Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Philly was so much fun! DW&C Magazine purchased the CHF Conferences from Cheryl Strickland. Do you remember when the conferences were at the bible retreat in Asheville?
DW&C is working to develop the conferences as a much needed venue for workrooms and designers to visit with industry vendors and learn new skills.
Knoxville is the next conference in February, 2008.
See you there!
DW&C is working to develop the conferences as a much needed venue for workrooms and designers to visit with industry vendors and learn new skills.
Knoxville is the next conference in February, 2008.
See you there!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
IS THE HOUSING MARKET SLOW IN YOUR AREA?
Good Morning!
Our business is directly related to housing sales, interest rates, and real estate trends.
Is staging big in your area? Why not call the stagers in your area & see if they need blinds or draperies or valances or beautiful bed linens that you can create?
How about renting these to the stager or real estate agent or the home owner?
Cheesy Pottery Barn rods don't really show off windows in a $1M home well. How about renting rods along with your panels?
I have a line of reclaimed furniture from garage sales with basic slipcovers I made in soft gold, cream, green, etc. These are scaled for the older homes in my area & the slipcovers look great against the old wood floors. The furniture & slipcovers rent by the month to the local stagers. We deliver & set up, for a fee.
A great way to get rid of all those little bits of fabric laying around.....
Working on my websites today! Watch for changes later this week!
Happy Sunday!
Alicia
Our business is directly related to housing sales, interest rates, and real estate trends.
Is staging big in your area? Why not call the stagers in your area & see if they need blinds or draperies or valances or beautiful bed linens that you can create?
How about renting these to the stager or real estate agent or the home owner?
Cheesy Pottery Barn rods don't really show off windows in a $1M home well. How about renting rods along with your panels?
I have a line of reclaimed furniture from garage sales with basic slipcovers I made in soft gold, cream, green, etc. These are scaled for the older homes in my area & the slipcovers look great against the old wood floors. The furniture & slipcovers rent by the month to the local stagers. We deliver & set up, for a fee.
A great way to get rid of all those little bits of fabric laying around.....
Working on my websites today! Watch for changes later this week!
Happy Sunday!
Alicia
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Weekend Academy in Boston
The third & final, for this year, Weekend Academy happens this weekend in Boston. I'll be on the floor as the Zipper Lady! Stop past & tell me you are reading the Workroom Connection Blog!
Happy Fall Everyone!
Happy Fall Everyone!
MARKETING
How are the housing starts in your area? Are your sales down or flat? Is the panic about sub-prime loans on Wall Street hurting your biz?
This is the PERFECT time to market your skills!
You DO NOT need to pay for a service to give you new home-owner leads. Chances are your county clerk's records are now on line & you can access new home owners easily.
Have a series of post cards made with a picture of prior jobs on one side & your message on the other. Then you can hand write an address on your post card as you are scrolling through recent home buyers.
Just take 1 hour per week to send out a few post cards & see what happens!
This is the PERFECT time to market for Holiday spruce ups!
This is the PERFECT time to market your skills!
You DO NOT need to pay for a service to give you new home-owner leads. Chances are your county clerk's records are now on line & you can access new home owners easily.
Have a series of post cards made with a picture of prior jobs on one side & your message on the other. Then you can hand write an address on your post card as you are scrolling through recent home buyers.
Just take 1 hour per week to send out a few post cards & see what happens!
This is the PERFECT time to market for Holiday spruce ups!
Monday, January 29, 2007
COLORADO WORKROOM GROUP
The first meeting of the Colorado Workroom Group took place this past Saturday, Jan. 26.
Our Mission Statement is to develop exceptional skills and educate designers.
Meetings will be held in individual workrooms this year with field trips to manufacturers, show homes, and other places of interest.
Meetings will be the 3rd Friday of each month from Noon to 3. Pot-luck lunch at noon with a 2 hour learning session to follow.
February Meeting to be held at Gina Emily's studio. She will be talking about the business of slipcovers.
Our Mission Statement is to develop exceptional skills and educate designers.
Meetings will be held in individual workrooms this year with field trips to manufacturers, show homes, and other places of interest.
Meetings will be the 3rd Friday of each month from Noon to 3. Pot-luck lunch at noon with a 2 hour learning session to follow.
February Meeting to be held at Gina Emily's studio. She will be talking about the business of slipcovers.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
New Publishing Group
There is a new publishing group for our industry. They are looking for exceptional books that will enhance our businesses. If you have been thinking about writing a book, have an outline of what you would like to write about, contact Southwest Publishing Group at their email address: Southwest@charter.net
Happy Tuesday Gang!
Happy Tuesday Gang!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
DIALING FOR DOLLARS
Need more work? Need more QUALITY work?
Time to pull out the phone book & DIAL FOR DOLLARS!
Thursdays or Fridays are my favorite days to give local designers a call. These are the days, in my area, when they are the least busy & might have time to talk a little.
