Advertise on podcast: The Social Stager

For years, home stagers have been taught to market the value of staging. Share the before and afters. Talk about ROI. Explain how staging helps homes sell faster and for more money. But when every staging company in your market is saying the same thing, none of that answers the question your prospective clients are actually asking: Why should I hire you? In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I’m talking about the difference between the value of home staging and the value of your staging business, and why confusing the two leaves even experienced, successful stagers vulnerable to price competition. I share the story of a client who built a $500K+ staging business, watched it collapse when lower-priced competitors entered her market, and is now rebuilding more than a decade later. I also share a recent conversation with a seven-figure stager who is losing projects to cheaper companies despite more than 20 years of experience, beautiful inventory and exceptional work. We’re getting into why the traditional approach to marketing a staging business is no longer enough in a crowded market, what branding actually means beyond your logo and colours, and why being excellent at staging isn’t the same as giving clients a reason to choose you. I also share what changed inside my own staging business when I stopped trying to sell agents on the value of staging and started building Rooms in Bloom around what I wanted the company to be known for. In this episode, we’ll talk about: • Why marketing the value of staging doesn’t differentiate your business • How increased competition has changed what realtors need from your marketing • Why beautiful inventory, great service, experience and awards aren’t positioning on their own • The role your identity, expertise and point of view play in building a stronger brand • Why strong positioning gives clients something other than price to compare • How I work with stagers to uncover their value and build it into their services, client experience, messaging and marketing The staging industry has done a good job proving that staging is valuable. Now we need to get much better at proving why we are. If you’d like to learn more about how I help home stagers strengthen their positioning and build more profitable businesses around the expertise they already have, you’ll find the details below. LINKS + RESOURCES Learn more about working with Heather: https://socialsavvystagers.com/home-staging-business-coaching Follow Heather on Instagram: @socialsavvystager and @sixfigurestager Visit The Social Stager: https://socialsavvystagers.com

You learned how to stage a home. But did anyone ever teach you how to sell your staging services? For many home stagers, sales feels uncomfortable. They worry about sounding pushy, struggle to communicate their value, freeze when a client objects to the price, or send a proposal and hope their portfolio sells for them. But selling doesn’t have to feel like selling. In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I’m sharing how I approached sales in my own home staging business and why I believe the best sales process is built around helping, listening, and creating trust at every stage of the client experience. We’re talking about: Why being a talented home stager doesn’t automatically make you good at selling your servicesWhy your portfolio isn’t enough to communicate your valueHow your client experience starts selling your services long before you send the proposalWhat great salespeople do differently during client consultationsHow to handle objections without getting defensive or becoming pushyWhy listening to the client matters more than having the perfect sales pitchHow giving clients choices increases buy-in and helps reduce overwhelmWhy an objection is information, not necessarily rejectionHow to build a sales process that creates trust from inquiry through bookingThe three areas I’d focus on first if you want to become more confident at selling your staging servicesIf sales is the part of running your staging business that makes you uncomfortable, this episode will help you look at it differently. Because your job isn’t to convince everyone to hire you. Your job is to understand what your client needs, communicate how you help, give them the information they need to make a decision, and confidently ask for the sale. Links & ResourcesHere's where to connect with me and find out more about my programs Profitable Stager Blueprint: https://socialsavvystagers.com/profitable-stager-blueprintSix-Figure Stager Mentorship: https://socialsavvystagers.com/the-six-figure-stagerPrivate Coaching Program: https://socialsavvystagers.com/home-staging-business-coachingThe Social Stager website: https://socialsavvystagers.com/Instagram: @socialsavvystager or @sixfigurestager

Red Barrinuevo didn't build the business he has today by continuing to do what every other home stager was doing. In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, Red joins me to look back at how Redesign4More grew from a staging business he was running around a full-time office job into one of Canada's most recognizable home staging brands. We talk about the early decisions that helped build his reputation, including investing in professional photography before he could comfortably afford it, hiring a PR agency when few home stagers were thinking about PR, and becoming the face of his brand even when being visible didn't always feel comfortable. But Red's story isn't only about becoming more visible. As the business grew, he also became much clearer about the work he wanted to do, the clients he wanted to serve and what he wanted the company to become. That eventually led him away from parts of the traditional staging model and toward model suites, residential design and a much more defined market position. Your original intro frames this evolution in essentially the same way. In this episode, we discuss: How Red got his start in home staging while still working a full-time office jobWhy he invested in professional photography from the beginningWhat led him to invest in PR and how visibility helped build his authorityWhy doing great work and creating a great client experience opened unexpected doorsWhy being the face of your brand matters, even when visibility feels uncomfortableHow Red identified model suite staging as an opportunity and deliberately repositioned his business around itWhy raising his prices helped him attract better-fit clientsHow he markets directly to builders and developers instead of waiting for them to find himWhy Red doesn't rely on social media alone to generate businessHow becoming known for something specific made his marketing clearer and more focusedHow his core values, mission and vision now guide the clients, opportunities and partnerships he says yes toWhat Red believes home stagers misunderstand about building a brand and reputationWhy building the right business sometimes means moving away from services you no longer want to provideWhat he would do differently if he were starting his staging business again today Connect with Red BarrinuevoWebsite: https://redbarrinuevo.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram/com/redbarrinuevoConnect with HeatherWebsite: https://socialsavvystagers.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialsavvystager

More staging projects. More inventory. More revenue. More team members. Maybe a bigger warehouse. We tend to talk about growth as though more automatically means you’re building a more successful staging business. But what happens when your business isn’t actually designed to support that growth? In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I’m sharing five signs that the business you’ve built might not be prepared for where you’re trying to take it. I’m also sharing the stories of two staging business owners at very different stages of growth. One had successfully created demand for her premium vacant staging services but ended up approximately $75,000 in debt trying to keep up with it. The other had built a seven-figure staging company with a large team and 10,000-square-foot warehouse, but the costs of running the business had grown faster than her pricing. Because more revenue doesn’t automatically mean a healthier business. As your staging company grows, your pricing, services, inventory, capacity, systems, team and business model need to grow and change with it. And sometimes the smartest decision isn’t to add more. It’s to get much more intentional about what actually belongs in the business you’re trying to build. In this episode, we discuss:• Why more demand doesn’t always create a more profitable staging business • How growth creates new demands on your cash, capacity, inventory, team and systems • Why adding another service or revenue stream is often a much bigger decision than it appears • How offering too many disconnected services can dilute your resources and focus • Why revenue alone doesn’t tell you whether you’ve built a financially healthy business • What changes as your staging company grows from $100K to $300K, $500K and beyond • Why demand alone isn’t enough reason to pursue a new opportunity • The questions to ask before adding another service, market, team member, warehouse or revenue stream • Why sometimes growing your staging business means doing less, better At the end of the episode, I’ll also give you one question to help you identify where the biggest gap might be between the business you’ve built today and the one you’re trying to become. Work With HeatherIf this episode has you looking differently at the business you’ve built and where you want to take it, this is exactly the kind of work we do inside my coaching programs. The Six-Figure Stager: For home stagers building toward consistent multiple six figures who want to strengthen their positioning, services, pricing, profitability, marketing, systems and capacity as they grow. https://socialsavvystagers.com/the-six-figure-stager The Million Dollar Stager: For established staging business owners who are ready to optimize what they’ve built for greater profitability, capacity and sustainable growth while stepping further into leadership. https://socialsavvystagers.com/million-dollar-stager Connect with Heather• Website: https://socialsavvystagers.com/ • Instagram: @socialsavvystager and @sixfigurestager

Getting someone to click on your Pinterest ad is only the beginning. If you’re paying to drive traffic to your website, you need a strategy for turning that traffic into leads and, ultimately, paying clients. In Part 2 of my conversation with Pinterest marketing expert Annie Russell, we’re breaking down what happens after someone clicks your ad and how all the pieces of your marketing funnel work together to help your Pinterest ads actually generate a return. We talk about landing pages, lead magnets, email sequences, ad budgets, tracking, and why getting more traffic doesn’t necessarily mean getting more business. Annie also shares what business owners need to understand about the numbers behind their campaigns and how to think about Pinterest ads as part of a larger lead generation strategy rather than simply paying for clicks. In this episode, we discuss:• What happens after someone clicks your Pinterest ad • Why your landing page and lead magnet matter to your results • How email marketing helps turn Pinterest leads into clients • What to consider when setting your Pinterest advertising budget • The numbers you need to track to understand whether your ads are working • Why more website traffic doesn’t necessarily mean more leads or sales • How the different pieces of your marketing funnel work together • What it takes to build a Pinterest ad strategy that starts paying for itself If you missed Part 1, start there. Annie and I talk about what needs to be in place before you spend money on Pinterest ads and the biggest mistake home stagers make when they jump into paid advertising before their marketing foundation is ready. Listen to Part 1The Biggest Mistake Home Stagers Make Before Running Pinterest Ads with Annie Russell Listen to the episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biggest-mistake-home-stagers-make-before-running/id1862300289?i=1000784098886 Connect with Annie RussellIf you’re ready to take the next step with Pinterest advertising, Annie’s Leads on Repeat program teaches business owners how to create, launch, and manage their own Pinterest ad campaigns. You can learn more about Annie and the different ways to work with her here: • Leads on Repeat: https://www.annierussellmedia.com/leads-on-repeat • Free Guide: 200+ Pinterest Keywords for Home Stagers: https://annierussellmedia.myflodesk.com/home-stager-pinterest • Website: https://www.annierussellmedia.com/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annierussellmedia/ Connect with Heather• Website: https://socialsavvystagers.com/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialsavvystager/

