I bet you have a morning routine. I've got a morning routine. It's pretty simple. I wake up, turn on my workout video for the day and listen to it while I make my bed. I continue to listen to my workout as I brush my teeth and dress for the workout. Once all of that is done I get the workout in…And it progresses like that until I sit at my desk for the day.
It's predictable, it accomplishes what I need it to and it's efficient. I don't have to think a thing about any of these steps. They just happen.
Although we may call it habit or routine, it's actually a system. Systems are divine in a business and a must when operating a profitable home staging business. Remember, you are not only the CEO of your business, you are also the COO in the beginning and it's your job to create the way your business operates.
Creating systems can take some trial and error but you won't know if a system is effective or how it can be improved until you start creating them. Action is key here! So come back to this post with a notebook in hand if you need to!
Ok–let's dive into 3 key systems that every home staging business needs in order to operate efficiently.
Calendar Management System
I don't know about you, but there are times when I am just struggling to keep afloat with all of the work that needs to get accomplished to keep this Rethink business moving forward! Can you relate? The juggle is real, my friend!
If you are in the beginning of your business, you may not be incredibly busy but you also might not be sure what to do with your time each day and you may be willing to accommodate appointments whenever a client needs you. This is a slippery slope that can hurt you and your business over time.
I know this because this is what happened to me.
In the beginning of my business, I didn't have a single system around how I scheduled my week, what activities I did when or even when appointments happened. Things felt chaotic and unorganized to me all the time. I didn't know what to do with myself most days and had a hard time keeping track of appointment times because they happened whenever it was convenient for the client.
It wasn't until I worked with a phenomenal productivity coach that I learned the idea of activity and calendar management. And it was life changing!
Now, my calendar has a pretty consistent routine each week. I have days when I work on my business and days when I work in my business. And the best part is because they are the same days each week, I don't have to decide when they happen, I just follow my schedule. Sweet!
Here are a few things you can think about when creating your Calendar Management System:
- When will you work on the business
- What activities will you do on the days
- When do consultations or installations happen
- When do appointments start and end
I touch on some of the activities you can put into your “work on your business” days inside the Profitable Staging Business Starter Kit.
Keep In Touch System
When growing our home staging businesses, I talk a lot about the important phases of getting noticed, getting known and getting new clients. Getting noticed is super easy. You go to a networking meeting or presentation, you get noticed. Getting new clients is super easy. Getting new clients to start filling your schedule is a function of all the work you do after you get noticed which is that getting known phase of your marketing. With solid follow-up with prospects, it becomes very easy to start filling your calendar but it takes time and commitment to do this.
So, it if getting known is the step that can take the longest and is the most important to be consistent with, then it is super helpful to have a system around how you do this. This way, you don't have to think about how you are going to get known each week, you just follow the steps and then wash, rinse, repeat.
To create a solid Keep In Touch System, start to think about:
- how do you want to follow up with prospective clients
- how often will you follow up
- what resources will you use to stay in front of them
- can it be automated or done by someone other than you
- what days do you dedicate to keeping in touch
The most important part of this is documenting it somewhere–I recommend google docs or Asana so it is shareable–so you have a simple checklist you can just follow the same way every time.
Client Onboarding System
Because your goal is to onboard lots of clients (yay!), you will want to create a system that is easy for you to repeat over and over again. You may even find ways of automating part of this process once you figure out what works for you! And automation is fun! More on that in another post.
Client onboarding is the opportunity to set the right tone in welcoming people into your world. And as we know, first impressions are critical.
Here are a few things to think about when creating your Client Onboarding System:
- How does a client get started with you (phone call, email, website form?)
- What information do you need from your client
- How does the client schedule an appointment with you
- What information do they need to feel comfortable and ready for success
- How do you want your prospective clients to feel as they start this staging process with you
Business Systems Wrap up
Systems should become your business BFF! As you grow into your role as CEO of your business, being conscious of how you operate and how you can create structure around what you do will save you time and your sanity! We work in an industry where we often are asked to jump and adjust but if we can tame some of that chaos by leaning into our own operating systems, our businesses and our lives will be better for it. Now go on, you, go start creating your systems and download your Profitable Staging Business Starter Kit if you haven't already!
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