Amy Slenker-Smith, Simply Enough

I stopped trying to sound like every other organizer a while ago.

It cost me a few readers. Someone told me she kept her distance for a long time because she thought I wanted her to throw away everything she owned.

I didn't correct her right away. I let her read a few more.

Vanilla doesn't attract anyone. What you actually stand for does — even the parts some people will never agree with.

That's the whole reason I write a real email every single Thursday instead of a caption every once in a while. Always exactly what I think, never the safe version.

Not every post is for everyone. Show up anyway.

If you want the unfiltered version of this story in your inbox on Thursday, sign up here. https://pages.simplyenough.net/

The price of a thing isn't the dollars. It's the life you trade for it.

We found 17 end tables when Steve's parents downsized. For two people.

You already paid once. Don't keep paying with your life.

I wasn't ready to start. I was willing. That was the only difference.

"The only thing worse than starting something and failing is not starting something." — Seth Godin

Planning is not starting. Starting is starting.

Three "let me talk to my husband"s this month. Zero callbacks.
If you're a professional organizer, you know exactly which consults I mean. She walked you through every closet in the house. She finally stopped apologizing and started planning.
Then: "This sounds amazing, I just need to check with my husband."
That was nine days ago.
Here's what I say now, before she leaves the room:
"If you ask your husband tonight, this is going to be a no. Not because he doesn't care — because he didn't have the benefit of this conversation. So let's do a follow-up with the three of us."
It's bold. It also takes the no off her shoulders. She's not walking into the kitchen alone tonight, selling your service from memory to a man who thinks the house looks fine.
And she is up against more than he knows. Research shows that a woman’s cortisol stays elevated all day in a cluttered home. Their husbands' does not. She's carrying a weight he can't feel, and she can't explain it over dinner.
You can.
That's what the follow up meeting is for. Two things make it work.
Ask questions, then say her answers back in front of him. Her words, not yours. How long she's been at it. What she's stopped doing. Who she's stopped inviting over. You're not selling in that meeting. You're translating.
Then price the switch cost. The duplicates because nothing can be found. The money spent without intention. Put a number on what this year already cost them, and your fee becomes the cheaper option.
I've never had that meeting end in a no.
You're not bad at closing. You're losing them because you made her do your job for you.
What's the last consult you lost to a husband? Tell me what you said at the end and I'll tell you what I'd change.

I love coaching professional organizers. But a testimonial like this isn't the win.

The win is that Crystal is changing her clients' lives for the better.

She came to me already good at the work. What changed was getting clear on what she was actually selling. And she'll tell you the client results got deeper because of it.

Did I mention she lives in my favorite state? 😉

If you need a home organizer near Salt Lake City, Crystal is your girl. She serves Lehi, Highland, Draper, and the surrounding areas. Tag someone who needs her.

Date night!

Ten years of this work, and the math hasn't changed.

Every time I clear what I don't need, the same thing happens.
The room exhales.

The same thing happens to my clients.

It was never about the stuff. It was always about the breathing room on the other side of it.