SF Furniture Market Winter 2005 Events & Seminars

Furniture World News

In 2005, the San Francisco Mart is celebrating 90 years as the home of the Western home furnishings industry.  With numerous events and seminars, attendees at the San Francisco Furniture Market in January will find plenty of opportunities for learning, networking and socializing.    Event highlights include a special 90th Anniversary Celebration on January 26, events honoring retailers Ann Navarro of Jerome’s and George Liberman of Leaders on January 26 & 27, and The House Doctor Ann Maurice on January 28. Winter Market 2005 Events & Seminars (unless otherwise noted, all events & seminars are free) Wednesday, January 26 9 - 10 a.m. Seven Deadly Sins of Selling Philip Gutsell, GutSELL & Associates WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 As you may know the seven deadly sins are pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth.  Phil Gutsell, of GutSELL & Associates, identifies and exposes the seven deadly sins of retail salespeople.  Find out what is holding your salespeople back form consistent peak performance.    10 – 11 a.m. Design Legends & Icons: Barbara Barry in conversation with Diane Dorrans Saeks SFDC Galleria Atrium Best-selling design author Diane Dorrans Saeks and Los Angeles-based design icon Barbara Barry, designer of the hot, new, critically acclaimed Michael Minna Restaurant in San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel, discuss luxury redefined for our times. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. WHFA Academy Series Presents Communication Styles Jody Seivert, One by One Companies WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Ever wonder why you ‘click’ with some people and can’t seem to get to first base with others? Do you think the world would be a better place if people were more like you?  Do you have trouble motivating your sales staff?  If you answer yes to ANY of these questions, you won’t want to miss this session. Learn your communication style, how to identify the styles of others, and how to adapt to others so that they get what they want – and you get what you want!  A fast and fun session guaranteed to make you look at yourself and others in a new and effective way and to get results that have been out of reach.  1 – 2 p.m. From Revenue to Profits John Egger, Profitability Consulting Group WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Learn by real examples how you can increase your bottom line to DOUBLE DIGITS. Too many retailers sacrifice real profits for hitting higher gross sales.  If you are not getting 10% bottom line net profits, then this seminar is for you. 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Building a Winning Sales Team Joe Milevsky, JRM Sales & Management, Inc. WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Discover the potential of your sales team and get a better understanding of how to help your sales associates assist your customers the way you want your customers assisted; properly facilitate goal setting, goal accountability and goal achievement; and use measurements to coach performance improvement.  Joe will also provide you with valuable information on how to correctly staff your sales floor, properly train new hires and veterans, and coach performance improvements in private coaching sessions.  Attend this seminar and learn how to create a positive selling environment in your store. 5 – 5:30 p.m. Retailer of Distinction SF Mart Exchange, 9th floor, SF Mart 1 Sponsored by WHFA and Furniture/Today Join Furniture/Today Editor Ray Allegrezza in honoring Ann Navarro of Jerome’s in San Diego.  5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 90th Anniversary Celebration SF Mart Exchange, 9th floor, SF Mart 1 Sponsored by the SF Mart and Furniture/Today Celebrate 90 years of a great market in a great city!  Enjoy complimentary cocktails and appetizers, birthday cake as well as a restropective slide show entertainment while you network, socialize or just relax.  Thursday, January 27 10 – 11 a.m. The Way We Work Now: A panel discussion on the business of design in the 21st century SFDC Galleria Atrium Join industry leaders and experts from the fields of furniture manufacturing, product design, sales and marketing for a timely and insightful discussion on the state of the high-end home furnishings niche. The panelists include Rachel Kohler, Group President, Interiors for Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, and San Francisco-based designer Ted Boerner, among others. The panelists will explore the effects of alternative distribution channels and offshore manufacturing on the traditional showroom business model; the effects of continuing developments in consumer empowerment on the showroom-interior designer business model; and the strategies of successful companies in the high-end home furnishings niche. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. WHFA Academy Series Presents Conducting Effective Meetings Jody Seivert, One by One Companies WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 On a scale of 1-10, how effective are you sales meetings?  Do sales people come away with a new perspective or a new skill?  Are they motivated to try something new?  Do you see an immediate rise in performance after a training meeting?  If not, you will want to look at a new way of approaching your meetings so that they are enjoyable to attend and contain immediately applicable information.  A good meeting goes a long way, and you don’t want to go home without attending this one. 1 – 2 p.m. Leather Care 101 Dave Biggart, Mohawk Finishing Products WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 The proper care, cleaning and protection of leather can be an intimidating process, and so can identifying the type of leather product you are working with.  Dave Biggart of Mohawk Finishing Products will conduct a “hands on” leather care seminar to help educate you and your staff.  Dealing with minor abrasions, cuts and tears as well as protecting and cleaning tips will be shared.  Leather samples will be provided for hands-on demonstrations. 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Does your Store Need an Extreme Makeover? Neil Forney and Carmine Caruso, Bryant-Forney Associates WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Are your sales sagging?  Is your exterior out of date?  Does your store look like a flea market?  Does your store need a fresh look?  Whether you are building, moving, renovating or just cleaning up, store planning is a continuous process that should be addressed every day.  This nuts-and-bolts workshop will show how to give your business the attention it deserves. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. La Fiesta! SF Mart Gold Pass Award and WHFA Member Appreciation Party WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Sponsored by the SF Mart and WHFA Join dealers from across the West as the Mart honors distinguished retailer, George Liberman of Leaders Centro del Hogar in El Monte, Calif.  Then enjoy a fiesta with margaritas and other exotic concoctions, zesty Mexican delicacies, a strolling mariachi band and great Latin entertainment.    Friday, January 28 9 – 10 a.m. Sales Management – How to Make it Happen and What to Do When it’s Not Iris & Jay Byers, Byers Guide WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 This seminar identifies the five critical elements of a successful Sales Management System and provides a plan, with measurements of accountability, for the store owner and sales manager to follow while creating a High-Performance team.  Also included will be how the Management process creates growth opportunities for Women on your store’s sales staff, and innovative new strategies for meeting the needs of today’s Women Consumer. 10 – 11 a.m. To Be or Not To Be: The State of the Interior Design Profession SFDC Galleria Atrium Beverly Russell, an award-winning interior design journalist, moderates a panel of industry experts for a discussion on the state of the interior design profession. Joining Russell are Doug Stead, Executive Director of the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC), Deborah Steinmetz, VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs for the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), an industry lobbyist and a representative from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. WHFA Academy Series Presents Dealing with Poor Performers Jody Seivert, One by One Companies WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Do you keep salespeople on staff because you can’t replace them?  Do you put up with negative attitudes and poor performance? Are there salespeople on your staff whose aggravation exceeds their contribution?  In this session, we will look at measuring and monitoring performance and communicating expectations that will get you the results you are looking for from your sales team.  Increase your skills and you increase your attraction to the finding and keeping the right people.  It’s time to get the sales team you deserve. 1 – 2 p.m. From Revenue to Profits John Egger, Profitability Consulting Group WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Learn by real examples how you can increase your bottom line to DOUBLE DIGITS. Too many retailers sacrifice real profits for hitting higher gross sales.  If you are not getting 10% bottom line net profits, then this seminar is for you. Special Engagement! 2 -4 p.m. The Art of Home Staging Presented by Anne Maurice of BBC America’s House Doctor SF Mart Exchange, 9th floor Ann Maurice, interior designer, author and host of BBC America’s House Doctor, will give a glimpse into home staging, the art of transforming unsaleable properties into saleable ones. Using her lively show as the basis for conversation, Ann will discuss the practical and aesthetic techniques of property presentation with an emphasis on properties that are for sale, how it differs from interior design and how to incorporate this growing field into your design business.  Prior to her ten-year interior design career, Californian Ann Maurice spent 13 years selling real estate in the SF Bay Area. In 1995, she introduced the concept of "Home Staging" in Great Britain.  Two years later, the “brash American” became BBC’s House Doctor, and gained a huge cult following.   Ann has published three books Ann Maurice - House Doctor, House Doctor - Quick Fixes and House Doctor - Instant Makeovers.   Admission:  $25 for SF Mart Members; $35 for non-members RSVP:  Reservations required.  Call (415) 437-7100 or e-mail seminars@sfmart.com.  Your check or credit card guarantees your spot.   2:30 – 3:30 p.m. How to Succeed in Business: Powerful Strategies for Your Business Joe Milevsky, JRM Sales & Management, Inc. WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Until now, decision makers and business owners had to rely on “gut” feelings or loosely related data to try and determine how much a program benefited their employees, improved work life, or benefited a customer.  When decisions are based on valid quality-of-life measurements, organizations realize more than sort-term goals.  Come explore the balancing of profitability and quality of life issues and gain improved focus on what the business should allow its owners to have and do outside of the workplace.  Gain understanding into your business and improve your quality of life. Saturday, January 29 9 – 10 a.m. The Efficient Daily Operation of Your Warehouse David Duff, David Duff Furniture Consulting WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 David will focus on the step-by-step formula to warehouse furniture efficiently.  Focusing on the building, and the systems and procedures to operate it at peak performance, David will share valuable information regarding customer service, home delivery, employee standards and much more. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. WHFA Academy Series Presents Coaching for Success Jody Seivert, One by One Companies WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Is your sales team close but not quite there?  Do you sometimes feel that you want their success more than they do?  We will look at the fundamentals of effective coaching: building the relationship and expectations, communicating with clarity and courage, redirecting poor performance and rewarding results.  Come and find the key that has been missing from your sales management skill set – and open the door to a whole new sales team who can – and will - produce great results. 1 – 2 p.m. Got Internet? Ken Guerrero, Profitability Consulting Group WHFA Retail Resource Center, Suite 705, SF Mart 2 Retail sales on the internet are nearly doubling every year. This year retail sales will exceed $400 billion. Generations of shoppers who grew up using computers are now entering their peak earning years and they are buying big ticket items over the internet.  In this seminar, store owners will learn how easy and vital it is for them to establish their net presence and what it can do for their bottom line. For up-to-date information on events & seminars, visit www.sfmart.com or refer to the Buyers Guide or Pocket Guide at Market. The San Francisco Furniture Market is open to buyers, members of the home furnishings industry, the design trade and members of the press.  For more information, call (415) 552-2311.