some owners take documentation seriously and then swing too far, pouring hours into elaborate systems, custom tools, or fully automated processes when something much simpler would do the job just as well. The instinct is right: buyers do care about transferability. But the effort often lands in the wrong place. Time goes into building something impressively complex, while the things that actually move value (revenue predictability, clean numbers, less owner dependence) sit untouched.
The gut check I use with clients: does this make the business easier for someone else to run, or does it just satisfy your own need for things to be built “right”? Good enough that someone else can follow it is the bar. Not impressive.
6. Oversharing before you’ve vetted the buyer
Sellers often get excited by early interest and start handing over financials, inventory detail, vendor relationships, even warehouse addresses before they actually know who they’re talking to. A few simple questions up front protect you and save weeks of wasted conversation: What attracted you to this business? Have you bought or operated a business before? How are you planning to fund it? When could you realistically submit an offer? Understanding the different types of buyers you might be dealing with makes these conversations much easier to navigate.
If someone wants deep detail but won’t talk about funding, or keeps sidestepping next steps, that’s information too, and it’s a lot cheaper to learn it before your financials are already in their inbox.
7. Letting urgency or fear show
How you talk about the sale matters almost as much as the numbers behind it. Saying things like “I need to sell fast” or “I’m burned out” hands a buyer leverage immediately. It’s the equivalent of leaving your medications out when you’re selling a house. Internal frustrations (“my team’s a mess,” “I’m so over this”) should get addressed through documentation and process, never said out loud in a buyer conversation.
Sellers also tend to negotiate against themselves without realizing it, discounting or over-explaining in the moment instead of holding the process steady.
8. Overvaluing the business
This is one of the most common mistakes, and it shows up in a few different ways. Sometimes it’s an arbitrary number: you’ve always had “a figure” in your head for what the business should be worth, and it’s more attachment than analysis. Sometimes it’s tying value to what you spent rather than what the business earns, pricing inventory at replacement cost instead of recognizing that buyers value earnings, not furniture.
A more specific version of this comes up too: owners who want to sell the inventory, client list, and maybe the systems, but keep the company name and brand. That’s a completely legitimate choice, but it’s worth knowing it doesn’t create a smaller version of a business sale. It creates a different kind of sale entirely, with a smaller buyer pool and no brand goodwill built into the price, so it needs to be valued accordingly rather than benchmarked against a full sale.
In every version, the fix is the same: value gets set by what the business actually earns and what a buyer is actually getting, not by what it cost you, or what you’d like to walk away with.
Most of these come down to the same handful of habits: waiting too long, focusing on the wrong things, or not seeing your own business the way a buyer would. It’s the same thing we ask our staging clients to do every day: step back and look at your home through a buyer’s eyes, not your own. Your business deserves that same outside perspective. None of it is fatal. It’s just easier to fix early than to fix under pressure.
If you want a clearer read on where your own business stands, the Exit Readiness Snapshot walks you through the five things buyers actually evaluate: clean financials, inventory as a system, repeatable delivery, owner independence, and lead flow. It takes a few minutes, and it’ll tell you exactly which areas need the most work, so you can start closing those gaps today instead of waiting until you’re ready to list.
And if you’re ready to go deeper, the Sell Your Staging Business Bootcamp walks you through everything covered here, and a lot more, over eight weeks.
Pricing your services can feel like walking a tightrope. Charge too much, and you worry about losing clients. Charge too little, and you risk working harder without seeing the financial rewards you deserve.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs, especially in creative industries like home staging, grapple with the fear of underpricing. Here’s how you can tackle this challenge head-on and confidently charge what you’re worth.
Why Women Tend to Undervalue Their Worth
For many women, underpricing isn’t just a business challenge – it’s deeply rooted in how we’re taught to think about money, work, and value.
Cultural Conditioning: Women are often raised to be accommodating, avoid conflict, and prioritize relationships over financial gain. This can make it uncomfortable to ask for higher rates or negotiate terms.
