Retailer Resource Center Seminars

Sponsored by: 

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Multiple Generations = Many Opportunities
Next Generation-NOW Panel

With so many generations in the industry today and many retailers working together with family members, how do they find the balance needed to learn from each other, be open to a different perspective and ultimately grow their business?
 
Michael and Butch Faber of Royal Furniture and Trey, Jonathan & Ivan Smith of Ivan Smith Furniture will be on hand to candidly share their challenges and successes when working in a multi-generational family business. Listen to how they keep their relationships strong while pushing the envelope to stay agile and relevant in today’s changing marketplace.
 
Facilitated by: Alex Macias, Del Sol Furniture, Phoenix, AZ
 
Join us for breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

 

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Salespeople
Philip M. GutSELL & Associates

As you may know the seven deadly sins are pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. This seminar identifies and exposes the seven deadly sins of retail salespeople. These deadly sins cause more customers to leave without buying and few, if any, be backs raising your advertising costs. Find out what is holding your salespeople from consistent peak performance. This must attend seminar diagnoses the everyday sins and then gives you the prognosis for retail selling health.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Proven Mobile Marketing Success
Crystal Vilkaitis, Crystal Media

A hot trend for 2013 is to incorporate mobile into your marketing efforts if you haven’t done so already. In this session, you’ll learn how retailers effectively use mobile marketing tools like QR codes, location-based services, apps and SMS/MMS marketing to increase sales and, most importantly, how you easily can too!

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
What Were You Thinking?
Brad Huisken, IAS Training

Unlock the mystery of why some companies are fun and productive places to work and others are not. In today’s retail environment the only thing that separates one company from the competition are its people. The main responsibility of a storeowner and/or manager is to provide the sales staff with the tools and benchmarks needed through accountability, nonnegotiable standards, incentives, consequences, training, and knowledge in order to achieve success.

Brad Huisken will lead participants through a fun, motivational and educational seminar on how to effectively manage your people to increase productivity.

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Maximize Profit and Sales
John Egger, Profitability Consulting Group

John Egger is the guru in the furniture industry on how to maximize your dollars to the bottom line. This seminar will give you real time, real life examples from the hundreds of retail furniture stores that have helped improve their net income. This will be your most rewarding and profitable hour at market.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2013

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
WHFA Board Meeting

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Prepare Your Website for Smart Phone Users!
Ronald Gordon, MicroD, Inc.

 

There are currently over 280 million smartphones in use within the Americas. In this presentation, we will share with you the most important factors that will make your website attractive and highly useful when accessed from a smartphone. Come away with real life examples and best practices that will attract smartphone users and keep them coming back to your website.
 
Know how to best design your site for this important and growing market share.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Break-Even Sales Workshop
Wayne McMahon & David McMahon, PROFITsystems, Inc.

  • Can you accurately figure your break even sales?
  • Do you know what actions to take to improve your profits and cash flow through breakeven analysis?
  • Would you like to know what sales level you need to target to achieve your desired level of net income?

If you wish to know the answers to these questions, this workshop is for you!

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
4 Ways to Grow Your Business Now!
Doug Knorr, Knorr Marketing

Today, retailers are at a crossroads. Where should I invest my advertising? What do I do with social media, and which ones are important? With this economy how do I grow my business?

In this fast-paced seminar, Doug Knorr, president of Knorr Marketing, will present the four major things you can do to increase sales NOW!

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Selling Interior Design
Jody Seivert, One By One Companies

Design business is up and retail furniture business is DOWN. Come and see how to increase your current design service or get started in this lucrative value-added service!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Mattress Sales Training: Preparing for Today’s Empowered Shoppers
Gerry Morris, Inner Spring

Today’s mattress shopper is armed with knowledge and is seeking value. She is no longer relying upon what companies and brands say about themselves. Consumers are seeking advice of what and where to buy from their social networks. Word-of-mouth now travels at light speed. Retail sales associates must be up to the task! This exciting new seminar will teach you up to date training methods for sales associates, to help make sure shoppers buy from you and share positive experiences with their friends.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Anatomy of a Salesperson
Joe Milevsky, JRM Sales & Management

Give me a beautiful store with a terrible sales team, and I will most likely fail.
Give me an ugly store with a great sales team, and I will probably succeed.
I may want both, but which is the most critical?

  • What makes one salesperson succeed while others fail?
  • What is the magic prong furniture salesperson?
  • Where do I find my best candidates?
  • How do I entice top sales candidates to work for me?
  • How do I increase the probability that salespeople will succeed?
  • What is the correct number of salespeople for my store?

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
How Delivery Follow Ups Increase Business
Kevin Truett, Speedy Delivery, LLC.

In this seminar, we’ll dive into the importance of the “Post Delivery Survey” or customer follow-ups after delivery. A strong follow-up system can divert potential issues, provide valuable data pertinent to employee incentive programs and strengthen customer loyalty. Don’t miss any of the great opportunities that come with a simple follow up.

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Advertise BIG…Use your trucks!
Joe Lapekas and Jordan White, TruckSkin

 

When most retailers load their trucks for home deliveries, they make sure that they maximize the use of truck interior space so they don’t waste fuel, time and man hours. Yet, many retailers waste money by not effectively using blank space on their trucks, cars and vans. So why not get the attention of everyone around you, just by driving around or parking creatively?
 
Think of your vehicles as blank canvases you can use to grab the attention of your customers. Don’t assume that potential customers will find your advertisements; take your message directly to them so they can’t miss it!

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Merchandising to Show Your Customers How to Use Your Product
Bob Moorman, JRM Sales & Management

Do your in-store presentations invoke a customer’s emotional reaction? How should your merchandise line-ups be structured? What message should be at your front entrance?

How are you merchandising your floor; what’s new? How should you use lifestyle graphics? How do you develop merchandising themes that yield category dominance?

Merchandising must enhance the customer experience and create environments that make customers want to buy.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Furniture and Mattress Stores: How To Sell More with an Effective Web Presence
Jennie Gilbert, Retailer Web Services

 

Over 88 percent of U.S. consumers will research their purchases online this year. Some will complete their shopping on the web and many more will continue their experience by calling or visiting a local retailer based on their online research.
 
Whether your store is new to online marketing, or you have had a site for years, this session will help you evaluate and fulfill the four critical requirements of all successful retail web presences and investigate all the latest related developments like mobile, social networking, apps, QR codes and tablets.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
In Store Technology for Tomorrow...Not Today
Kyle Doran, R&A Marketing; Dan Wieczorek, Best Buy For Business

Your customer experience starts online and the final customer experience is your physical storefront. Making sure that your online experience is a seamless transition to your physical experience is important in converting sales today. Explore ways to enhance your in-store environment through technology and marketing that will help deliver sales for today and tomorrow.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
What to do About “I’m Just Looking” Customers
Mike Petersen, The Furniture Training Company

 

Are your salespeople tired of hearing people say, “I’m just looking?” Do your salespeople struggle to turn “I’m just looking” customers into buyers? If you answered yes then you have a real problem. 
 
Research shows that 80 percent of all shoppers say, “I’m just looking.” Come to this seminar and I’ll teach you why customers say it, and I’ll show you how to respond so you can sell to “I’m just looking” customers. Just for coming, you will receive a free Salesperson Inventory for evaluating each member of your sales staff.

2:00 - 3:0 p.m.
Every Army Needs a General
Michael Jensen, High Impact Furniture Sales

Did you know that the majority of furniture stores either do not have a sales manager or are not using their sales manager effectively? This session will discuss the role of a sales manager and how they can increase sales and energize their sales team.