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Typically these calls center around making more money in your business.  And I have seen one common thread come up over and over in these calls.  It is one of those things that we all “know” – we instinctively know that it is something we need to do, but because of that it also means we skip over it so easily….. and then wonder why we don’t get the results we are working towards. 

And what is that one thing?  Ready for it?
DECIDING what you WANT.  Simple, simple I know.  In fact, about a month ago I used a Jack Canfield newsletter that went over this same point.

But I can’t tell you how many people come to me saying they want to make more money and I say “great, How much more money?” and the person doesn’t know. They don’t know how much they want – and they don’t know why they want it. 

My experience shows that the only time the very vague goal of “I want more money” works is if you are the kind of person who is actually motivated by watching your bank account grow everyday, and seeing that number go up is the thing that motivates you and encourages you to continue to make more money. 

Here’s a neat thing about that -  if you were motivated by your growing bank account – you would know how much money you have at any given moment.  And guess what – no surprise – but one of the reasons it is difficult for people to make more money in their business is because they are actually avoiding knowing how much money they have – and it is really hard to make more when you don’t even know where you are starting!

So I have a simple money challenge for you. June is right around the corner. 
1.  I would like you to DECIDE how much money you WANT to make for the month of June.  DECIDE home much money you want.  I suggest you use a number you BELIEVE you can meet.  Now write that number down.
2.  Then DECIDE how you will use that money.  And write that down underneath the dollar amount you have decided to create for June
3.  When you start your work day, review your wants.  How much money you want to create – and what you want to do with it.  And NOW…
4.  Take Action.  Do the first thing you need to do to reach this goal.

Now that you have DECIDED what you want – and what you want it for – I think you will be pleasantly surprised to see how knowing these things will actually influence the actions you take in your work day – how it will keep you focused and clear on what you should do – so that yes!  you can get what you WANT!

I would love to know how this works out for you.  Leave a comment below and share how this favorite tip makes a difference for you!!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™ ,
-Mary Larsen

This is especially helpful when it is your birthday, and people are actively LOOKING to give you what you want!
The picture to the right is my fab birthday bouquet of flowers (I don’t even have to ask for that anymore – my husband knows I want it!) along with the salads made from the lettuce we grew in our own garden that we wanted – and wanted to eat! (I am so proud of my little garden I can hardly stand it.)

I have been in complete production mode recently, and I wanted to get a great tip out to you, as well as find some inspiration for myself.  So  if you follow me at all, you know I am a huge Jack Canfield fan.  In fact – someday I am going to work with the man! (Cause that’s what I want.  Okay – I said it for everyone to hear – now I need to start working on that.)

So here it is – directly from Jack himself!  Oh So Simple, Oh So True! And it goes along perfectly with my birthday!  (my editorial comments are in purple )

Decide What You Want
by Jack Canfield

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want.

So obvious, so true.  So right now, before you do the NEXT thing that you are going to do – decide what you WANT. 

Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want — so they don’t even let themselves want it.

Don’t sabotage yourself that way!

You must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it.

Again – self evident and obvious, but you have to decide on the WHAT.

Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.

So, did you do it?  Did you decide on what you WANT before you begin your next task?  Decide on what you WANT- and see what happens!

For me – I DECIDED that I WANTED to get a tip out today even though I am SLAMMED with things to do.  Once I knew what I wanted, the solution of working off of another expert appeared, and my time commitment dropped dramatically, still allowing me to do the other things I WANT to do today.  I know I know it is elegant in it’s simplicity!

What do YOU WANT today???  And what will that make you do? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at www.JackCanfield.com

The other day I was speaking with one of my past Consulting Clients, who is now a good friend.  I am happy to say that every time that we have worked together she has made more money during that time than the previous year.  So I asked her how her first quarter went – keep in mind we are not working together right now – and she said she didn’t match or beat her first quarter from the year before.

I asked her what she had been doing during the quarter to know if she had been on track or not and she replied that whenever any money came in – say a down payment or a final payment – she would enter it in Quickbooks and then look at how it compared to last year.

Well I don’t know about you but when I was doing design work, money often came in very irregularly.  Which means you could go days with nothing, and then have a couple of days where a bunch of money came in.  Now what does that mean for keeping up on your money?  It means that many many days can go by without you really being conscious of what is going on with your money.

