The International Window Coverings Expo introduces The FIRST-EVER world-wide virtual conference for window coverings professionals. Seminars + Exhibit - ONLY $99
10:10 AM - 10:55 AM CST
Excellence Is Your Decision: What You Have to Do NOW to Be Successful
LUANN NIGARA – CO-OWNER OF WINDOW WORKS
Running a business requires more than simply knowing your product or service. It requires dynamic leadership whether you are a firm of one or several. We must make decisions that lead to building a strong foundation and take actions necessary to building success. How do you measure up? Listen as LuAnn Nigara walks through the strategies; she knows what can set you apart in the eyes of your potential clients, even in an industry where we all seemingly offer the same products and services.
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM CST
How to Create a Well-Branded Media Presence & Attract Real Clients
NICOLE HEYMER – FOUNDER OF CURIO ELECTRO
DARLA POWELL – OWNER DARLA POWELL INTERIORS
It’s about strategy. Join Nicole Heymer and Darla Powell as they show you how to brand your business on social media.
Learning Outcomes:
• How to get clever with content…and purposely build likeability and trust
• How to craft a social media feed that feels branded (and why it matters)
• How to increase followers…and how to get them to take action
Examples in the presentation will be specific to the IWCE audience of designers, retailers and workrooms.
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM CST
Introduction to Motorization
O’D MCKEWAN – MASTER & LEADER IN MOTORIZED WINDOW TREATMENTS
In this course, you will learn and understand the correct terminology, the different motor types and control options, and you will be able to identify and suggest the proper power supplies. By the end of the course, you will have a firm grasp on the options available to you and how to relate that to your clients, thus increasing your confidence and your ability to sell motorization.
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM CST
BREAK
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM CST
The Art of the Virtual Consult
MADELEINE MACRAE – CREATOR AND CEO OF MM MACRAE COACHING AND CONSULTING
Virtual consultations may have been on your long-term business plan, maybe two or three years in the future, but with social distancing and shelter-in-place mandates, the future is NOW!!! Join sales expert and highly sought-after business coach Madeleine MacRae as she debunks some of the worst myths around virtual consultations and gives you simple, practical steps you can take right now to keep on selling—virtually, of course!
Learning Outcomes:
• The do’s and don’ts of picking the right pieces of tech
• The No. 1 mistake to avoid when running virtual consultation
• The single biggest hurdle YOU have to get over to unplug your sales flow
• How to get people to buy even if they haven’t seen a sample in person
This is going to be powerful and inspiring! And, after 30 minutes of actionable content, Madeleine will walk you through the details of her new program designed to help you keep the momentum moving and to continue to master the art of virtual consultations.
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM CST
Profitability: Monthly Metrics for the Profitable Design Business
MICHELE WILLIAMS – OWNER OF THE SCARLET THREAD CONSULTING
This discussion will center on making your business more profitable. It will detail the advantages of higher gross-profit margins along with cost-cutting ideas that will increase your profits. Attendees will prosper from higher ticket sales and cost-cutting strategies.
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM CST
Create Informational Lead Magnets to Earn Revenue in Your Sleep
SARA LYNN BRENNAN – CEO AND PRINCIPAL DESIGNER AT SARA LYNN BRENNAN
During this seminar, attendees will be able to explain and identify what a lead magnet is and how it can be used to grow their pipeline. Attendees will also recognize how to use their industry knowledge and experience to create their own lead magnets to effectively generate passive income and grow their email list.
Learning Outcomes:
• Identify an example of a lead magnet and explain how it can be used to drive traffic to your website and email list
• Recognize your own industry knowledge and generate some ideas for lead magnets that can be useful to your clients
• Select one or two subjects to create a lead magnet and learn the steps to create your own lead magnet, publish it to your website, and attract ideal clients
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM CST
Panel: Top Secrets for a Successful Workroom
Join this dynamic trio as they come together to present their top workroom secrets, which include workroom tools and supplies, processes, layout, and storage solutions. With a combined 60-plus proven years of experience, you can expect to gain valuable knowledge that will help you streamline and run a successful workroom business.
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM CST
Marketing Luxury Design – Attracting Affluent Clients
MELISSA GALT – REFERRAL BUILDING & RELATIONSHIP MAKER FOR DESIGN TEAMS, RESIDENTIAL DESIGNER FOR 20-PLUS YEARS
When you’re ready to level up your clients and project investments, marketing luxury design is the next step. You’ll learn how to spot affluent clients, where to meet them (online and offline), and how to build a rapport that delivers revenue and project profits.