If I set my goal at making 10 phone calls, that's easy! My first question to a designer is to ask THEM what they may need from a workroom. Then I try to fill it. If they need pillows completed, then I set an appointment to show them pillow samples the next week or if they are in dire straits, then the next day!
If you can show your client QUALITY, they will come!
Time to pull out the phone book & DIAL FOR DOLLARS!
Thursdays or Fridays are my favorite days to give local designers a call. These are the days, in my area, when they are the least busy & might have time to talk a little.
If I set my goal at making 10 phone calls, that's easy! My first question to a designer is to ask THEM what they may need from a workroom. Then I try to fill it. If they need pillows completed, then I set an appointment to show them pillow samples the next week or if they are in dire straits, then the next day!
If you can show your client QUALITY, they will come!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD....
WORKROOMS!
We want YOU! We want you if you are proud of your Workroom to attach your .com to this site.
There are SO many decorators & designers out there looking for GOOD WORKROOMS & I'd like to push them towards YOU'ALL.
Please email me your .com & we'll start attaching you to this site for new & exciting marketing adventure......
We want YOU! We want you if you are proud of your Workroom to attach your .com to this site.
There are SO many decorators & designers out there looking for GOOD WORKROOMS & I'd like to push them towards YOU'ALL.
Please email me your .com & we'll start attaching you to this site for new & exciting marketing adventure......
Sunday, January 07, 2007
What makes an EXCEPTIONAL Workroom?
First, having been in the Home Furnishings & Interior Design biz for 30 years, I have watched MANY workrooms, the level of expertise and their pricing.
My Opinion: There seems to be 3 levels of expertise in the workroom field, & possibly in the interior design field also.
1. Mechanic -- follows directions reasonably well. New to business. Not a lot of expertise in actually manufacturing treatments.
2. Journeyman-- Commercial Workrooms & many home based or small workrooms -- You get what you ask for, if you know what to ask for.....some bells or whistles.
3. Master-- Couture Quality, Exceptional Quality, Top-0f-the-Line! Someone with years in the business, can assist with fabric selection (knows there is a differnce between how sheers & velvets hang...a story for another time), always pattern-matches! Sets high standards for any item that leaves. Educated.
Workrooms are only as good as their designers.....
My Opinion: There seems to be 3 levels of expertise in the workroom field, & possibly in the interior design field also.
1. Mechanic -- follows directions reasonably well. New to business. Not a lot of expertise in actually manufacturing treatments.
2. Journeyman-- Commercial Workrooms & many home based or small workrooms -- You get what you ask for, if you know what to ask for.....some bells or whistles.
3. Master-- Couture Quality, Exceptional Quality, Top-0f-the-Line! Someone with years in the business, can assist with fabric selection (knows there is a differnce between how sheers & velvets hang...a story for another time), always pattern-matches! Sets high standards for any item that leaves. Educated.
Workrooms are only as good as their designers.....
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sunday Thoughts
It's almost Christmas & hopefully you are almost finished with your sewing & installations!
Between Christmas & New Years, do you set goals for the next year? Do all the paperwork that has piled up on your desk?
My goal for next year is to only work 60 hours per week! Now I'll go back to sewing & thinking about how I'll accomplish that!
Happy Sunday All!
Between Christmas & New Years, do you set goals for the next year? Do all the paperwork that has piled up on your desk?
My goal for next year is to only work 60 hours per week! Now I'll go back to sewing & thinking about how I'll accomplish that!
Happy Sunday All!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Marketing Thought
This is the first post on the Workroom Connection blog. We are dedicated to raising the bar on the quality of workmanship coming from our workrooms as well as creating artistic, exceptionally designed window treatments and soft furnishings.
Did you know that your biz is attached to housing starts and most people wait until they have been in a new home for almost 2 years before starting the decorating process? After moving into a new home, the first investment, if not included in the mortgage, is hard window treatments for privacy. The second big investment is for landscaping.
So, if you are selling hard treatments, you should begin rolling neighborhoods while the homes are in the stick stage. Get to know the builders, carpet salespeople, realtors and be ready to jump as soon as the house sells.
Then about 12 months after you have installed the hard treatments, start making return calls to the area to see if your happy customers are ready to add draperies, bed linens and finishing touches.
It's about face time: the more your face is in front of potential clients, the better chance you will be taking care of their needs when they make their next buying decision.
Respectfully Submitted,
Martha SEWnatorius
Did you know that your biz is attached to housing starts and most people wait until they have been in a new home for almost 2 years before starting the decorating process? After moving into a new home, the first investment, if not included in the mortgage, is hard window treatments for privacy. The second big investment is for landscaping.
So, if you are selling hard treatments, you should begin rolling neighborhoods while the homes are in the stick stage. Get to know the builders, carpet salespeople, realtors and be ready to jump as soon as the house sells.
Then about 12 months after you have installed the hard treatments, start making return calls to the area to see if your happy customers are ready to add draperies, bed linens and finishing touches.
It's about face time: the more your face is in front of potential clients, the better chance you will be taking care of their needs when they make their next buying decision.
Respectfully Submitted,
Martha SEWnatorius
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