What actually needs to be in place before you start paying for Pinterest ads? It’s easy to think that paid advertising is the answer to getting more traffic, leads, and clients for your home staging business. But ads won’t fix a weak marketing strategy. They amplify the one you already have. In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I’m joined once again by Pinterest marketing expert Annie Russell for the first of a two-part conversation about Pinterest advertising. We’re talking about what needs to happen before you invest in ads, from setting up your Pinterest account and tracking properly to creating valuable content, building your email list, and developing a lead magnet people actually want. Annie also breaks down some of the biggest misconceptions about paid advertising, including why boosting a post isn’t the same as running a strategic ad campaign and why sending more traffic to your website won’t accomplish much if you don’t have the right marketing foundation behind it. In this episode, we discuss:• The biggest misconceptions about Pinterest advertising • Why boosting a post isn’t the same as running an ad campaign • What you need in place before investing in Pinterest ads • Why organic Pinterest and paid advertising work better together • The role your website and content play in your advertising strategy • Why growing your email list matters • What makes a lead magnet worth giving your email address for • Why your expertise needs to be part of the content you create This is Part One of my conversation with Annie. In Part Two, we’ll dive into what happens after someone clicks your ad, including landing pages, email sequences, campaign budgets, tracking, and how to build a Pinterest funnel that turns traffic into qualified leads and paying clients. Connect with Annie RussellIf you’d like to connect with Annie or learn more about how she helps businesses use Pinterest to generate leads, you can find her here: • Annie Russell Media (website) • Leads on Repeat: Learn how to run paid ads the right way • Free Guide: 200+ Pinterest Keywords for Home Stagers • Listen to our first conversation about Pinterest marketing for home stagers Connect with Heather• Website: The Social Stager • Instagram: Social Savvy Stager and Six-Figure Stager

What makes someone trust your business enough to hire you? For many business owners, marketing is all about visibility. More content. More followers. More platforms. But what if the real purpose of marketing isn't simply to get noticed? In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I'm joined by realtor and entrepreneur Lance Nielsen to talk about how successful businesses use marketing to build trust, strengthen relationships, and stay top of mind long before someone is ready to buy. From creating educational content and embracing AI to using video and staying curious in an ever-changing industry, this conversation is packed with practical insights that home stagers, Realtors, and service-based business owners can apply to their own businesses. In this episode, we discuss:• Why trust is the foundation of effective marketing • How educational content helps build credibility • Why video creates stronger relationships with your audience • The opportunities and challenges AI presents for business owners • How curiosity fuels innovation and business growth • Why consistency matters more than chasing trends • Practical ways to market your business with authenticity Connect with Lance NielsenIf you'd like to connect with Lance or learn more about his work, you can find him here: • Visit his Website • Follow him on Instagram Learn More About My Coaching ProgramsIf you're ready to build a stronger, more profitable home staging business, I'd love to help. Whether you're looking to clarify your positioning, strengthen your marketing, or design a business that's built for long-term success, my coaching programs are designed to help you grow with confidence. Learn more about my coaching programs here.

Building a successful staging business isn't about one great marketing strategy or getting lucky with the right client. It's about making hundreds of decisions that strengthen your business over time. In this episode, I'm joined by veteran home stager and industry educator Michelle Minch. Michelle shares the story of how she built one of the most respected staging businesses in Southern California, from taking on her very first staging project to growing a thriving business and becoming a mentor to home stagers across North America. Along the way, we talk about marketing, pricing, referrals, differentiation, community, and why building a successful business requires far more than knowing how to stage a beautiful home. In this episode, we discuss:• How Michelle accidentally discovered home staging and turned it into a thriving business • The power of referrals and relationship marketing • Why marketing is about educating and building trust, not just promoting your services • How to communicate your value so clients understand why you're worth more • The role pricing plays in positioning your business • Why competing on price is a race you'll never win • The importance of finding your own lane instead of trying to compete with every other stager • Why building relationships with other home stagers can become one of your greatest business assets Connect with Michelle MinchMichelle is passionate about helping home stagers build stronger businesses through coaching, education, and community. You can connect with Michelle here: • Facebook: Staging Success Center Million Dollar Stager • Email: [email protected] Ready to build a stronger staging business?If you're ready to stop guessing and start intentionally building a staging business that's profitable, sustainable, and known for something specific, I'd love to invite you to learn more about the Six-Figure Stager Mastermind. Inside the Mastermind, we focus on the business behind the staging, including positioning, branding, marketing, pricing, systems, leadership, and the strategies that help you build a business designed for long-term success. Learn more here.

What happens when your staging business starts growing... but you feel like you're holding everything together with sticky notes, memory, and late nights? In this episode of The Social Stager Podcast, I'm joined by Lori Fischer to talk about one of the least glamorous, yet most important parts of building a successful staging business: systems. If you've ever felt like you're constantly answering the same questions, reinventing your process with every client, or struggling to step away from your business without everything falling apart, this conversation is for you. We talk about why systems aren't just about organization. They're about creating consistency, protecting the client experience, and building a business that supports your long-term goals. In this episode, we discuss:• Why so many home stagers wait too long to build systems • The biggest misconceptions about SOPs and documentation • How strong systems improve the client experience • What happens when your business depends on you for every decision • Simple places to start if your business feels disorganized • Why operational excellence becomes a competitive advantage as your business grows Whether you're a solo stager or preparing to hire your first team member, this episode will help you think differently about the role systems play in building a business that's sustainable, scalable, and easier to run. Resources Mentioned• Learn more about Harlowe • Learn more about the Six-Figure Stager Mastermind • Join The Stager's Circle free community • Subscribe to The Social Stager Podcast so you never miss an episode

How to Attract the Home Staging Clients You Actually WantHave you ever noticed that every city seems to have "that" home stager? The one Realtors always call for luxury vacant staging. The one known for model homes. The one who's built a reputation around something specific. It might look like luck from the outside. But it isn't. In this episode, we're talking about how home stagers intentionally build businesses that attract the clients and projects they actually want. You'll learn why positioning comes before promotion, how your reputation is shaped long before someone contacts you, and why every decision you make is either reinforcing the business you're trying to build or pulling you further away from it. In this episode, you'll learn:• Why people are already forming opinions about your business before they ever inquire • The difference between brand perception, positioning, branding, and brand reputation • Why attracting the right clients starts long before your marketing • How to intentionally build a business that's known for something specific • Why every business decision either strengthens or weakens your positioning • The mindset shift that separates reactive business owners from intentional business leaders • Why positioning isn't something you announce. It's something you earn. Questions to reflect onAfter listening, take a few minutes to think about these questions: • What do you want your business to become known for? • If you asked ten Realtors in your market today, what would they say your business is known for? • Does your website, portfolio, pricing, messaging, services, and client experience all reinforce that answer? • Is every part of your business pointing in the same direction? Ready to build the business you want to be known for?If you're ready to stop reacting to your business and start intentionally building it, I'd love to invite you to join the Six-Figure Stager Mastermind. Inside the mentorship, we focus on the business behind the marketing, including your positioning, branding, offers, pricing, systems, leadership, and the decisions that help you build a sustainable, profitable staging business. Learn more here. Mentioned in this episode• The Six-Figure Stager Mastermind See all business coaching packages here. Connect with The Social StagerFind us on Instagram Visit our website

Most home stagers believe their business isn't growing because they need better marketing, more services, or another certification. I don't think that's the problem. In this episode, Heather explores one of the biggest misconceptions in the home staging industry: the belief that becoming a better home stager naturally leads to building a successful staging business. She shares the patterns she's observed after working with home stagers across North America, why so many talented stagers get stuck competing on price, and the mindset shift that changes everything. If you've ever wondered why your business isn't growing the way you hoped, this episode is for you. In this episode: • Why becoming a better home stager doesn't automatically build a better staging business • The biggest misconception keeping talented stagers stuck in the early years of business • Why marketing isn't usually the real problem, and what your coaching conversations should actually focus on instead • How adding more services can dilute your positioning and make your business harder to grow • Why the strongest staging businesses become known for one thing before they expand • The business question every home stager should answer before investing more time, money, or energy into marketing • The difference between learning how to stage and learning how to build a sustainable six-figure business • Why your brand is the foundation of your business, and how every decision you make should reinforce what you want to become known for Resources mentioned: • The Booked Out Stager Blueprint (Free) Connect with Heather: Instagram: @socialsavvystagers Website: www.socialsavvystagers.com

Your staging certification taught you how to stage. What it didn't teach you is how to build a business that stands out, attracts the right clients, and grows past a certain ceiling. In this episode Heather breaks down the three gaps the staging industry consistently leaves open and why closing them is the difference between a staging business that struggles and one that becomes the obvious choice in its market. In this episode: Why finishing your certification program is just the beginning and not the whole roadmapWhy so many stagers build their brand before doing the identity work that should inform every decisionThe three gaps keeping stagers stuck: identity and positioning, a real marketing system, and authority and thought leadershipWhy posting consistently without a strategy produces activity but not leadsThe difference between being visible and being known as the authority in your marketWhy your value isn't in the spaces you produce, it's in the knowledge and expertise you bring to every projectHow the Six-Figure Stager Mastermind was built to close these gaps in the right order Resources mentioned: The Booked Out Stager Blueprint (free three-video training)Six-Figure Stager Mastermind waitlist Connect with Heather: Instagram: @socialsavvystagers Website: socialsavvystagers.com

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are changing how people find and hire home stagers — and most of the content stagers create to market themselves is completely invisible to these tools. In this episode, Heather breaks down what AI actually looks at when it decides whether your business is worth recommending, and what you can do right now to show up in those results. In this episode: Why a beautiful Instagram feed does nothing for your visibility on AI tools — and what doesThe five things AI uses to evaluate whether your business is credible enough to recommendWhy your Google Business Profile is the single highest-impact place to startWhat "brand consistency" actually means across platforms and why inconsistency costs youHow to use written content to get in front of clients who are skipping Google entirelyWhy Google reviews are one of the most powerful AI visibility signals — and how to start getting more of themThe priority order for tackling this without doing everything at once Resources mentioned: Website design for home stagers: https://socialsavvystagers.com/website-designJoin the Stagers Circle: https://thesocialstager.myflodesk.com/stagerscircle Connect with Heather: Instagram: @socialsavvystagerWebsite: socialsavvystagers.com

Most home stagers are pouring time into Instagram, only to wonder why their website traffic is flat and their inquiries are inconsistent. The problem might not be your content. It might be the platform. In this episode, I sit down with Pinterest marketing strategist Annie Russell of Annie Russell Media to talk about why Pinterest is one of the most underused and misunderstood marketing tools for home stagers, and what it actually takes to use it in a way that builds real, compounding visibility for your business. In This Episode:The mindset shift that changes everything: why Pinterest is a search engine, not a social media platform, and why that distinction matters for how stagers get foundThe number one Pinterest mistake that is costing stagers leads and traffic, even when they are already posting consistentlyWhy auto-publishing your Instagram content to Pinterest is not a strategy, and what to do insteadThe seasonality trap: why posting fall staging content in September means you have already missed your window, and how to plan ahead using a free Pinterest toolWhether Pinterest can work for stagers who do not have a blog, and the honest answer about what you actually need to make it worth your timeHow one food blogger’s Pinterest traffic outperformed her Instagram by 26 times, and what that means for visual service businesses like home stagingExactly where to start if you are setting up or refreshing your Pinterest account today, including the two places keywords matter mostResources MentionedFrom Annie: 200 Pinterest keywords for home stagers — grab the list hereVisibility to Growth Checklist — annierussellmedia.com/visibilityLeads on Repeat — Launching in June for business owners who want a sustainable strategy for getting consistent leads with paid ads. Learn more here. Club members have access to a $500 discount. Join the Club today to get access to your discount. Affiliate disclosure: I am an affiliate for Leads on Repeat, which means I earn a small commission if you join through my link that I give Club members. I only ever share things I genuinely stand behind. Connect With UsThe Social Stager: Instagram: @socialsavvystagerInstagram (Club): @thesocialstagerclubWebsite: socialsavvystagers.comJoin The Social Stager Club: socialsavvystagers.com Annie Russell: Instagram: @annierussellmediaWebsite: annierussellmedia.com

Only 18% of sellers actually hire a stager — which means most stagers are fighting for the same small slice of the market. In this episode, Heather sits down with stager and coach Catherine Lewis-Brown to talk about why that doesn't have to be the reality, and what it looks like to build a staging business that serves more clients, charges what it's worth, and isn't limited to physical staging alone. In this episode: Why stagers keep competing on price (and what's actually driving it)The difference between marketing staging and marketing your specific valueHow packaging your services can eliminate negotiation entirelyWhy the consultation is one of the most underpriced offers in the industryThe gaps your competition is leaving open — and how to step into them Resources mentioned: Home Stager Business Strategies Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themodernstagerCatherine's website: https://themodernstager.comThe Social Stager Club: https://socialsavvystagers.com/the-social-stager-club Connect with us: Catherine Lewis-Brown: @catherinelewisbrownHeather Cook: @thesocialstager