Friday Treat – More Great Thoughts about Customer Service

Last week, we shared great thoughts about customer service.  Your reaction was so positively overwhelming that we decided to share more great thoughts to inspire you and continue thinking about ways you and I can better serve our customers and partners.

”A sale is not something you pursue, it is something that happens to you while you are immersed in serving your customer.

~ Unknown

”To my customer. I may not have the answer, but I’ll find it. I may not have the time, but I’ll make it.”

~ Unknown

”Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”

~Donald Porter V.P., British Airways

 

”As far as customers are concerned you are the company. This is not a burden, but the core of your job. You hold in your hands the power to keep customers coming back – perhaps even to make or break the company.”

~ Unknown

”Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!”

~Gene Buckley, Sikorsky Aircraft

”If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.”

~ Unknown

”Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.”

~Tony Alessandra

”If you want to be creative in your company, your career, your life, all it takes is one easy step… the extra one. When you encounter a familiar plan, you just ask one question: What ELSE could we do?”

~Dale Dauten

 

Remember to dwell in possibilities but have fun doing so.

Cindy

What a Kitchen!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I am showcasing a great house that has so many wonderful features.  I couldn’t limit myself to just one blog article because this house is “One of My All Time Favorite Projects”. 

Today, I want to feature the kitchen and dining area of My Favorite Project as they are perfect complements for great cooking, fun gatherings, and country elegance.

As I’ve mentioned in previous discussions, I believe that the kitchen can be the deal closer if it is done well or the deal breaker, if it is not (think outdated, cluttered and confusing).  Kitchens are where family and friends gather to enjoy good food and each other. 

As you can see from the “Before” pictures, I had great material to work with.  The home was obviously a labor of love with major remodeling done with taste and style.  And that taste and style is perfectly represented in the kitchen and dining area.

I can tell that the home sellers cooked many great family meals and served them at the scrubbed pine harvest table; prepared Sunday suppers for close friends; baked lots of cookies with Grandkids; and, maybe talked about life and love with girlfriends over a cup of coffee while sitting at the huge butcher block bar.  

This kitchen was made for living and sharing!

My job as a home stager is to help a potential home buyer envision their best self living a great life in this house.  In order to make this house buyer friendly, I had to remove a lot of the things that made this kitchen special and work for the homeowner.  We had to remove collections (collecting was clearly a hobby enjoyed immensely by the home sellers), memorabilia, kitchen appliances and utensils. 

This kitchen has a definite style (remember “country without the cute”).  I was polishing a diamond.  But by doing much editing and streamlining, staging made it more modern and forward.

Just look at this dining room table.  What you can’t see is the amazing view of the yard and pond!  The possibilities in this space are of quiet meals, merry parties and holiday feasts to fuel the imagination of any potential buyer who steps into this simple and yet elegant space made for living and sharing.

See more examples of kitchens staged by Transitions at our website http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Staging-by-Room-Type.html

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Wallpaper – To Remove or Not To Remove, That Is The Question…………..

I am often asked to comment on a subject as it pertains to houses being prepared to go on the market……..”What about the wallpaper?”  And my answer is usually the same - “Remove it”

My logic for removing wallpaper is as follows:

H  Wallpaper is almost always dated.

H  Wallpaper is taste and style specific.  In most cases, it is unique to the home seller.  And our home staging objective is to appeal to a wide number of buyers.

H  Home buyers see wallpaper as work and another expense associated with buying and living in your home.  They will depreciate your asking price by more than the amount it will cost to remove the paper.

The bottom line is – wallpaper will cost the home seller money!  The question is whether you want to control those costs by taking steps to remove the wallpaper prior to listing the house or dealing with the cost in an inflated price reduction offered by a potential buyer.

Today’s pictures illustrate how removing wallpaper streamlined this bedroom and bathroom and brought them into the present. 

I have to admit, walking into the before bathroom and bedroom (and looking at these pictures) made me anxious and tired.  There is a completely different feeling after the wallpaper removal.  I think the words fresh and airy are fitting.

Of course, this example of wallpaper comes from "one of my all time favorite staging projects".  Check out our website to experience the Paddock staging project at http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Paddock-Staging.html .

Remember to dwell in possibilities. But make sure you have fun in the process.  Life is too short not to have fun!!!

Cindy

One of My All Time Favorite Projects and Houses

Over the last month, I had the privilege of staging a house that ranks right up there as one of my all time favorite projects and houses.

What made it so special?

H  The curb appeal is fine but nothing exceptional.  But just wait until you walk in the front door.  The “Wow’s” start the moment you cross the threshold and do not end until you are soaking in the beautiful view of the pond.

H  The home was obviously a labor of love with major remodeling done with taste and style.  Plus, it was the labor of a loving family who enjoyed creating a special home for family and friends to enjoy.  You experience the love and joy in each and every room.

H  THE KITCHEN! (There is so much to say about the kitchen that it deserves its own blog entry . . .to be continued)

H  As my favorite OBEO photographer (and another fan of the house) so eloquently noted – this house is “country without the cute” and “shows how when done well, a relatively smaller home can be great, I would take this any day over some larger homes.”

My staging challenge was to transform this beautiful and unique family home into a place that would appeal to potential buyers but also not overwhelm them.  This meant removing some but not all of what made this home special – once again, the art of home staging.

Today’s pictures provide a “sneak peek” of one of my all time favorite projects and houses. 

Over the next few posts, we will spend more time exploring the “to die for” kitchen and dining area; examine what to do with wallpaper; and, how to handle displays, collectibles, personal mementos and books.  

Keep coming back as we plan to continue this “story”. 

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Mid-Town Gem – Energy at the Front Door!!

My latest staging project was a small, older model but redone as a cutie.  I was hired by one of my favorite Realtors to lightly stage it in a way that would appeal to a young, professional and, most likely, first time home buyer.

Now I know the conventional staging wisdom is to stage a house to appeal to as many buyer’s as possible.  I preach that mantra all the time.  But, in some circumstances, I am convinced it is appropriate and smart to stage to a more specific market.  You have to do your homework to know the neighborhood, potential market and their needs and desires. 

The trick is to not be too specific so as to exclude or turn off any potential buyer but to be clear about how this home appeals to the specific market.  Once again, it is the art of home staging rather than the science of home staging. 

So, that said, let’s talk about this Mid-Town gem.

Kitchen - I love white cabinetry.  This kitchen pairs the cabinets with new gray granite countertops and a light vintage wood floor.  The open upper cabinetry not only provides lots of storage, but gives the kitchen an open look and feel.    The staging consists of white dishes, lots of stainless and glass and French baskets with herbs.  Fresh

Living Room - In the front living room, we did a vignette to set a younger tone for the rest of the house.  This was my chance to make an eclectic statement.  I combined two newly upholstered (white linen) antique chairs, charcoal throws, contemporary bold pillows, dyed-hide rug, a large piece of abstract art and a glossy bright orange table with fun accessories.  The eclectic combination gives this house energy right at the front door and puts a smile on your face!

See more “Before” and “After” photos of the Quebec-Tulsa staging project at http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Quebec-Tulsa.html

This Mid-Town Gem is chocked full of possibilities.  Now it just waits for the right person or couple to walk in the front door, feel the energy, see the possibilities and make an offer.  Then they can write the next chapter of their life story in this gem of a house.

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy