Fred Berns Speaks to and Consults with:
- Residential and Commercial Interior Designers
- Window Fashion Professionals
- Manufacturers
- Showroom Managers and Staff
- Design Center and Mart Managers
- Decorators
- Kitchen and Bath Professionals
- Distributors
- Suppliers
- Home Furnishing Retailers
- Architects
"We were all inspired by your presentation. You have a great gift and I'm honored that you shared it with us. Your presentation was the highlight of our year."
April Jarvis
Atlanta Designers Network
"Fred Berns has been the keynote speaker at The Merchandise Mart. . He has a wealth of knowledge on the business of design and presents his material in an easy to follow format. He is a delight to work with -- prompt and professional."
Rita DelSignore
Chicago Merchandise Mart
"You are a wonderful, dynamic, engaging speaker."
Marina Dagenais
Denver Design Center
Programs for Design Professionals
Supercharge Your Sales! Advanced Selling Strategies for Design
Professionals*
Overcome Price Objections: How to Turn $ Bellyachers into Believers
Set and Get Higher Fees*
MoneyTalk: How to Take the “Problem” out of Pricing
Sell Yourself! How to Get Them to Buy from YOU*
Million Dollar Marketing on a Shoestring Budget*
Free Publicity: How to Get Quoted and Promoted in the Media
Earn More, Work Less: Five Keys to Terrific Time Management
Methods of the Masters: How the ‘Stars” Do Business*
Dare to be a Different Designer*
Do It Yourself Marketing for Design Professionals*
+ Supercharge Your Sales! Advanced Selling Strategies
for Design Professionals *
Challenging times like these require new and innovative selling strategies;
you can't do business the old way. This powerful presentation covers sales
techniques used by America's most successful design professionals. It
provides new ideas on how to double your closing ratio, qualify prospects,
overcome price and other objections, ask for the sale, upsell, present
yourself with polish, establish long term relations with high end clients,
avoid the “Terrible Ten Selling Sins” of design professionals,
and much more.
+ Overcome Price Objections: Ten Ways to Turn Budget Bellyachers
into Believers
For all too many design professionals, questions about their price cause
anxiety at best, and a conviction that they have to cave in and slash
their fees at worst. You can easily overcome those price objections –
and convert them into - sales by adopting the strategies in this powerful
program. Learn how to minimize the impact of price resistance by differentiating
yourself from lower priced competitors, proving your value, putting your
price in perspective and demonstrating the return you offer for the investment.
After this program, you’ll view price objections as opportunities,
rather than obstacles.
+ Set and Get Higher Fees*
Are you just “busy” – or are you earning top dollar?
This program will help you substantially increase the compensation you
get for your services. It focuses on the need to differentiate yourself
from lower-priced competitors, and communicate your value to your customers.
Learn tips and trends in pricing strategies, five keys to earning higher
fees, and the most common mistakes designers make in setting their fees.
+ MoneyTalk: How to Take the “Pain” out of Pricing
How to take charge, rather than cover when you quote your prices is
what this powerful program is all about. Discover how to take the “sticker
shock,” games and guesswork out of your markups, margins and fees.
Learn when, how and where to talk about what you charge. Find out how
to attach value to yourself, and your services. You’ll walk away
with the “phrase that pays” – six words that will gain
you respect, rather than resistance when you explain your fees.
+ Sell Yourself! How to Get Them to Buy from YOU*
The most important sale you’ll ever make is the Personal One!
Here’s everything you need to know to blow your horn, toot your
flute, achieve peak performance, and master basic selling skills through
personal promotion. Based on the best-selling book by the same name, the
program provides insights on communicating with confidence and marketing
yourself as well as your services. It covers networking, differentiating
yourself, presenting your proposals, overcoming price objections, closing
sales, and getting and staying connected with customers.
+ Million Dollar Marketing on a Shoestring Budget*
Some of the most powerful promotion that design professionals can do
costs the least. Some, in fact, costs nothing at all! This program introduces
you to the low cost, no cost promotion techniques that will help you market
smart. Included are tips on writing articles and columns, economical online
marketing, public speaking, aligning with allied professionals, networking,
referrals, testimonials, moneysaving marketing materials, and much more.