Discomfort with Money Discussions: Research shows that women are less likely to advocate for themselves in financial matters, often out of fear of being perceived as “greedy” or “difficult.”
Imposter Syndrome: Women are more likely to doubt their expertise or feel they need to “prove” their worth before asking for what they deserve.
This mindset frequently leads to undervaluing our work and charging less than we’re worth. But here’s the truth: you can’t build a sustainable business by underpricing.
The first step to overcoming this is understanding that pricing isn’t personal—it’s about the value you bring to your clients.
Why Do We Fear Underpricing?
Let’s start with the root of the issue.
Fear of Losing Clients: It’s natural to worry that higher prices might scare off potential clients. But here’s the truth: clients who value quality often associate higher prices with higher value.
Self-Doubt: A lack of confidence in your skills or the value you bring to the table can make you hesitant to charge your worth.
Lack of Data: Without a clear understanding of your costs and profitability, it’s easy to second-guess yourself.
Sound familiar? Don’t worry – this fear is something you can overcome with the right strategies.
Step 1: Know Your Costs
One of the easiest ways to build pricing confidence is to base your rates on data, not emotion. Start by calculating your true costs:
Fixed Costs: Rent, insurance, utilities, software subscriptions, and other consistent expenses.
Variable Costs: Inventory, subcontractors, and labor costs.
Your Time: Include not just billable hours but also non-billable tasks like marketing, admin, and networking.
With this information, you can calculate the minimum amount you need to charge to cover expenses and ensure profitability.
Step 2: Use Tools to Simplify Pricing
One of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve seen with my clients is using a pricing calculator. This tool takes the guesswork out of pricing by showing exactly what you need to charge to cover your costs and achieve your desired profit margin.
For example, one of my clients, Liz, thought her jobs were profitable – until we ran her numbers through the calculator. We discovered she was losing money on every job because she wasn’t accounting for overhead like rent, insurance, and inventory investments. After adjusting her rates, Liz transformed her business and started turning a real profit.
Ask yourself:
Are you including all your costs in your pricing?
Have you considered how many times an item needs to be rented before it pays for itself?
Profit starts only after an item has covered its cost, so make sure your rates reflect these realities.
Liz was busy – she was getting lots of jobs, and money was coming in. The trouble was, she didn’t realize that the money was flowing out faster than it was flowing in, and the company wouldn’t be able to survive if she continued this.
Step 3: Shift Your Mindset
Many of us undervalue our services because we’re afraid of rejection or feel uncomfortable asking for more. But pricing isn’t just about what you’re charging – it’s about the value you bring.
Focus on Outcomes: Clients pay for the results you deliver, not just the hours you work. Highlight the benefits of your services, like faster home sales or increased sale prices, and relate those benefits to how it impacts the clients.
Embrace Selectivity: If every client is saying “yes” without hesitation, it might be a sign that you’re undercharging. The right clients will recognize your worth and happily invest in your services.
Reframe Rejection: Hearing “no” is not failure – it’s feedback. “No” doesn’t mean “I don’t want to use your services”, it means they don’t have enough information to confidently move forward with you. And “if you’re not hearing no, you’re not asking for enough.”
Step 4: Build Pricing Confidence
Start with New Clients: Increase your rates for new clients and inquiries immediately, and work to increase your loyal clients’ fees over time.
Practice Presenting Your Rates: Confidence is key when discussing pricing. Avoid apologizing or justifying your rates—state them clearly and focus on the value you provide.
Track Your Results: Seeing how changes impact your profitability can reinforce your confidence in your pricing decisions.
Step 5: Reassess Regularly
Your pricing isn’t set in stone. As your business grows and your expertise increases, your rates should reflect that. Make it a habit to revisit your pricing every 6–12 months, especially if your costs or services have changed.
The Bottom Line
Underpricing isn’t just about the numbers – it’s about your mindset and how you communicate your value. By understanding your costs, using the right tools, and shifting your perspective, you can overcome the fear of underpricing and confidently charge rates that reflect your worth.
Remember: Pricing your services correctly isn’t just about making money. It’s about running a sustainable business that supports your goals and values your expertise.
Want More Help with Pricing?
If pricing is still a struggle, check out our Staging for Profit: Master Your Pricing Strategy course, where we dive into these concepts and more. You’ll get access to our exclusive pricing calculator, actionable strategies, and a system that ensures profitability for every project.
The following information is provided by award-winning home staging industry influencer Shauna Lynn Simon. It’s backed up by thousands of clients, up-to-date and independent research, and over 15 years of real-world experience in the home staging industry.
As a home stager, you know the importance of showcasing a property in its best light but sometimes it can be challenging to convince homeowners and real estate agents that staging is a worthwhile investment. The best way to persuade even the most skeptical clients and create raving fans is by highlighting your value and emphasizing the benefits of staging. Here’s how to sell your value as a home stager in a buyer’s market:
1. Emphasize the importance of first impressions
In a buyer’s market, potential buyers have more options to choose from, and they may be more selective about which properties they choose to visit. That’s why it’s essential to make a strong first impression. Staging helps create a welcoming atmosphere and allows buyers to envision themselves living in the home. Emphasize the impact that staging can have on a property’s online listing and open house appeal, which can ultimately lead to a quicker sale.
2. Highlight the return on investment
Staging can seem like a significant investment for homeowners, so it’s essential to emphasize the return on investment (ROI). Many homeowners are hesitant to invest in home staging, especially in a buyer’s market where they may be concerned about spending too much money. It’s your job to educate your clients on the benefits of home staging and how it can help them sell their home more quickly and for a higher price. Make sure they understand that staging isn’t just about making the home look pretty; it’s about creating a lifestyle that buyers can see themselves living in. Share your statistics and reassure them that by staging the property, it will attract more potential buyers, increase the perceived value of the home, and potentially lead to a higher offer price. Homeowners and real estate agents will appreciate the added value that staging can bring to a property and will be more willing to invest in your services.
3. Demonstrate your expertise
One of the best ways to sell your value as a home stager is to demonstrate your expertise. Showcase your portfolio, highlighting before-and-after photos, and include testimonials from satisfied clients. Show that you have experience staging various types of properties and can create a tailored plan for each home. Highlight any certifications or training you have received, and share any success stories you have had with previous clients. The more confident you are in your abilities, the more confident your clients will be in hiring you. Use phrases like “in my experience” and give specific examples of how you have helped past clients.
4. Emphasize your understanding of buyer psychology
In a buyer’s market, understanding buyer psychology is key to success. You need to know what motivates buyers, what they’re looking for in a home, and what turns them off. Emphasize yo
ur knowledge of buyer psychology and explain how you use that knowledge to create a home that will appeal to a wide range of potential buyers. Keep yourself up to date with the latest market reports, listen to buyer feedback on all your staged properties, and study the specific demographics of each property to ensure that you are creating a staging plan that connects with the listing’s specific buyers.
5. Be personable and professional and sell with integrity
Finally, it’s essential to be personable and professional in your interactions with clients. Listen to their concerns and needs and provide personalized recommendations. Show that you are a reliable and trustworthy partner in the home-selling process. Some homeowners may want a full staging service, while others may only need a consultation and tips for how to better utilize the items that they already have. Sell your clients only what they need, and provide the best options for their budget.
Selling your value as a home stager in a buyer’s market requires a combination of expertise, experience, and confidence. By educating your clients, showing before-and-after photos, highlighting your expertise, emphasizing your understanding of buyer psychology, and being personable and professional, you will connect with more clients, build stronger partnerships, and grow your business.
Resources to help you get started
Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy has all the resources you need to be successful as a home stager. Unlike other training programs and academies, we also focus on business skills — our comprehensive training has helped many of our students grow a profitable business from scratch.
Check out these great resources to build your skills and connect with your best clients
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
Staging a home is no longer just the purview of the elite. Eighty-three percent of buyers find that staging makes it easier to view themselves in a prospective home. As a result, buyers today expect homes at every price point to be staged.
Unsurprisingly, demand for home stagers is through the roof and projected to keep climbing. But for many would-be stagers, the prospect of getting started in the business can be intimidating. The costs of buying and storing inventory can be especially worrisome.
But how expensive is it to become a home stager really? Here are the facts.
Is Inventory Essential for a Home Stager?
Inventory can be a double-edged sword. As home stagers, we can get endless use out of the perfect piece. Having a collection of versatile pieces on hand can also make it quick and easy to add some style and texture to common spaces like seating areas and foyers.
On the other hand, inventory is an investment. It takes time and money to acquire it in the first place, and then more time and money to transport, store, maintain, and manage it over time.
Inventory can be especially difficult for new home stagers. No new small business owner wants to spend a chunk of their salary buying up and managing inventory. Many new stagers also need time to dial in their target market, the demands of their region, and other details before they can commit to investing in a storage facility and the staging items to fill it.
What too many of us forget is that we don’t need inventory to be a great home stager.
In fact, non-inventory business models can be more than just a thrifty way to get started in staging without breaking the bank. Done well, they can be powerful marketing and growth tools!
If you are interested in how to become a home stager, there are three great models you can use that do not require an investment in inventory.
Consulting-only staging
Client-funded staging
Hybrid-source staging
Consulting-Only Staging
In a consulting-only staging model, we as stagers help clients present their homes at their best using only items the clients already own. This model can hold tremendous appeal for both us and our clients.
A chance to show our creativity in unique ways with each client
An excellent marketing pitch
For our clients, this method often appeals because:
They do not have to worry about or work their lives and schedules around rented items during the selling process
They do not have to put as much of their stuff in storage as they otherwise might
It keeps their costs to a minimum
It shows them new, creative, and attractive ways to use or display their belongings that they can carry with them to their new homes
This method may also strongly appeal to clients’ personal beliefs in minimalism, simplicity, frugality, or eco-friendly living because it gets the job done with minimum “stuff” and fuss.
Client-Funded Staging
For those among us in the staging community who like to shop, client-funded staging can be a delight. We evaluate how to stage a home for sale, buy the perfect items using clients’ money, and then allow the clients to keep the items at the time of sale.
For us, this:
Prevents the accumulation of inventory
Ensures we can select the perfect pieces every time
Keeps business costs low
For our clients, this:
Provides personalized staging results
Makes it easy to see exactly where every dime of their investment goes
Results in beautiful spaces that they can pick up and take with them to their next homes
Under this model, clients often feel like they get home staging and interior design services all in one. This creates value that rolls forward and gives them the feeling of getting extra bang for their bucks.
The Magic of Rental Companies
Another option for how to stage a home with little or no inventory and minimal costs is to become a master of using rental companies for your large staging furnishings. Essentially, this gives stagers access to fantastic inventory without the costs and hassles of buying and maintaining that inventory themselves.
It may take a little more legwork to arrange delivery and pickup of items between the client and rental company, but the benefits often more than outweigh that minor inconvenience.
Supplementing With Small Items
Some stagers supplement the “use a rental company” model with a small personal inventory of favorite items or pieces that fit the hottest new trends. This allows us to keep versatile odds and ends that we always seem to need on hand without a huge investment on our part.
Staying Flexible
One of the most ideal things about low inventory and hybrid staging models is how flexible they are. If we as stagers find that these models are a perfect fit for our businesses and markets, we can use them indefinitely.
Or, if we prefer, we can use them as jumping-off points until we are more established and have a clearer idea of what inventory pieces will serve us best. Then we can transition to other inventory models that serve us better as our businesses grow and expand.
