Are you a home stager looking to work less, make more, and wow your clients? Look no further than Dubsado – a powerful client relationship management (CRM) software that can revolutionize your business. In this blog post, we will explore what a CRM is, how Dubsado can help home stagers automate their processes, streamline client management, and create a seamless client experience.
From lead capture to final payment, Dubsado can be your ultimate tool for success. Let’s dive in!
About Me
Before we dive into the world of Dubsado, let me introduce myself. I’m Amy Gould, a systems strategist and Certified Dubsado Specialist. A few years ago, I was working in HR. I absolutely loved leveraging the power of automation to eliminate repetitive tasks there. (In fact, it got me tapped to help set-up and onboard two Human Resource Information Systems while I was there.)
In 2020, my position was eliminated due to Covid. I found myself without a job and no idea how to look for a job during a pandemic. So, I decided to start a Virtual Assistant business and that’s where I discovered the power of systems and automation. (It’s also where I first heard about Dubsado.)
Over the years, I’ve worked with countless creative entrepreneurs, including home stagers, witnessing firsthand the transformational impact of implementing systems and automation.
What is a CRM?
A CRM stands for client relationship management tool. Basically, a CRM can help you organize all of your client information in one place. Everything from project information, invoices, contracts, payments, appointments, proposals, questionnaires, project notes and where they’re at in your process can be found in a well designed CRM (like Dubsado. In fact, everything I mentioned is something that Dubsado keeps organized for you.) Dubsado also has templates for things that you do repeatedly like send: canned emails, packages and forms.
Want to check out Dubsado for yourself? Use my affiliate code amysgouldco to save 30% on your first month or yearly subscription. Plus, you can try it for free for your first three projects so there’s no risk.
Issues that I’ve Seen Home Stagers Face
- A home stager is often away from their desk/inbox doing consultations, staging or de-staging a home.
- It’s pretty competitive. Sales are won and lost in the speed of follow-up.
- Creating proposals and filling in contracts to send to clients takes too long. Sometimes 2-3 hours or more.
- Sales numbers aren’t what you’d like.
- Keeping all the client and project details organized is challenging.
- Client experience is not what you want it to be OR you’re spending hours playing catch up when you’re back in the office. Burnout is a real thing.
- Manually following up with clients, scheduling appointments, and sending reminders takes a lot of extra time.
- Keeping track of all the project details is a full time job!
- Tracking past due payments, sending appointment confirmations and reminders, letting clients know their home is staged or de-staged. It all takes extra time.
How can Dubsado Follow up With New Leads and on Other Client Management While You’re Away From Your Desk?
The short answer. Automation or as I like to think of it Automagic! You can build automation in Dubsado to handle all kinds of things like…
Responding quickly to leads
Sending an immediate response and a quick estimate to a lead who fills out your lead capture form. Maybe even sharing a link to your portfolio or recent projects. It could send you an email notification letting you know that you got a new lead so you can call them right away or it could invite them to schedule a paid consultation. You have options!
Sending a Receipt of Payment and Next Steps
Thanking clients for completing their proposal and acknowledging the payment. (I usually include a message letting them know what the next steps are in the process and when they can expect to hear from you.)
Sending Confirmations and Reminders Before Appointments
You can schedule appointments for clients in just a few clicks. The best part is, they get a confirmation email and reminder emails. These are GREAT to use to for a few friendly reminders like…
- Make sure the HVAC and utilities are turned on.
- All people and pets are out of the house.
- Make sure the house is clean and all work is complete before the staging date.
- Telling them the lockbox code that you have for the home and asking you to call you if it’s different.
Sending Payment Reminders
Dubsado can send payment reminders ahead of payments due and for payments past due. You can also set up recurring payments. (Great for month by month lease agreements.)
Speed Up Follow Up and Streamline Client Onboarding
Creating proposals and contracts from scratch can be a daunting and time-consuming task. I’ve heard from my home stager clients that they might spend 2-3 hours or more putting together a proposal and contract.
With Dubsado, you can create templates for proposals, forms, packages and contracts, saving you hours of manual work. By automating the process, you can send personalized proposals in as little as 15 minutes, allowing you to focus on what you do best – staging homes.