You'll walk away with what you need to know to make a maximum marketing
impact for a minimal investment of time and money.
+ Free Publicity: How to Get Quoted and Promoted in the Media
Free publicity is the best advertising that design professionals can’t
buy. This fast-paced presentation provides a step by step approach to
getting favorable coverage in print, broadcast and on-line media. Berns,
a former journalist for 25 years, explains how designers, architects,
window fashion pros, showroom managers and others can get their story
in print and on the air. Included are tips on how to develop a media kit;
write simple articles, columns, and news releases; and become a regularly-quoted
source.
+ Earn More, Work Less: Five Keys to Terrific Time Management
This presentation demonstrates how working smarter – not harder
– can help you dramatically increase your profits. Smarter, as in
focusing on your MVP (most valuable and productive) activities. Smarter,
as in getting compensated for all of your time. Smarter, as in sharpening
your ability to prioritize and delegate, and accomplish key tasks in far
less time. This program gives you what you need to master your time so
you can maximize your profits.
+ Methods of the Masters: How the ‘Stars” Do Business
What's it take to reach the top -- and earn top dollar as a design professional?
Hear what the stars have to say about success. The program, based on a
coast-to-coast survey of the most successful design pros in America, offers
their insights on how to price and promote your services, establish your
expertise, overcome price and other objections, double your repeat business
and referrals, and much more. You'll walk away with plenty of "do's
and don't's," shortcuts to success, and words of wisdom from the
very best in the business.
+ Dare to be a Different Designer*
What makes you different? This presentation shows you how to stand out
from competitors, develop a truly unique message and communicate it in
unique ways. Find out how to establish your expertise, make yourself memorable,
and promote yourself as an unique, one-of-a-kind design professional.
And learn how to overcome negative perceptions and preconceived notions
that confront so many designers today.
+ Do It Yourself Marketing for Design Professionals *
Nuts and bolts marketing at its best! Find out how to create a business-building
marketing plan and powerful promotional materials, and study marketing
strategies that will make the greatest impact on your target market. This
program will teach you how to add magic to your message, align with allied
professionals, and sell yourself on the Web.
* CEU-accredited programs
Programs for Industry Partners
Create the "Buzz" that Makes 'Em Buy
Get Designers in the Door...and Coming Back for More
Million Dollar Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Sell Yourself! How to Get Them to Buy from YOU
+ Create the "Buzz" that Makes 'Em Buy
America’s most successful manufacturers and showrooms know how to build excitement. They know how to get designers talking about them. They know how to create a “brand” that clearly differentiates them. This program tells their story, and shares their strategies. Learn how they make a major splash through minor tweaks – in their showroom events, road rep programs, websites, floor displays, focus groups. You’ll be convinced that imagination is far more important than money or time when it comes to building a showroom “buzz
+ Get Designers in the Door...and Coming Back for More
Never before have designers had more buying options. How do you get them to buy from YOU? Doubling your traffic, developing partnerships and long term relationships with designers, presenting your pricing with polish: this powerful program covers all that, and more. Find out how to gain and maintain a reputation for extraordinary customer service. Among your “takeaways” from this program: the Dynamic Dozen list of the best steps you can take to motivate designers to return regularly to your showroom.
+ Million Dollar Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Some of the most powerful promotion that manufacturers, retailers and showrooms can do costs the least. Some, in fact, costs nothing at all! This program introduces you to the low cost, no cost promotion techniques that will help you market smart. Included are tips on getting quoted and promoted in trade media, economical online marketing, speaking at industry events, aligning with designers through focus groups and advisory boards, moneysaving marketing materials, and much more. You'll walk away with what you need to make a maximum marketing impact for a minimal investment of time and money.
+ Sell Yourself! How to Get Them to Buy from YOU
The most important sale showroom personnel and manufacturer reps ever make is the Personal One! Here’s everything you need to know to blow your horn, toot your flute, achieve peak performance, and master basic selling skills through personal promotion. Based on the best-selling book by the same name, the program provides insights on communicating with confidence and marketing yourself as well as your products. It covers networking, differentiating yourself, overcoming price objections, closing sales, and getting and staying connected with design professionals and end users.