We know that launching a new career can be stressful and confusing, so our home stager certification training course takes the guesswork out of every step. We walk new stagers through:
The behind-the-scenes secrets of how the home staging industry works
How to competitively price staging services
How to write client contracts and handle client communications
The best staging techniques for every space
How to establish the policies and practices that make a business thrive
How to start a business without a big financial investment
Unlike many other courses, our course also sets you up for success by providing you with the essential tools you’ll need to get started right away. These include, but are not limited to:
Reference materials you can use on-the-job
A color wheel
An architect’s ruler
Our Consult Toolkit
A Sherwin-Williams Fan Deck
No matter what type of low-inventory or hybrid staging model appeals to you, we have the tools and knowledge you need to make it work.
Ready to Get Started as a Home Stager?
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
Did you know that my business almost failed before it ever really got off the ground? It’s easy to see a business that has been around for years, and assume that it has always been successful, but the truth is that many new businesses struggle, and mine was no exception. In fact, most small businesses fail in the first 5 years!
#1: Identify Your Ideal Client
In the spring of 2010, my dad was experiencing some health issues and found himself in the hospital for about a month. I drove the 3 hours to be with him and my mom and helped out any way that I could. I was back and forth for approximately a month while he was hospitalized, and my business took a back seat.
One day, while I was sitting with my dad, he said something to me that took me by surprise. He said, “You know what honey? You gave it a really good shot, no one can say that you didn’t try.”. I was confused! My dad had always been my biggest supporter, and here he was acting as though I was closing the business and giving up. The truth was though that for the month that I had been helping out him and my mom, there wasn’t exactly anyone missing me and my business. That certainly gave me pause, and I decided to do a little reflecting. I knew that I wanted to be a home stager, and I knew that I was good at it, so when my dad was released I headed home and went back to the business plan to see what I could be doing to grow my business. When I had initially created my business plan, I had identified my ideal clients as homeowners and real estate agents. While that was technically correct, it was not nearly specific enough.
This was where my marketing was failing. When you market to everyone, you market to no one. You need to dive deep and determine specifically who your homeowners and real estate agents are – only then can you identify what they will value, and how to craft your marketing message for them.
What characteristics do they have? And what in turn do they want from you?
Let’s take real estate agents for example:
Do they work for a large brokerage or a small one?
Are they an individual agent, or a part of a team?
How long have they been in business?
What is their personality?
What other characteristics do they convey?
You may not have specific answers to all of these questions, but this should give you a guideline of the types of criteria that you w
ill want to examine in determining your target homeowners. This is probably one of the hardest things to do in your business, but it is also the most critical, or everything else that follows is challenging. By identifying who your ideal client is, you will be better equipped to find them. This is not to say that you will not provide services for other clients as requested, but it will allow you to better focus your marketing plan.
Once you understand who your client is, and what their needs are, you can position yourself and your company accordingly. This will
affect everything from how you brand your company, to the events that you attend, where you spend your marketing dollars, and of course, how you set your pricing.
#2 Evaluate Your Value
Now it’s time to do some evaluating. Take some time to reflect on your value, and identify what makes you and your company awesome. This is probably one of the greatest challenges when it comes to building your business – you’ve been taught all your life to be humble and modest, and now you need to be confident and boastful!
Your value is EVERYTHING that you do that enhances the overall experience for your client. Brainstorm, and write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. Some examples may include:
Formal training, including continuing education (i.e. events, market research, etc.)
Insurance
Registered business
RESA member (are you a RESA-Pro, or a member of leadership?)
Do not limit yourself to the above list. Even if other home stagers are offering these same value-points, it does not take away from the value that it provides to YOUR clients, and it helps to define your company’s overall brand. Remember, what makes you valuable is not just the services that you provide every day, but it also includes how you got to your level of expertise. Reflect on the path that you took to get to where you are today, and make that a part of your story.
