Staging Diva Graduate Uses Follow Up Skills To Gain 25 Hours Of Projects

Debra Gould
On a spring day in 2008, Staging Diva Graduate Susan Atwell of New York-based AtWell Staged Home was out touring model homes being built nearby. During her visit, Atwell subscribed to the builder´s mailing list under her personal email account.

A message she received a week later from that builder announced a seminar for potential home buyers with home staging being one of the topics. Rather than seeing this as a pothole on her road to success as many home stagers would, assuming the builder had a solid relationship with a home stager, Atwell saw it as an opportunity.

Atwell knows building a business takes work and she is very single-minded in her commitment to her staging business success. She thought that in view of his upcoming event for home buyers, the builder might be interested in speaking with a local home stager so she picked up the phone and called the manager.

"So many stagers in Atwell´s position would have given in to that voice inside telling them there´s already an experienced local stager and they shouldn´t bother going any further," states Staging Diva, Debra Gould. She goes on to say, "I´m so proud of Susan for finding the courage to make that call where she ended up learning that there was no existing relationship between the builder and any stager but the builder would be offering a $1000 credit towards home staging for any buyer needing to sell their home before buying."

The pair ended up having a discussion about the builder recommending Atwell Staged Home to his clients as his local stager of choice and several days later, Atwell got a phone call saying that the builder would be doing just that.

"Of course, Susan didn´t hang her hat on that and sit back waiting for new projects to fall in her lap," says Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. She adds, "instead she continued marketing her business. She started a home staging newsletter and a blog, two topics she´d gotten coaching on during her monthly participation in Staging Diva Dialog. She also got a new company brochure (free) because of her listing on the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers."


When January rolled around and Atwell had still received no calls from the builder on the onset of a new spring selling season, she decided to follow up under the guise of sharing these new resources she´d been developing.

Within a couple weeks of receiving that note, the builder asked Atwell to present to two potential home buyers, a presentation that ended in two scheduled home staging consultations. Soon after, she was asked to present again and again ultimately securing over 25 hours of home staging projects from that single builder in 2009.

"One of those homes was staged for a couple in the Bronx who were up-sizing to a new home. They got a signed agreement from the first couple to view their existing home making them and the builder very happy with AtWell Staged Home´s staging abilities!" says Gould.

About her great home staging success, Atwell states, "Having a solid business plan is key. Debra Gould´s home staging program is extremely logical and effective. The beauty is that it is also simple. With a strong IT background, this appeals to me!"

To learn more about home staging, including how to become a home stager, visit http://www.stagingdiva.com
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Debra Gould

Debra Gould, aka The Staging DivaŽ, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program.

Gould has trained 7,000+ Staging Diva students in over 21 countries to start their own businesses. All shared a natural talent for decorating and interest in real estate, but didn't know how to make a living in their own house staging business before learning her secrets.

Debra Gould's mission is to inspire and empower others to use their natural talents to earn a living. She followed her dreams and wants to teach others to be able to do the same.

Gould pursued an MBA in Marketing and began a corporate career before moving to advertising. In the 1980s, she launched one of the first integrated marketing firms, which she ran for 10 years. Wanting a more creative life, Debra gave it up to design home accessories. She created the Debra Gould Home Collection, landing a magazine cover story and book feature, followed by her first of several HGTV appearances.

Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a new staging career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since that time she has staged homes for hundreds of clients in addition to providing home staging training.

Gould is the author of "Staging Diva Ultimate Design Guide: Home staging tips, tricks and floor plans", "Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide: The easy way to pick colors for home staging projects", and "Staging Diva Ultimate Portfolio Guide: Winning clients with the perfect home staging portfolio".

In addition to HGTV, Debra Gould's media coverage includes: CityTV, GlobalTV, CBC, CBS Radio, CNNMoney, Wall Street Journal, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, MoneySense, Entrepreneur, House and Home, Home & Decor, Style at Home, Centre of the City, USAA Magazine, FabJob Guide to Become a Home Stager, Home Style, National Post Homes, This Old House, Home Business Magazine, Globe & Mail and others.

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