IHFRA Offering CHR Course For Furniture Reps On January 8 – 13, 2006

Furniture World News

The International Home Furnishings Representatives Association is accepting registrations for its next Certified Home Furnishings Representatives course in High Point January 8 – 13. The CHR course is an intensive, weeklong program that provides training and insider information on the latest business principles, communication skills and in-depth industry knowledge. For the January course, 25-year industry veteran Bill DiPaolo will join the CHR faculty. He retired in 2003 as vice president of High Point’s International Home Furnishings Center. As a consultant he developed the Home Fashion Selling Workshop and Selling Skills Seminar for NHFA and taught countless management seminars to retailers across the country. DiPaolo will teach a one-day interactive class on how to effectively conduct sales training sessions. Bob Groters, president of retailer Klingman Furniture in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will teach a class on the Role of the Representative in the New Millennium, covering such topics as adding value, retail advertising basics and how to build a more secure relationship with retailers. Dr. Al Bates of the Profit Planning Group will cover finance, explaining the ins and outs of the retailer’s bottom line and why it should be important to the sales professional. Joe Capillo is a thirty-year furniture industry veteran and senior consultant for Profit Consulting. He is a regular contributor to Furniture World Magazine and has published dozens of articles in other industry publications. Joe will teach reps how to analyze their territories and implement a marketing plan that will secure and maintain strong retail relationships. Joe Carroll, publisher of Furniture Today will speak to the class on home furnishings industry trends. Space in the course is limited. The cost is $1,495 for IHFRA members and $1,695 for non-members. Call the IHFRA office at (800) 931-3920 or (336) 889-3920 for more information.