Value doesn’t need to cost you a ton of money – if you feel that you are coming up short for where you want to be in your market, look at what may be added to your services for little to no cost, such as the SRM policy, a Client Care Package, or a unique upsell/upgrade service option.
#3 Create Your Value Proposition
A value proposition is a statement that summarizes why a client should buy from you. This is your foundation for creating your marketing material and will help you to establish your unique selling position (USP). Ask yourself these two important questions:
Why am I here?
What do I bring to the table that no one else does?
Identify how you solve your client’s problems. Be as specific and concise as possible for this. What makes you different and unique?
#4 Communicate your value
Now that you have identified what makes you valuable, and what makes you unique, you need to communicate this effectively to your clients and prospects.
Start with your mission statement – if you don’t have one yet, create one, and share it on your website and other promotional materials.
Review your logo – does it portray the image and brand that you want it to?
Your value points should be noted on your website, on printed promotional materials, and in your communications. Create bite-sized videos answering questions about your company’s processes, about your training, and more. Update your internal intake forms to list your value points so that you remember to note these items as a part of your initial call with clients. And most importantly, LIVE YOUR VALUE. The best and easiest way to communicate what your company stands for is to live it every day.
Ready to take your business to the next level? SLS Academy’s Business of Staging course provides you with the business strategies that you need to operate a successful and thriving home staging business. From setting your pricing and policies to sales techniques, understanding today’s buyers, and what motivates them. We will walk you through the steps that you need to take to create your business plan, plus we will help you to identify your mission statement, understand your value proposition, and run the day-to-day business. PLUS, you will get the tools and templates that you need to make running your business easier, allowing you to spend your days assisting your clients. We will even teach you proven sales techniques and strategies to help you to close more deals, and keep your cash flow…well…flowing. Learn more and get started today by clicking here.
So you’ve accumulated a great selection of home staging inventory, but now you have fallen out of love with many of the pieces and you feel like it might be time to move on. Hosting an inventory sale will help you to free up cash (which means more money to buy new stuff), and help to freshen up your inventory stock! It also helps to create awareness for your company. You know what they say? All publicity is good publicity! Marketing for your sale will help to draw interest and awareness in a big way!
Big or small, you can have a successful inventory sale if you follow a few simple tips. We’ve put together some from our own experience with these – if you see anything that we have missed, please be sure to share with us!
Plan
Start planning early! Begin by selecting a date for the sale – once the decision to host a sale has been made, you will find yourself looking much more objectively at your inventory, and you will be surprised at the number of items that quickly get added to your “sell” list.
Start putting items aside approximately 1 month prior to the sale – this can be done by starting an “order” within your inventory database system and adding “sell” items to it, or simply designate an area of your warehouse to move items to (if you are short on space, consider renting a temporary storage facility). As you find new items to retire, take them out of use immediately to ensure that they are not used prior to a sale.
Choose a location to host the sale – will this be at your warehouse, or will you need to move the items off-site to accommodate? If your warehouse does not provide adequate parking, or is in a remote area, you may wish to consider renting a space for the event (my first sale, I rented a banquet hall – this allowed us to move the items in the day prior to the sale, and proved to be a perfect solution in a high-traffic area).
Notify your neighbors (if you feel that it may affect them). If they run a business that can benefit from foot traffic, they may want to offer a special promotion that day as well! If your neighbors are residential, encourage them to host yard sales on the same day to capitalize on the traffic that you will be bringing to the area.
Marketing Tips
DO NOT allow for early bird sales, and be sure to note this on all marketing – early bird sales will not only cause you unnecessary stress, but it could also cause you to have a less successful sale if those that arrive on time for the sale cannot find the items that they were expecting. This goes for both the day of the sale (open the doors when you say you’re going to open the doors) as well as the days leading up to the sale. We all have that friend, cousin, or colleague that will say that they just can’t make it to the sale, or that they HAVE to have a specific item, and beg you to guarantee them the sale. The communication time back and forth, making arrangements outside of the sale time for them to pick the items up (all while planning and organizing the big sale), collecting payment, etc. is not worth it – trust me!
