Staging Your Business for Success

I am in the process of selling my house. Like many areas, the real estate market is booming and it is a sellers-market. So, I have decided to take advantage of the surge. And, no, I do not know where I am going!

One of the primary recommendations my realtor suggested was that I have my house staged. As they said, my house and furnishing were nice, but I am selling a “dream”. And the dream needs to look more modern, resort-like, not a “lived-in” home.

Granted, I was a little offended. I thought my house was nice, enough. But then again, I want to get top dollar for my home.

Staging Showcases the Assets

And, I have to admit this process has taught me a great deal. While much of my furniture was nice, seeing what they have brought into my home has shown me how “dated” some of my pieces had become.

This process has also reminded me that sometimes it takes several “layouts” before you get it right. It has been amazing watching them stage and restage rooms.

The staging process is supposed to help my house stand out from the competition in my neighborhood. Show people all the possibilities this home can be for them. Become their dream house at the click of a button.

It’s all About the Return on Investment

And, if they are right then I should make substantially more money on the sale of my house than this staging investment has cost me.

And it got me to thinking about how we approach business the same way.

Our goal is to make sure our clients are up to date with what our industry has to offer. Help them become a star for their company by providing innovative and creative suggestions. We are their support system for all things printed. We are their one-stop shop that can “stage” their programs effectively to help them achieve a higher return on their investment.

Sometimes we need to experiment or discuss several options before we land on the perfect scenario. Sometimes we hit a home run on that first idea or program.

Stage Your Business Meeting

The idea of staging also made me think about how I approach our clients. I had a meeting in my office two weeks ago with a client. First in person meeting in my office in over a year. I have to admit, it felt a bit strange. But it’s like riding a bike. Easily got back into the presentation groove.

The night before the meeting I went through many of our samples and pulled the ones I thought would be good for conversation, thought provoking and those that I thought were going to be a home run. I then strategically set up the conference room table. I wanted the samples to lead them down a path. I was telling a story.

In reality, I was staging the table, the room. And it worked. They were here for two hours, discussing not only the needs they have now, but for future programs as well.

In addition, my client brought a colleague with her from a different department. Turns out she has many promotional needs. This colleague had come looking for a new promotional partner. During the pandemic her “go to” people had dropped the ball one too many times. Their customer service had suffered severely.

They were very impressed with how prepared I was and by the end of the meeting, she said “you are our new go to”. I was thrilled.

Stage Your Sales Process

But you never know of course. We followed up, providing them with the necessary quotes and samples in a very timely manner. Letting them see that our staging includes the follow-up.

And it worked. Today we got a purchase order for eleven of the items we presented. And that’s just for one of the departments. The other department is waiting for their new budgets in July.

Not realizing it at the time, I had staged the meeting. I was thinking I was just being prepared. But after what I have experienced with the staging of my house, I realize that doing more than just being prepared, I wanted to make sure we stood out.

It’s somewhat what we have always done, but now I am going to take that extra look. Maybe the staging needs to be changed, take a new approach to something we have done for years.

When we couldn’t visit clients for the last year or so, we would have zoom meetings to show product samples and ideas. We would always follow up with a power point presentation of the ideas and items they showed interest in.

Go the Extra Mile in Presenting Ideas

At the time, I didn’t think too much about it. I just thought it was easier than a bunch of quotes or bullet points in an email. Now I realize that I was staging the response. Laying the foundation for easier communication and decisions.

Our business materials need to be the same. Set a stage to introduce ourselves to prospects. Help them understand all the expertise we bring to the table, how we will help them stand out from their competition.

This “staging” positioning is now going to be in my mindset for all my programs and presentation. As a result I truly believe we will help them achieve a higher return on their investment.

How do you stage yourself, your business? Are you staging in way that will make you and your clients stand out from the competition?