Learning Outcomes:
• How to identify affluent clients: it’s not always obvious
• Where to meet affluent clients and how to connect
• How to build trust and credibility with affluent clients to increase sales
• The No. 1 quality that attracts affluent clients and how to have it
• Six profitable strategies for marketing luxury design today
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM CST
Best Pricing Strategies for a Successful Business
MICHELE WILLIAMS - OWNER OF THE SCARLET THREAD CONSULTING
Do you have a pricing strategy that works well for you? Do you know if it is best for your product and service offering? If you are watching others in the industry who price differently from you, you may be wondering if what you are doing is best. It may also be that you are feeling areas of frustration in your current strategy. Join Michele Williams as she helps you uncover what makes a great pricing strategy and how to tell if your strategy is the best—and how to shift it if it is not.
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM CST
BREAK
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM CST
The Four Cycles of a Successful Social Media Campaign & How to Implement Them
WELTON HONG - FOUNDER OF RING RING MARKETING
The usefulness of social media remains a mystery to many window covering companies, and that’s understandable. A window covering company certainly is a very different type of business than a retailer or a restaurant, for example, and it should not be promoted the same way. But here’s the truth: Social media definitely can be a big asset for a window covering company. It just needs to be implemented in the right way. A properly executed social media campaign greatly benefits sales. Welton Hong covers the basics of social media and explains the four aspects of the social success cycle: social listening, social influencing, social networking and social selling. Every initiative has a specific goal, but they all work together to drive revenue for your window covering company.
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM CST
Closing the Sale: It Begins at Hello
LUANN NIGARA – CO-OWNER OF WINDOW WORKS
Sales are the lifeblood of every business, and developing your sales skills is not optional as the owner of your interior design firm or window treatment business. Join LuAnn Nigara, co-owner of Window Works in Livingston, NJ, and host of A Well-Designed Business® podcast, as she goes through the strategies for closing more sales more of the time. With a closing rate between 62% and 66% for more than 30 years, LuAnn understands the process and is passionate about sharing it with you.
Learning Outcomes:
• The pre-consult phone call
• Consultation do’s and don’ts
• Presenting your solutions and products
• Talking about price
• Handling different personality types
• Negotiating effectively
• Closing the deal
• Creating repeat business
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
The Installer’s Toolbox
ROGER MAGALHAES – OWNER OF SHADES IN PLACE INC.
Looking for ways to be more efficient at your installs? Roger Magalhaes will share what he brings in for each installation. In most cases, he does not need to return to the van searching for extra tools and losing precious time and money. He has developed a “survival kit” that covers most of his installs in one trip to the job site.
Learning Outcomes:
• Learn how to increase your bottom line by being more efficient on each installation
• Leave your customers with a WOW factor, which will surely translate into referrals
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM CST
Trends & Colors That Will Put Cash in Your Pocket
JOANNE LENART-WEARY – PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR DESIGNER, COLOR AUTHORITY AND STAGING EXPERT
Oh, trends…we wait each year to see what the powers that be proclaim as the colors and design elements of the year. The trick is to be inspired and not driven by these dictates. Your job is to guide your clients to a room that feels fresh, not because the world at large has jumped on the latest craze (think white rooms, shiplap or stationary panels), but choices that will give them a modern look with a personal twist. In this seminar, we will discuss the 2021 trends and how you can capitalize on them.
Learning Outcomes:
• Three winning color palettes
• Trending processes and products
• How you use it as important as what it is
• How to become the trend expert in your region
BONUS: Attendees will receive a consumer trends presentation to share with women’s groups.
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM CST
The Secret Weapon of the Most Successful: How to Master Your Mind and Get What You Really Want Mindset
MADELEINE MACRAE – CREATOR AND CEO OF MM MACRAE COACHING AND CONSULTING
It’s an overused and often misunderstood word, but it is one of the most essential underpinning pieces of success.
During this thought-provoking session, Madeleine MacRae, an industry-leading business coach and consultant, will walk us through the practical side of personal development and goal-setting so that you will walk, renewed.
Learning Outcomes:
• Define success in a way that actually works for you
• Create goals that help you stretch but don’t overwhelm you
• Embrace discomfort without living in pain
• Be mentally strong amid uncertainty and fear
• Achieve more than ever before!
Our businesses are OURS. We need to be at the helm of the ship and that mission starts from within.