So far, the biggest thing for me has been JUST TAKING THE NEXT STEP. One foot in front of the other, continuing that momentum. There’s days I doubt myself… like the fact that ten years have passed and my body has changed, plus now I have fun mid 30s things like vertigo, allergies, and a hip that likes to pop out. I also definitely don’t live in a metro area with 3.3 million people anymore… I’m out here in what feels like the middle of nowhere sometimes! But I’m not letting any of those things stop me. One foot in front of the other.
Here’s what I accomplished this week:
Day 13- I populated my business pages on Instagram and Facebook. If you’ve taken my course or world with me in Pro Organizer Bootcamp, then you know that I’m all about local search… like getting found on Google when potential clients type in “professional organizer near me” or “home organizer in my zip code”... but, social media can also be a funnel for you to get clients! The only thing I advise against is getting too caught up in “imposter syndrome” and “comparisonitis” when creating your pages and trying to make them perfect. There’s TONS of organizers out there on Instagram and Facebook now (plus TikTok, Youtube and other platforms) but my advice when just getting started is to pick the platform that you already use and love and don’t go too crazy trying to post every single day. Let these platforms stay FUN for you, connect with other organizers, show the behind the scenes of your life & home, and be SOCIAL!
Day 14- I got my Organizer’s Toolkit all ready to go! I use a simple black tote bag, a little on the “big” side like a pool bag or beach bag, nylon and easy to clean. Lots of pockets and zippered compartments inside for things like my label maker and extra tape, scissors, sharpies, trash bags, flashcards for sorting signs, and other random odds & ends like cord ties, velcro, museum putty, hand sanitizer, and allergy meds. I have a whole section and checklist on this in my $99 Pro Organizer Bootcamp course if you’d like to check it out at proorganizerbootcamp.com/course.
Day 15- Time to get into pricing and market research! Being in a whole new market and a whole new client demographic, it was time to do some research on other organizers in my area and other metrics like average income, population size, and more. I landed on $300 per 4 hour session as I think that’s a reasonable rate for my skill set & experience level, and the fact that for most jobs I’ll need to drive about an hour each way (and we all know gas isn’t cheap right now!). I have a whole video on how to price your services up on my Youtube channel if you’d like to check out the full 8 minute video!
Day 16- I took some time to get really clear on WHO I want to work with and WHAT types of projects I want to work on. Thinking back to when I started my first organizing business in 2011, I’ve definitely learned A LOT about what I love and don’t love. I can remember so many moments in 2018 and 2019 where I felt trapped working with a non-ideal client, or feeling like “the help,” and generally undervaluing myself and my organizing services. After trial and error, I now have a CRYSTAL CLEAR vision of who I love to work with and the types of clients that also work really well with me. Thinking back to getting set up on Yelp, Google My Business, Nextdoor, and Thumbtack– we are definitely living in the digital age and a time of “review culture.” It’s so important to work with ALIGNED clients that need you, adore you, appreciate you, and respect you so that you can have great working relationships, happy clients, and awesome reviews! Take some time to figure out your own ideal client avatar and keep this at the forefront of your vision in booking new projects.
Day 17- I set up my professional business email. At only $6 per month through Google Suite, I have a professional looking email address, with my website domain in the URL. This way I’m able to have my business email separate from my personal, and also not have a gmail (or yikes, even a yahoo or hotmail) .com at the end of my email so that I can look “buttoned up” for my clients. I used a free email signature generator from my fave resource, Hubspot, to build out a branded signature including my business’ fonts, colors, and logo. This is a super simple task and you only have to do it once if your phone number, website, and social handles stay the same! I love how clean the signature looks when responding to clients and it really does add that extra touch of taking your business & brand to the next level.
Day 18- Consultation day! I had 2 consultations that came through my booking link on my website. To me, that’s the easiest and most effective way for prospective clients to get time with you. I don’t do in-person consultations, only phone consults. I have my reasoning for that and I go into the topic in depth in my course. If you'd like to grab your seat in How to Start a Home Organizing Business in 30 Days, the link is in the show notes below! So I had my script all ready to go including availability for booking, pricing, and my Honeybook contracts system up and ready in case they wanted to book right then and there on the phone. I LOVE consultations because it’s such an important time to see if the energy of your prospective client is going to be a fit for your business and working relationship. It’s a great time to notice any “red flags” in clients and ask the right questions to see if the project is a fit for your skillset, experience, and general preferences.
Day 19- So now that my business email + signature are up and running and I had some client leads coming in, it was time to map out my email nurture strategy. I love email marketing for keeping in touch with prospective clients that may not book right away. It’s a great way to provide value and keep them in your pipeline. Basically I repurposed an eBook that I had made a few years ago and added in my new logo and branding and popped that into my favorite email marketing platform, Mailchimp. It’s a simple way to collect email addresses, send resources out to prospects, and give value to past and present clients! Oh, and I did a whole episode on this in my Pro Organizer Bootcamp podcast called “Marketing Hacks for Professional Organizers” if you’d like to take a listen! My podcast is available on Apple iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts… or you can tune in on Anchor or Pocketcasts, plus it’s also up here on my Youtube channel!
And that concludes week THREE of my Pro Organizer Blueprint experiment! If you’ve been watching this miniseries, then so far you’ve probably noticed that I’m completing just ONE needle moving activity per day for my business. I’m not getting it all done in one day or even one week…
In Pro Organizer Bootcamp we’re all about BABY STEPS to success! Do you know what your “big rocks” are? What is the ONE thing that you can tackle today? Remember, action cures fear!
RESOURCES:
► Course & Coaching: https://www.proorganizerbootcamp.com
► NEW Organizing Website: https://letsgetyouorganizedokc.com/
► Get Clients Fast Guide https://bit.ly/getclientsfastguide
► Canva Pro: https://www.canva.com/join/carefree-e...
► HoneyBook Contracts & Invoicing Software for Pro Organizers - get 20% off with Melisa’s link at http://share.honeybook.com/melisa823
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proorganize...
► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisameral
► Facebook: Join our Professional Organizer Community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/proor...
► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/proorganize...
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you visit one of the tools I mentioned, using my referral link, then I may receive a small commission. This helps support my channel and allows me to continue making content. Thank you for your support!
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