And what happens when you are not really conscious of your money? Well, ANYTHING happens.  It comes, or it goes, or you lose some or it just sits there……  VERY different things happen when you are conscious of your money. Just think how  much different the decisions you make for your work day would be if you knew exactly how much money you planned on making EVERY DAY and actually took actions to MAKE that money.

It comes up all the time.  You are in a business that you love and you want to make money…. but you don’t want to think about it.  And those two things are actually diametrically opposed and you can’t have both.  If you want to make money – you have to think about money.  If you don’t want to think about money – you’re not going to make money.

Your Mission if You Choose to Accept It:

1.  On a 1/2 a sheet of paper, write down in big numbers how much money you made in the second quarter of last year.  Now sure?  Guess!  Then right below it write “April, May June 2011″

2.  On a full sheet of paper, write down in big numbers how much money you PLAN on make in the second quarter of this year.  Choose a number that is a nice stretch over last year.  And right below it in big letters write NOW.

3.  Hang these 2 sheets of paper side by side on the wall that you see the most in your work day – and look at those numbers throughout your day.

Now just take a minute to imagine this in your head – how differently will you behave and how different will your actions be  when you SEE the dollars you are working towards? 

Remember - if you want to make money – you have to think about money.

Have a great 2nd quarter – and let me know by posting below how this is working for you!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

PS -  I have got some great feedback on the “Live” Video Redesign and Home Staging Training I am offering.  Get a quick look into the videos by clicking Here and going to the video blog post.

It’s crazy to think that it is already that time of year – but also fun to think of all of the great things we can do for our clients during this time! 

Another fun thing – the online video training that I have developed. I have had a lot of great conversations about it – and wanted to share with you just a little taste of what is included!

In redesign, shopping for your client and adding accessories to a home is a great add-on service you can offer your clients.

Watch this video, part of my “Live” video series as I talk more about accessories…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t forget you can get full business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen

Sterling is not someone I hired to be in the “Live” Staging videos, she came to me with the same fear…Stage Fright, that most Home Stagers have if they have never actually staged a home before, even though they took classes on Home Staging, watched all the Home Staging shows on TV and read tons of books on “how to” stage.  Sterling, along with all my other Home Staging students, was my inspiration for creating the “Live” Staging videos.  I wanted to show the world how it’s done and that you can overcome your Stage Fright.

Click here for a preview of the “Live” Staging videos.  It’s the next step in overcoming your Stage Fright and gaining the confidence you need to do what you really want to do…Stage Homes.

In my previous newsletters, we’ve discussed the placement of furniture and accessories to give the room a sense of balance and proportion.  Now it’s time to hang the pictures; sounds easy enough, right?  It is a simple task but I would like to share some tips on Picture-Perfect Picture Placement.

It is much easier to place artwork after the other elements of a room have been placed, such as furniture and light fixtures.  Having these objects placed first will help dictate the location of your artwork.  Remember, almost anything and everything can be hung on a wall and framed.

Consider who you are and the story you are trying to tell.  Artwork in a traditional setting is symmetrical, and a cozy feeling can be established with close groupings.  Contemporary pieces hang alone for a sleek, finished feel.  What look and feel are you trying to achieve?

Here are tips that can help you hang artwork with a designer’s eye:

Consider Spacing – Try putting artwork closer together rather than farther apart.  You can determine the amount of space needed between pictures by taking a cue from the width of the frame.  You may even want to hang the pictures so the frames are touching.

Eye Level – What is eye level?  Rarely are you going to find a home where all the people who live there and all the guests who visit are the same height.  Therefore, there is really no such thing as eye level.  Rather than eye level, consider the wall and its surroundings.  If you have a spot in the living room that is always used for reading, consider placing a picture where you can see it easily while relaxing with a good book.

Relate – When working with a group of pictures, try to relate them in some manner.  For example:

• All black-and-whites or all color photos
• All framed in the same size and style frame, regardless of the size of the picture
• All framed in the same color frame

This relation will help unify the group.

Proportion – Always consider balance, scale, harmony, symmetry, and asymmetrical arrangements.

I hope these tips have given you the confidence you are looking for – and that they move you from stage fright to center stage with your work! And don’t forget to click here for a preview of the “Live” Staging videos.

