Social media is an extremely powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. With a well-crafted strategy, you can use social media to reach more clients, increase brand awareness, and engage with your target audience in meaningful ways. There are several platforms available that can help you achieve your business goals. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using social media for businesses. We’ll also share with you tips on how to create a successful social media marketing strategy. What Is Social Media Marketing? Social media marketing is the process of optimizing and promoting your b ..read more

The post Congratulations to our 2022 certified Master Professional Organizers® appeared first on Institute for Professional Organizers ..read more

Students often ask me what CRM (client relationship management) application I recommend for a professional organizing business and do they need one.  Let’s talk about CRMs. When I started my organizing business in 2003, the CRMs available were geared for medium size businesses or larger ones.  If the CRMs available today that focus on single-owner businesses or businesses with a few employees were available in 2003, I would have set my business up on one. Instead, I automated my business workflow without a CRM using the following applications: Website (client intake and engagement ..read more

We can focus our services on many different niches as Professional Organizers. One is photo organizing, both digital and print photos. Organizing one’s photographs can seem an unsurmountable task, and many people put it off because they don’t know where to begin or how to sort their memories. This is where you can help! If you want to add photo organizing to your repertoire of services, here is how you can approach the work with your clients or instruct them on the task by following the 5 Steps to Organizing method: Step 1: Strategize – How to Begin  What are your goals? Why do you want ..read more

Often, people dismiss the need for a professional organizer because, in their mind, they don’t want to pay someone to do something that seems so simple. They feel like they can do these tasks by themselves. After all, why would you hire someone to declutter your house? Or help you come up with a decent filing system? Or to teach you how to organize your home or office better? In my last blog post, How Much Do Professional Organizers Charge? I talked about selling the value of your services and working with a professional organizer. One way to sell your value is to communicate the benefits of ..read more

Establishing your fee continues to be the one area where many professional organizers undervalue their services.  Let’s explore how much professional organizers charge, determine a reasonable market rate, earn the income you need, and communicate your value to clients.  Selling Your Value Your clients need to understand the value of your services.  It’s difficult for a client to know whether your fee is affordable or reasonable until they have a chance to appreciate your services’ value.  If you charge a dollar an hour but don’t produce anything of value, your services are ..read more

If you have difficulty managing your paperwork or gathering information to stay updated, it could be because you’re still dependent on manual operations. This may cause you to miss out on opportunities. Worse, it can make you lag behind your competitors. If this is the case, then it’s high time to take a hard look at how your company works. This article explores business process automation and how it can be an effective strategy for success and sustainability. A Historical Snippet of Business Process Automation In the past, business process automation simply referred to the mechanization of t ..read more

You’re working with a new client, and when you met with her for the needs assessment, she seemed very eager to let go of her clutter and get organized once and for all. You are ankle-deep in her clutter working with her at your first decluttering session, and every time you ask her, “keep, donate, trash?” She replies, “keep!” You’re beginning to think, Is she going to let go of anything? Stop – Have a Conversation Before you get too far along, I suggest you stop the session and have a conversation with your client. If she stated a goal during your needs assessment of how much she was willing ..read more

You’re working with a new client, and when you met with her for the needs assessment, she seemed very eager to let go of her clutter and get organized once and for all. You are ankle-deep in her clutter working with her at your first decluttering session, and every time you ask her, “keep, donate, trash?” She replies, “keep!” You’re beginning to think, Is she going to let go of anything? Stop – Have a Conversation Before you get too far along, I suggest you stop the session and have a conversation with your client. If she stated a goal during your needs assessment of how much she was willing t ..read more

The first three questions to ask before considering a client’s project. 1. What is their location? Asking for their address may seem like a fundamental question, but when you ask this question is key.  Have you ever talked with a potential client at length, then they are ready to book an appointment, but when you ask, “what is your address?” you find out they are out of your service area, sometimes even out of your state!  If they are not willing to give you their exact address, you can tell them your service area and ask if they are located within it.  It only took me a fe ..read more