Market your payment methods ahead of time – I recommend a Cash & Carry policy, but with this you will need to ensure that you have advised the public prior to the date of the sale (it is also useful on the day of the sale to have a list of 2-3 bank machines close by that people may go to if they are running short on cash).
Advise in your marketing to bring boxes, bins, blankets, large vehicles, etc. – anything that they will need to be able to take their items with them safely that day!
While you don’t need to put together a full price list catalog, you should provide some images of actual items that will be for sale.
Create lawn signs for the day of the sale to help people to easily navigate to the location.
Sale Day Policies
Be sure to have clearly outlined policies, and communicate these both before, and at the sale. Here are a few that I recommend considering:
Cash and Carry – this means that they pay cash, and they take the items with them. Make mention on all sale advertising, and post signs throughout the sale indicating this so that no one is taken by surprise when it’s time to check out.
Holds – I swore that I would not do holds for anyone, but admittedly that rule was quickly thrown out. We did however put some stipulations on this. Designate an area at the sale for temporary holds. This will somewhat tame the chaos. Be sure that someone from YOUR sale staff marks these products as “still shopping”, along with the customer’s name Here are some examples of what we allowed as a “hold” situation:
Customer is still shopping and just need a place to temporarily to put the items (think of what you look like when you go to Home Goods!).
Customer didn’t bring enough money and needs to run to the closest bank machine. For these situations, I recommend having them pay whatever amount they can, then putting a very tight and very strict time limit on the hold.
Customer needs a bigger vehicle to take the items with them. In this instance, be sure to have them pay in full first, and enforce a strict pickup time. If they are unable to make the pickup time, charge a “holding fee” at your discretion. If they do not return before the end of the sale, and you need to make arrangements for pickup another day, charge a storage fee as well.
Do not offer delivery of items unless you are well equipped to do so, and even then, ensure that you are charging a fee for this.
Sale Day Logistics
I recommend providing some shopping bags, baskets, or bins. We stock a large number of baskets with handles that we use in staging projects, and provide these as a shopping tool (clearly stating that they are not for sale, and are for use only). This allowed many shoppers to pick up more small items than they might have otherwise.
Plan for the expenses associated with hosting a sale:
Wages – you will need to pay your staff for their time (and potentially hire additional help) for the day – factor this into account when you are determining your pricing
Location – if you are unable to host at your own warehouse or storage, there may be additional fees charged by the location that you choose, as well as moving expenses
Signage – a worthwhile investment, be sure that you have clear signage throughout the sale, as well as on the streets surrounding to direct people to the event.
Marketing – you shouldn’t need to spend much (if anything) on marketing, but if you do choose to do some form of advertising, be sure to calculate this in with your expenses
If you choose to disregard my cash and carry policy recommendation and opt to accept credit cards, don’t forget to factor in the merchant fees associated with this. As well, you may need to purchase or rent a point-of-sale device for processing if you don’t have one already.
Post “Policy” signs throughout the venue – this refers to payment methods (as previously noted), as well as any other rules/guidelines/restrictions for the day, such as “no holds”, “items sold as-is”, and “all sales final”.
If you are selling an item that has multiple pieces (i.e. dining table), ensure that all pieces are fully accounted for, or noted if any items are missing.
Make your staff easy to find – we use pink bandanas and have our staff wear these wherever is most comfortable for them (provided it’s displayed from the waste up). If you have staff shirts, hats, or another identifier, then you’re already set!
Label items with the dimensions when possible, and have measuring tapes on hand for people that need to take measurements (sometimes they need to borrow the tape measure to measure the space available in their vehicle to see if an item will fit)
If an item has significant damage, especially if it affects the stability or potential safety of use of the item, be sure that this is clearly identified.