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

Beside the fact that the show makes me laugh and laugh, I love seeing the completely different homes the main characters live in – and lucky for them, they all have style!

Not everyone is so lucky – which is good for business!  Nothing is more fun than meeting someone who says they can’t decorate, and all they want is for you to make their home beautiful – my favorite kind of client!

This is especially true for “non-decorator” types who need to get their home ready for resale – they just can’t “see” what needs to happen.

If you aren’t offering Home Staging to your clients – you really want to consider it.  And if you have “stage fright” – For the past year I have been working on an online training program that can be accessed immediately to help you add Home Staging and Redesign to the services that you offer.

I am very pleased to say that the training is now available, and at a GREAT introductory price!

I am offering full blown all out business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

I sincerely do not believe that there is any training like this available any where else!

In a hurry? Go here.

In honor of the launch of this training, I will be spending the next several newsletters going over some of the most important aspects of running a successful business – and as you know, I think sending newsletters to your clients is one of those important things!

So enjoy the article below on “Stage Fright Part II” and please let me know if you have any questions by contacting me directly – mary@ Marylarsendesigns.com or just hitting reply to this newsletter.

Enjoy your TV “home tour”!!!
Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary

PS – welcome to all my new readers!

PS. If you’re worried about your business outlook, consider adding home staging or redesign to your business – learn how by clicking HERE.

Stage Fright?! – Part II

Stage Fright can most commonly be defined as “the fear of performing in front of an audience or group”.   Now, I know you aren’t exactly “performing” in front of an audience or a group when you are staging a home for sale but you are performing for an audience, that audience being the potential buyers of the home.

So why do we have “Stage Fright” when we first start staging homes?  It’s because you have been hired as a professional to help your client prepare their home for sale and you are a key player in the first impression a potential buyer has of the home.  This is a big responsibility and can be a little frightening in the beginning, especially if you’ve never actually taken part in a real, live home staging before.

That’s why I created my “Live” Staging videos; to help take some of the fear out of the home staging process and to give you tips and ideas.  Put yourself in Sterling’s shoes as you watch the “Live” videos of her and me staging a home.

Speaking of tips and ideas…as promised, I am going to share more of my tips and tricks of home staging with you.  In Stage Fright – Part I, we talked about Location, Location, Location.  Well, it is such an important topic that I am going to give you a few more ideas and suggestions on “Location” as it relates to staging a home.

Nothing makes more of an impact on a room than the placement of the furniture and accessories. While in business, you are going to see rooms filled with beautiful individual items, yet the arrangement, and therefore the overall feel, diminishes these elements.  You also will see rooms filled with dated and ugly furniture and accessories, and with the help of your correct placement, they will end up looking amazingly good.

The key to a successful room is achieving a sense of balance and proportion with furniture and accessories.  Your goal is to create a room that feels harmonious, balanced and connected.  The secret is to work with the pre-existing planes, lines, and angles of the space and your items to create your great look.  The following tips will help you achieve this goal:

Hard and Soft – When placing furniture in a living or family room, try to alternate hard pieces, such as tables and armoires, with soft pieces, such as upholstered chairs and ottomans.  Too many hard pieces together will make the room feel hard.  If hard pieces must be placed next to each other, greenery and plants can be used to soften the edges.

Magic Number Three and the Pleasing Triangle – When placing accessories and lighting, your eyes like sets of three.  That is why so many accessories you can buy today already come in a set of three.  And just like three, your eyes like triangles.  You will see this in shapes with high, medium, and low, as well as in lighting, having three points that can create the shape of a triangle throughout the room.

Too Much of a Good Thing – As you work on putting like things with like things, do not go overboard.  If you have a wall with three doors in it and two tall windows, placing an armoire on that wall that is virtually of the same shape will just be too much.  Try to break up the hard lines of the doors and windows with shaped draperies and strategically placed artwork to help move the eye up and down.

Follow these tips when staging your client’s home, and your work will surely impress your client – and all of the people who come to view the home!

For training, be sure to visit www.certifiedprohomestaging.com !!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

The weather has been beautiful, my customers have their wallets open, and I am really looking forward to a great holiday season!

For the past year I have been working on an online training program that can be accessed immediately to help people add Home Staging and Redesign to the services that they offer.

I am very pleased to say that the training is now available, and at a GREAT introductory price!