Dubsado will populate all the client’s information into the contract for you. No more manual copy-pasting (hello less possibility of errors!) You’re not limited to basic name and address either. You can create short entry fields for anything you can think of. You can even fill the items that the client agreed to in their proposal on the contract. (Need help brainstorming ideas here, this is something I can help with. Book a free 15 minute discovery call to learn more.)
All this means that you can create and send proposals in minutes instead of hours. Is anyone else cheering here?? Did I forget to mention that you clients can approve the estimate, sign the contract digitally and pay the invoice in one document? Plus you can collect their lockbox code, security code and any other information you need to plan their staging.
Let’s Talk Sales Numbers
It’s pretty easy to see how following up with leads efficiently and sending estimates and contracts quickly can help you close more sales.
Additionally, sending gorgeous branded proposals that showcase your work, testimonials, process and FAQs helps potential clients see the benefits of choosing you and eliminate more questions. (Less back and forth phone calls, emails and more sales!)
Staying Organized Can Feel Like a Full Time Chore as a Home Stager
You’re already spending lots of time keeping track of which team members are where, when. Keeping your warehouse organized and everything else running smoothly. The last thing you need to do is hunt for project and client information. Dubsado keeps all the information in one project organized and together which means you ALWAYS know where to look to find what you need.
Effortless Client Communication for a Home Stager
Effective communication is crucial for any business, including home stagers. Dubsado simplifies client communication by automating payment reminders, appointment confirmations, and reminders. You can customize these messages to align with your brand and tailor them to meet the unique needs of each project. You can also create canned email templates for all of your frequently sent emails and automatically send emails to clients at certain points in your customer journey. By reducing time spent on manual follow-ups, you can provide a seamless client experience and maximize your productivity.
You Get to Create an Intentional Client Experience that Fits Your Business
You don’t have to worry about sounding like a robot or making your business fit a certain mold. Dubsado is 100% customizable. So you can make it fit the way you do business. Once you’ve set up your initial automations, you can continue to tweak them to provide the best client experience with the least amount of hands on work.
I Don’t Want to Sound Like a Robot, Cold or Too Automated
This is a common question that I’m often asked (especially by my home stager clients). You want all of your interactions to be warm, personable and sound like you.
The easy way to avoid sounding like a robot is. Write like you talk. Use transcription software like Otter.ai to write out your emails. This way your emails sound like you and not like a robot.
You can set up your automations so they don’t send immediately after someone fills out a form. You can also add in to-dos into your workflows that’ll pause the workflow so you can customize a form or email before it goes out. This way you can still have the human touch, but 99% of the work will be handled by you new office assistant. Dubsado.
Centralized Client and Project Management for a Home Stager
No more searching through different tools and platforms for client information, project details, forms, and contracts. Dubsado brings everything together in one place, offering a centralized hub for all your client and project management needs. From contact information to project status, emails to invoices, forms to contracts, Dubsado ensures all your essential information is easily accessible. This streamlined approach saves you time and guarantees a hassle-free experience for both you and your clients.
Dubsado vs. Stageforce
You may have heard of Stageforce, another platform designed for home staging businesses. While Stageforce excels in managing the logistics of staging projects, team coordination, and inventory management, it may not offer the same capabilities as Dubsado in terms of automating lead follow-ups, generating proposals and contracts, and streamlining client communication.
As I’m writing this, their website mentions that some of those things are coming, but it’s hard to say when or exactly how they’ll work and what they’ll be able to do. I’ll definitely be updating this post as they roll out new features.
If it were me, I’d use Dubsado or another CRM to manage leads and onboard clients and Stageforce to manage your inventory, team coordination, etc. However, you should look at your individual business needs and processes to determine what’s the best fit for you and your business.
Conclusion
If you’re a home stager looking to simplify client management, automate processes and create a seamless client experience Dubsado is the tool for you. With its powerful features, such as…
- lead capture and client experience automation
- customizable templates
- centralized project management
- customizable automation
Dubsado can transform the way you run your business. Take advantage of this CRM software to work less, make more, and wow your clients.
Want me to set up your entire Dubsado system for you or help you choose software for your business?
Book a free 15-minute strategy session with me. Together, we can explore how automation and systems can take your business to the next level.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and actually use the software recommended, I may get a commission and you’ll get a deal. So it’s a Win/Win!