Pricing Items
Ensure that ALL items are assigned a price. Be fair, but don’t base the price on what you paid for the item, think of what the item is worth. Make your judgment based on style, condition, and perhaps how badly you want to offload the item.
If you are unsure about whether or not you want to sell a piece, set the price based on what would make it worthwhile for you sell, and mark a heart <3 on the price tag. This will tell you, and anyone else that might be negotiating pricing, that this item is non-negotiable, as you will happily return it to your inventory following the sale if necessary.
Negotiating
Short answer: just don’t. At least not to start. Gauge this based on the traffic that you receive at the start of the sale, but do not offer any negotiation on pricing until the initial frenzy dies down.
Here are a few tips to keep your sanity, and manage the negotiations:
Designate ONE negotiator (ideally, you). If anyone wants to haggle on the price, they MUST speak directly with you. By limiting the authority of this, most will simply pay the stated price.
Once the initial frenzy has died down, use your discretion with negotiating. I recommend encouraging a “bundled” price as opposed to discounts on specific items. This will make the sale more worthwhile for you, and allow you to get rid of more inventory!
Have a specific colored marker to be used for price slashes or negotiated mark-downs – this will keep your customers honest, and help your staff to easily identify a valid mark-down
Checkout Tips
Have people that you trust – these may be existing employees, or life-long friends, but since they will be handling a lot of cash, be sure that you are comfortable with them managing this.
Have a system for tracking what items have been sold (scanning a bar code, taking a photo, writing it down, etc.)
Left-over Items
Have a plan for these ahead of time, whether you will return them to inventory, donate to a thrift store, or drop at a consignment store to sell for you. You may choose all 3, depending on the items that are remaining at the end of the sale.
Be Prepared!
Create a checklist of the items that you need to have on-hand for the day of the event. If the sale is taking place at your warehouse, you will have easy access to anything that you forget, but if it’s taking place off-site, take extra care in packing. Most of these supplies are likely already a part of your standard staging kit!
What to pack:
Glass cleaner
Rags and dusting cloths
Touch-up markers
Tape – painters / electrical / packing
Labels (for pricing)
Cardboard boxes – keep extra cardboard boxes leading up to the event to provide to customers
Extra safe (depending on the size of the sale, you may wish to have money removed from the cash box periodically and stored in a safe)
Blank paper
Packing paper / bubble wrap (no need to purchase this, but if you have extra that can be provided, your customers will appreciate it)
Baskets (for shopping – not for sale – pack a sign to note this)
Display tables
Storage bins
Moving blankets
Lawn signs
Staff shirts, bandanas, or other identifier
Safety vests (for staff that may help loading items for customers)
Tarps / tents if any part of the sale is outdoor
Colour coded dots – these are great for marking small items
Aprons – for cash and carry sales on the floor, if you wish to allow this
Marketing material – be sure to have postcards, brochures, and/or business cards handy!
Sold signs (for items that are paid for – these should identify whom purchased the item, the time it was purchased, and when they are returning to pick up)
User manuals – if any of your items have a user manual
Candy/chocolate – it might sound silly, but having bowls of candy or chocolates makes the chaos of those waiting in line just a little more bearable!
Calculators – technology fails and phones die – be prepared!
Scissors
Bank machine listing
Permanent coloured markers
Sign in/out sheet for staffing
Measuring tapes – have LOTS of these on-hand
Clear garbage bags (for large sales of pillows, etc)
Pencil cases for money drops
Dollies
Light bulbs – you may choose to sell these, but regardless these should be available to allow customers to test lamps
Batteries – same reasoning as the light bulbs – if you are selling anything that would require batteries, have some available to show that the item is functional
Do not limit yourself to the above list. Even if other home stagers are offering these same value-points, it does not take away from the value that it provides to YOUR clients, and it helps to define your company’s overall brand. Remember, what makes you valuable is not just the services that you provide every day, but it also includes how you got to your level of expertise. Reflect on the path that you took to get to where you are today, and make that a part of your story.