I am offering full blown all out business training that comes with a certification, but also very specific “LIVE” video training on how to stage a home for sale, including the walk through and evaluation, AND specific “LIVE” video training on how to redesign a client’s room using what they already have.

I sincerely do not believe that there is any training like this available any where else!

In a hurry? Go here.

In honor of the launch of this training, I will be spending the next several newsletters going over some of the most important aspects of running a successful business – and as you know, I think sending newsletters to your clients is one of those important things!

So enjoy the article below on “Stage Fright” and please let me know if you have any questions by contacting me directly – mary@ Marylarsendesigns.com or just hitting reply to this newsletter.

Happy Happy Fall!!!
Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary

PS – welcome to all my new readers!

PS. If you’re worried about your business outlook, consider adding home staging or redesign to your business – learn how by clicking HERE.

Stage Fright?! – Part I

We’ve all had it; our first school play, first spelling bee, first time speaking in public….  Stage Fright is a difficult obstacle to overcome.  But I’m not talking about the fear of being on stage; I’m talking about the fear of staging…Home Staging.

Even if you’ve been in the design business for years and feel comfortable and confident talking to clients, even if you’ve taken training classes and become certified in Home Staging, you know what to do, you know how to do it, but your “Stage Fright” is stopping you.

I heard this from so many of my Home Staging and Redesign students that I decided to come up with a solution; a solution that brings you as close as you can to get to a “real, live” home staging without actually being there.

Walk with me and Sterling, a Home Staging student, as we stage a home for sale.  We take a look at everything from curb appeal, the exterior of the home and then move inside and begin the transformation.

You have heard that Location, Location, Location is important in selling real estate, well, we as Home Stagers can’t do anything about the location of the home but we can place furniture and accessories inside the home in a manner that shows off its features.  In the “Live” videos, watch me and Sterling as we discuss and decide upon furniture and accessory placement in order to draw the potential buyer’s eyes to the focal point and highlights of the room.

While we’re on the subject of Location, Location, Location, let me share one of my favorite trade tips…It is not what you have – it is where you put it. A successfully staged home will have a sense of balance and proportion with the furniture and accessories.  Here are a few tips to help you achieve that goal:

Reading the Room – You read the room from left to right, just as you read a book.  Keep your eyes moving smoothly around the room by creating highs and lows, much like an undulating wave or the shape of an S curve on its side.  Use accessories, artwork, and window treatments to help build the highs and lows.

Let Shapes Lead You – Use the shapes of the room and the shapes of the items in the room to help guide you in your design process.  For example, an angle built into a room, such as a fireplace built into a corner, dictates that you place a piece of furniture in the room on a corresponding angle in order to achieve a sense of balance so the room can “feel” right.

Like with Like – Similar shapes work best when they are together.  If you have a short wall and a tall wall, typically your short furniture piece will go on your short wall, and your tall furniture will go on your tall wall.  This also works with a horizontal piece of art over a long sofa or using small accessories in a small room and large accessories in a large room.  Think tall with tall, small with small, narrow with narrow, wide with wide.

You will learn even more tips and tricks of Home Staging in the “Live” Home Staging videos.  Learn why we do the things we do and most of all, gain the confidence that you need to stage a home on your own.  And, just like the fancy TV shows, we even captured the homeowner’s reaction when they walked in to see their newly transformed space.

You can get fully certified in Home Staging or Real Estate Staging – or -

if you’ve always just wanted to know and see the process for home staging OR redesign – you can get THAT video online training too!

Check it out at www.certifiedprohomestaging.com for ALL of the info – and let me know what you think!!!

Best,

-Mary Larsen

PS – the actual videos are much more clear and crisp than the samples shown on the page.

• Are you wondering where you next client is going to come from?
• Are you consistently in front of your clients and potential clients with valuable information?
• Are email newsletters part of your strategic marketing plan?

If your answer to these questions is “no” – it’s time to make a change!

Keeping in touch with your clients on a regular basis is crucial to your marketing plan.  Clients start a project when they are ready to start a project – and when they are ready, you want them to think of you!  And how do you make this happen?  By sending them an on-line newsletter with valuable information – and reminds them that you are ready when they are. 

And I have heard you loud and clear – many of you have told me “I just can’t write!” So instead of making it impossible for you to do one of the things that I think is CRUCIAL to your business – I am going to HELP you do it!

I have written the newsletters for you!  All you need to do is set up your newsletter system (I suggest ConstantContact.com – it is super easy!), write a simple little greeting, and then insert the newsletter content that I wrote for you!  These newsletters are formatted in Word, and can be tweaked easily by you so that you can personalize them even more if you choose to do so.

Each newsletter is filled with fresh and valuable information that will have your clients thinking of YOU when they are ready to do their next project!

For a copyrighted sample of one of the Drapery Newsletters please email me directly.  Mary @ marylarsendesigns.com

You can purchase the complete set of 12 newsletters that you can send to YOUR clients at the great price of $288 (that is $24 a newsletter) by clicking here which will take you to the shopping cart.

(newsletters will be emailed to you within 1 working day of your order.)

Or you can choose to break it up into 2 payments of $163 each – the first payment to be charged when you place the order, the second to be charged the following month.  You would receive 6 newsletters when you place the order, and 6 the following month when you credit card is automatically charged for the second payment

This 2 payment plan is a bit more expensive than the one payment plan, so please keep that in mind when making your choice.  You can click here for the newsletters using the 2 payment plan.

Staying in front of your clients and your potential clients is crucial to the success of your business – and these newsletters are going to help you be just that – successful!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen

Last week as I was standing around wondering what I would write about, I received Jack Canfield’s newsletter – and bang! Here is Part II of the article.

Tomorrow I start presenting my two “Money and Marketing” classes at the International Window Fashions Expo -
and that always leads to some “asking.”

Have a great rest of the week!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen

The 5 Secrets to Successful Asking

The first stumbling block for most is knowing how to ask. There are five secrets to great asking that can guarantee you results, however big or small.

If you ever find yourself hitting brick walls and coming up short in responses, come back to these five tips:

Ask Clearly: No one likes getting a vague or fuzzy question. Be precise. Think clearly about your request. Take time to prepare. Use a note pad to pick words that have the greatest impact. Words are powerful, so choose them carefully.

For example, if you throw out the “How am I doing?” question without specifics, it may take time for the other person to understand what you’re talking about. Instead, try, “How is my attitude with customers? Do you see room for improvement? Where?”

Ask with Confidence: People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you’ve figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence. Practice in the mirror if you have to, or write out your question in advance.

Be prepared to hear the unexpected or the unwanted. Try to have an open mind and heart (it’s okay to feel intimidated by the experience, but don’t show it). Don’t get defensive if you hear something you don’t like or that makes you uncomfortable. It’s good to get a little uneasy once in a while upon the observations or insights of others. They will inspire you to stop, reflect, and take steps to make a shift for the better.

Ask Consistently: Top producers know that they can’t quit if they ask once and don’t get a good response. Keep asking until you find the answers, and try different ways of asking if one doesn’t seem to be working.

In prospecting there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.” You may, for example, want to ask a co-worker about your performance on an important team project, but you sense reluctance from that person to offer an opinion.

You can always ask another person who is more receptive to the question, or consider how you are asking it and try again. Because people don’t normally go around asking others for opinions on how well they are doing, it’s not a question typically heard. So be prepared to ask over and over again before you hear a clear–useful–answer.

Ask Creatively: In this age of global competition, your asking may get lost in the crowd, unheard by the decision-makers you hope to reach. There is a way around this. If you want someone’s attention, don’t ask the ordinary way. Use your creativity to dream up a high-impact presentation.

Bear in mind that asking someone to stop and evaluate you can seem awkward or time-consuming. Show respect for them first and find the ideal time to ask the question. Here’s one way to engage the insights of a superior: “I highly value your opinion and honest perspective, and would love to know what you think I could be doing differently on a daily basis that would make your life easier and make our clients happier.”

Ask Sincerely: When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don’t worry if your presentation isn’t perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple and people will open up to you.

Like speaking a different language, asking takes continual practice until it becomes a regular, reflexive habit. The sooner you build your “Ask Muscle”, the sooner you’ll see the results you’ve been waiting–and searching–for.

Don’t think asking only relates to work-related goals and tasks. Bring this practice home to enrich your relationships with your family members and your friends, too!

I trust you’ll be surprised and delighted at what you discover about yourself in this process.

Happy asking!

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com