Last week I wrote about smart business goal setting and gave my five tips to help you set goals and then actually act on them.

They say that “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

While I believe this, I know we can get carried away with planning to the point where it paralyzes us from taking action.

I don’t believe a multi-page marketing plan for home stagers is what’s needed to succeed. Especially because you run your own business.

When you’re the one responsible for marketing your home staging services (which you should be since it’s the most important element to your long term survival), you don’t need a complicated full-blown plan to get “senior management” approval.

You’re the president after all! 🙂

My fellow MBA graduates would probably cringe at me suggesting a one page marketing plan. And that’s certainly not what I produced for my corporate clients for so many years.

I’ve been my own boss since 1989. And learned the hard way that the longer the plan I write for myself, the less likely I am to follow it.

Part of why I’ve chosen to be self-employed all these years is the freedom to pounce on my ideas and make them happen.

Creative energy and inspiration comes from being able to take action rather than sitting around analyzing everything to death.

Or waiting to get approval from others.

A one page marketing plan gets me far closer to my goals than a big report ever will. Otherwise, I just suck all the joy out of my ideas before I actually act on them.

Whether you’re a real estate agent or a home stager, I think it’s important to spend focused time thinking about your business and how you’ll attract new clients.

I begin with a huge sheet of paper (and sometimes just a napkin or the back of an envelope)!

Start by “mind mapping” and brainstorming various ideas.

Doing it by hand on paper rather than sitting at a computer is more conducive to idea generation.

After much thought and brainstorming (which might include a dog walk or long shower to loosen up ideas), I list my marketing goals and the specific steps I’ll take to reach them.

The more specific you are about the steps, the better.

Keep it simple so that you’ll take action rather than feeling overwhelmed.

In your planning for the next few months, try not to do what you’ve always done. Especially if you’re expecting better results than you’ve had before.

And more importantly, don’t just copy the home staging marketing you see other home stagers doing.

Step outside “the box” and challenge yourself to break from the pack of other home stagers.

That’s where the real business and personal rewards are!

Home stagers, how big is your marketing plan? How do you go about tackling the process?

Please share in the comments below.

If you’d like additional help understanding how a one page marketing plan comes together, check out the Staging Diva Simple Marketing Plan Companion. It will put you in the right marketing mindset and show you how it all fits together.