Houzz sales and marketing guru Lindsey Thudin keynotes Cabinets & Closets Expo 2015, with, "How to Close a Deal on Houzz." Thudin speaks 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 15, at the Renaissance Convention Center, Schaumburg, IL.
Thudin says, "The Internet has changed forever the way your prospective clients discover and hire professionals for their building and remodeling projects. Old models no longer work as customers now expect to perform deep due diligence from the very start.
"Discover how you can and must leverage new tools like Houzz to successfully close business at every stage of the traditional sales funnel, from consideration to credibility to the final stage of the sales process.Custom woodworking and closet businesses are enjoying a good business run, with remodeling projects on the rise. But today’s clientèle presents a challenge for owners, who must deliver not just expert workmanship, but a creative approach to projects that is in touch with contemporary design trends, and technology."
Lindsey Thudin is part of the Community Team at Houzz, then innovative residential design platform and community. She is a public relations and branding strategist whose career has spanned many industries from education, to entertainment, and technology. She is particularly passionate about helping small businesses increase revenue through internet marketing strategies and new media. Thudin obtained a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of St. Thomas and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Multimedia Communications from the Academy of Art University.
Thudin will also make an exclusive presentation on consumer preferences and trends gathered from Houzz's 30 million registered users, for attendees at the April 14 Design Conference track, the day prior to her Expo keynote. It is part of an all day professional development conference prior to the show opening. Also located at the Renaissance Conference & Expo Center near Chicago, in Schaumburg, IL, the conference packs real “star power” in its roster of presenters.
Conference registrans can choose Closets Sessions, Business of Design, or Custom Cabinets tracks. Each begins with a rock-and-roll kick-off speaker. Regardless of which track they sign up for, registrants can mix and match at will to attend sessions in other tracks. (Open a PDF version of this article with including a timetable of conference sessions.)
BUSINESS OF DESIGN Conference Track
The full-day Business of Design track leads off with a presentation on NKBA’s cabinet design trends study, with designer Brigitte Fabi of Drury Designs. An exciting presentation on 3D design visualization moderated by Denise Butchko is followed by Houzz.com’s Lindsey Thudin on closet and consumer design trends distilled from Houzz data. (Thudin also opens Closets Expo in a keynote address, “How to Close a Sale on Houzz.com.”)
A “Power of Design” session will include award-winning furniture designer Martin Goebel, cabinet hardware designer Pamela Anderson, and Brian K. Ellison of BKE Design. Ellison, who is a contestant on the SpikeTV Framework reality design show, will appear again at the awards event on the show floor on April 15.
CLOSETS SESSIONS Conference Track
Closets Sessions include eight seminars, opening with a presentation by Skip LaBella, president of Closet America, known for its dynamic product development, aggressive sales and marketing strategy, and state-of-the-art manufacturing platform. Other closet sessions include a look at the rapidly growing garage segment, a review of in-house versus outsourced production, and closet design technology.A session on luxury closets will include a presentation by Patrick Borg, president of Neff Custom Cabinetry of Chicago, as well as designs by Steve Abruzzo of Abruzzo Kitchens, Wood-Mode Cabinet's leading distributor.
The Association of Closet & Storage Professionals will moderate these sessions. (See more details on the accompanying chart.) It concludes with a plant tour of nearby closet manufacturer Plus Closets, sponsored by Felder and Plus Closets. All conference registrants are welcome to attend, but RSVPs are required.
CUSTOM CABINETS Conference Track
The Custom Cabinets sessions, developed in partnership with the Cabinet Makers Association, carry the theme of practical measures to grow business profitability. “Five Steps to Growing a Bigger and More Profitable Cabinetry Business,” the lead session says it all. Also on tap is a double session devoted to the perennially popular “Art of Pricing Profitably.”David Buchsbaum, owner of Beacon Cabinets - Atlanta Closet & Storage Solutions, is the perfect presenter for closets and cabinet business owners.
CABINETS & CLOSETS EXPO April 15-16
Following the April 14 conferences is the 2015 Cabinets & Closets Expo, running April 15 and 16.
Following Houzz Expo opening day keynote speaker Lindsey Thudin on April 15, will be a Day 2 keynote speaker Bill Rossiter, building products marketing consultant. Rossiter was instrumental in advising giant Armstrong Cabinets recent rebranding and repositioning as acpi Cabinets.
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