What You Will Learn
Most industry professionals have degrees or completed training to become designers and business owners in the K&B space. However, as much as we can be the very best designers, we’re not much if we don’t have sales skills, relationship building skills, and a strong support system and/or work culture.
“Selling” has taken on a negative connotation lately. No one wants to be “sold”, but clients do want to be heard, assisted with their project, and cared for throughout the design and execution process. From the first discovery call, we’re selling – we sell ourselves, our firm, our expertise and experience, our co-workers, our products and services. It is a skill, and it is absolutely integral for success in our industry.
We are in the people business and in this session, Amy Hart will define a sale as a successful customer relationship. No one wants to patronize a business before they get to know them, their process, their history and get a feeling for how they value their clientele. With all the choices consumers have now, why should they work with you?
Amy Hart will lead you through these important elements of successful client relationships which, in turn, will lead to more sales: The Importance of Strong Team Culture, Prospecting, The First Sale (aka The First Meeting), Client Retention (with a focus on trade accounts), Building and Nurturing Client Relationships, and The Metrics of Relationships.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how to build a strong team culture and how it will positively impact your business.
- Learn how to boost and garner client retention with key tips that leave lasting impressions on clientele.
- Determine best practices for building, nurturing, and tracking client relationships.
Featured Presenter
Amy Hart
Amy Hart is the Principal Designer and Owner of Dovetail Design & Cabinetry, with showrooms in Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia. Amy is honored to have been named one of America’s 50 most Innovative Kitchen & Bath Professionals of 2019, and has been featured in various national Kitchen & Bath industry magazines. After graduating with a B.S. in Interior Design and a wealth of practical experience, she went on to work in commercial architecture, product management, operations management, and then found her way into the Kitchen and Bath specialty where she has thrived since 2002.
She serves as Vice President of the Blue Ridge Mountains Rotary Club, is a member of the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association, the Augusta County HBA and the Virginia Council of CEOs. She serves on the Board of Directors for Breaking The Chains Foundation, where she is also Director of the Big C New Me program for cancer survivors. Amy has also been honored with a position on the Wellborn Cabinet Designer Advisory Council and was a judge for the Kitchen & Bath Design News 2020 national Design Contest. In her limited spare time, Amy is also an award-winning filmmaker, actress and singer.
When designing for interiors, Amy believes one must “listen” to the structure and strive for a meaningful design that feels right in the space and suits her clients’ personal styles. She doesn’t heed many design “rules” but does believe that a room needs a hero and other characteristics shouldn’t compete for attention. Sometimes the most difficult part of design is to practice restraint. Amy is dedicated to a work culture where everyone can thrive and be fulfilled.
Building strong client relationships is embedded within their core values of integrity, creativity, communication, growth, and service. Her team is on board with her passion that any goal worth achieving should be written down and given metrics that are tracked weekly. This is why Dovetail is achieving their best sales year to date, and the growth trend continues upward. She lives in historic Scottsville with husband Eric and two big fluffy dogs Starr and Wynn. She and Eric have worked together for 18 years.
