Title: Business Roundtable
Date & Time: Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 | 8:30am-5:30pm
Number of Hours: 8 (1 Day)
Fee: $180
Description: Take some time to explore the business end of your business. Learn from the experts about the state of the industry, how to market and find new clients, how to address designers and form a strategy to set prices so you will stay in business.
During the morning session, each student will take a seat at one of the four tables. Each instructor will give a 55-minute presentation. At the end of each presentation the instructor will move to the next table. The afternoon session will run the same but students will be able to dig deeper into the concepts reviewed in the morning sessions and ask further questions, relating the topics to their own businesses.
(Topic #1)
Problem Solving – Developed with PDRA and The Faux Finisher magazine
Nick Cichielo
A group in-depth discussion of business problems both common to the industry and individual problems faced by decorative painters in their business. Each attendee will have an opportunity to discuss individual business problems. Examples include:
• How to handle conflicts with scheduling
• How to motivate employees
• Handling clients that want evening or weekend estimates. What is your priority to your family.
• Do you use contracts? If not WHY.
• Handling lowball estimates by so-called Faux Finishers.
• How to control your employees from becoming your competition.
• When a designer is involved, how to handle the designer’s client going directly to you.
• Willingness to embrace change. Are you stuck with the same techniques & finishes?
• How to charge for ALL your time, i.e.. Sample board making.
• Topics of your choice
(Topic #2)
What is Your Pricing Strategy Doing?
Rebecca Parsons, Rebecca Parsons Studio, Inc.
If you do not have a pricing strategy, learn why you need one. If you do, learn how to make it better. Start to formulate a pricing strategy that enhances your business goals and bottom line while allowing you to stay in business. See what your pricing does to the entire industry!
(Topic #3)
Interior Designers or Interior Disasters?
Ed Mattingly, Roman Architectural Finishes
Do not miss out on this high-margin market niche! Learn the ins and outs of working with interior designers. Ed Mattingly will share his real-world “war stories” and will open up the session to a "town hall meeting" with Q&A and discussion. Topics will include an explanation of where to find interior designers, how to handle a client/designer consultation, how to prepare and present your portfolio, appropriate answers to tough questions, costs associated with custom sampling, growing your client list, etc. This session will feature case studies from more than 15 years of successful installations as well as address how to handle some of the not-so-successful situations that arise along the way.
Don’t run away! Instead, choose to run towards the profits that interior designers and their high-end work can generate for your business.
(Topic #4)
Simple Secrets to Selling & Fee Setting
Kirstin Carey, Orange Tree Business Growth Consulting
If you hate selling, despise sales calls, detest writing proposals, and know you’re under charging, but you love what you do, then this is the program for you! Find out simple secrets to getting paid what you are worth without using pushy sales tricks or slimy sales tactics.
Stop stressing over fees setting, writing proposals, and selling. Get to do more of what you want to do – paint and design creative environments for your clients. Stop wasting your time on things you dislike and learn simple ways to sell your creativity for more money then you ever thought you could! It’s easier than you think.
In the morning sessions, we’ll touch on all aspects of selling and fee setting. In the in-depth afternoon session, dig deep and go further into information about how to really make your business work for you the way you want it to. Learn from case studies and get your questions answered once and for all!
In this program you will learn:
• Secrets to creating value that your clients will understand
• Ways to position yourself so your client is begging to write you a check
• Tips to writing proposals that shoot your closing rate to over 75%
• Strategies to avoid going out on sales calls that just waste your time
• Specific contract language that will get you paid upfront
• Simple items that allow you to sell on your comfort level
• Ways to get referrals so you don’t have to cold call or advertise ever again
• Systematic strategies to handling buyer objections
• How to set your pricing so you are thrilled and you customer feels like he’s getting a bargain.
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