Rockland Home Staging

Well it has been about one month since I set out on my chocolate house marketing adventure so I thought I would tell you how it went.  Allthgether I visited 15 real estate offices in  Rockland County in one week period.  The response was overwhelmingly positive.  I met the nicest people in my travels.  Realtors and office managers loved the chocolates and invited me in to meet the Realtors and discuss homes staging.  

I went to each office in Rockland from Piermont to Pomona and everywhere in between. I had a specific purpose in mind for each visit.

• To meet the office manager if possible to discuss how Rockland Home Staging could partner with the Realtors in their office. 
• To ask to speak at a morning meeting to discuss the benefits of home staging.
• To make contacts and collect business cards.
• To drop off a packet of information.

I definitely found that there was a learning curve and that I got much better at it as I went along.  So the million dollar question is: 

Was the promotion a success?

Absolutely and unequivocally yes.  In the last month I have given presentations at 7 Rockland County Real Estate offices.  I have spoken at Prudential Rand , Cetury21grand, Weichert, and some smaller independent offices.  I am still working with Keller Williams  which recently opened their first office in Rockland in New City NY. 

I received many phone calls from Realtors that had received my business card attached to a chocolate house. They were very interested in how Rockland Home Staging could help them with their listings. (They also all wanted the name of the chocolatier - it really is the best chocolate.)

So far I have been hired for two jobs as a direct result of the Chocolate campaign.  With those two jobs alone I have more than paid for the initial investment in the promotion. 

My advice to anyone who is considering a large scale promotion to promote their business is JUST DO IT. 

The company that made the Chocolate Houses ships anywhere in the US.  I think they make great give aways, promotions and thank you gifts for anyone in the Real Estate Industry.  There are also larger houses available. They make the most amazing chocolates.  If you do order from them make sure to add a few dark chocolate dipped marshmallows to your order.  OMG they are too good. 

Lucille Skroce, Owner
Matisse Chocolatier
(201)56/-2288
http://www.getfreshchocolate.com/
skroce@aol.com

Call Rockland Home Staging Today to take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale. 
(845)731-9510

http://www.rocklandhomestaging.com/

Realtor Magazine Online recently reported that nearly four out of five U.S. workers - 84 percent - say they aren't employed in their dream jobs.   This statistic really surprised me.  It means that only 16% of Americans are living the dream.  Another thing that I found surprising was the at jobs that reported the highest job satisfaction do not correlate to the highest paying jobs.  Here is a list of the top 6 rated professions: 

• Police and firefighters 35 percent
• Teachers 32 percent
• Real estate professionals: 28 percent
• Engineers: 25 percent
• Travel industry: 22 percent
• Nurses: 18 percent

Careers in Real Estate are way above the national average with a rating of 28%.  So the question is - Are You Living the Dream???  Tell us about it.

I found my way into the real estate field after a career as an elementary school teacher.  I took several years off when my children where young but when I was ready to reenter the workforce I realized I needed a change.  I needed to find my passion.  I always loved helping people look for homes and I did briefly consider becoming a real estate agent but quickly realized that wasn't exactly the creative outlet I was looking for.  I feel blessed to have found my niche after opening http://www.rocklandhomestaging.com/ Rockland County NY.  I was able combine both my passions - interior design and real estate. I am my own boss, make my own hours and I get to help clients make more money and improve the quality of life.  I really can't ask for much more than that. 

If you are not currently living the dream what are you going to do to change that?  No one should settle for complacency in their career or their live.  This is a call to action. 

I was introduced to the concept of a 30 point day at a networking meeting that I recently attended.  The premise is simple - you assign a point value to the things you need to accomplish to have a successful day.  Here is a sample day for me.

• Make follow up phone calls (3 pts each)
• Reach out to new prospects via phone or email to generate new business (3pts each)
• Spend 1/2 hour book keeping / managing files (10 pts)
• Attend business / networking events (5pts)
• Manage inventory shop for new items (10 pts)
• Spend 1/2 hour book keeping / managing files (5pts)
• Home Staging consultation (15 pts)
• 1/2 Day Staging (20 pts)
• Full day staging (30 pts)
• 1/2 hour blogging (5 pts) No more than 5 pts per day are awarded for blogging.  You gotta get out there!
• Laundry (2pts per load)  OK I work from home!

I find that by turning my work life into a game with points awarded to each activity things are less mundane.  By planning out the day and adding structure I am also more productive.  It gives me incentive to do the things that I don't really enjoy like book keeping.  The 30 point day also pushes me to spend some time on the things that take me outside my comfort level like networking and generating new business leads.

If you are generally happy with your career choice then the 30 point day can help you to improve productivity and job satisfaction.  It will generally follow that if you get more organized and actively try to generate more business you will be more successful. 

If you feel that there is no way to turn your current occupation into your dream job then maybe it is time to make a change. You can use your 30 points to finding a career that will be more fulfilling for you.  Either way you are responsible for your own success and job satisfaction. 

Inquiring minds would like to know why do YOU love real estate?

I wish you all a happy, productive and successful day!!!