Choosing a Professional Organizer

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Choosing a professional organizer is difficult, and it doesn't always work out. One in four Personworks customers come to us after having used another professional organizer and being unsatisfied with the results. How can you choose a professional organizer that will work well with you? Here is a simple checklist that may help you narrow down the field.

Get a consultation in person.

It's very difficult to judge a project over the phone. If the project winds up being more difficult than expected, your organizer may have to do a "rush job" to finish it all, or you may wind up paying more than you expected to have it done right. If the project is less difficult than expected, you'll pay more than you needed to.

Also, it's very important that you get along well with your organizer. This is difficult to judge over the phone. If someone makes you feel defensive, embarrassed, or just plain uncomfortable, your project probably won't work out.

Some professional organizers will come to your home or office in person, at no charge, to give you a quote. If they won't do that, spend the extra money and pay them for a short one-hour consultation session.

Find out who's doing the work.

You may have the company president take your call, a full time professional organizer do the evaluation, and a part-time contractor do the actual work. Make sure you know who is doing what, and make sure that you meet everyone before you sign any checks.

Go with NAPO.

The National Organization of Professional Organizers has been around for 20 years. They're not out to make a profit; they exist only to advance the organizing profession. Most reputable organizers are members.

There are a number of other organizations that have sprung up within the past three years. It remains to be seen if they will prove to be as reliable as NAPO. Be sure to check references.

Call at least three references and ask them:

Did everything get done on time, the way you expected?
Has the system continued to work for you?
How long ago was the work done?

An active professional organizer should be able to give you references from clients they just finished working with, as well as satisfied clients who have been benefiting from their work for years.

Get the cost in writing.

Memories have a strange tendency to fail when checkbooks are involved. Was that a down payment or the total payment? Does the work end after four hours, or after the project is done? Make sure that you have a signed agreement that describes what you're getting and how much you're paying for it.

Work with a company that is bonded and insured.

Disasters do happen, and you don't want to be the one left holding the bill when it's over. Personworks has seen moving trucks get stolen--and worse. Make sure your organizer can take care of you if something goes wrong.

Check their web site.

You can learn a lot from a company's web site. Look for answers to these questions:

How long have they been in business?
Are they a full-time professional organizer, or do they do other work as well?
Does their website look professional?
Do they offer newsletters, weblogs, or mailing lists that you can read to get an idea of their methods and techniques?