If you are an accomplished woodworker looking to build a niche in custom closets, a passionate remodeler who gets requests for closets but is out of his comfort zone or a young custom closet company that’s looking to improve its operations, you should attend the Closet Symposium at IWF this August.

There is a big difference between knowing how to build a cabinet and knowing how to run a closet business. Closet companies don’t have the luxury that kitchen companies have. On average, a closet is ordered and installed within 2-3 weeks, not the 6-10 weeks a kitchen can take. This is a very short sales cycle compared with other industries.

There is often no other large remodeling component to this project, therefore, the impact on work flow is completely different. There will be a focus on managing just-in-time delivery, short work cycles and customer expectations.

In "Back Office Operations," expect to learn about projecting and managing shop time, inventory and installation schedules. You might expect that the simplicity of construction and installation would minimize the effort but, in fact, it’s magnified as you try to manage everything in very tight windows of time.

The purchaser of a closet system is looking for precise use of space. Do you know how many inches to allow for a pair of shoes (male or female), a double hanging bar, a stack of sweaters? How do you adjust for someone short, tall or heavy? How do you maximize the use of high ceilings? Why guess? You can expect this seminar to give you specifics about space planning, giving you the knowledge to meet the customer's demand for better space.

The sales component of the symposium is not about overcoming objections and other common sales topics. We’ll leave that to Zig Zigler or Jeffrey Gitomer. This is meant to hone your skills in designing and building cabinetry for a targeted customer. The primary purchaser is female. Expect to pick up some tips on what the hot buttons are for women and how to capture their interest.

Members of the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals, experts with years of background in the industry, will share their extensive knowledge with those looking to build on this niche or break into it during this seminar on August 24, at the Georgia World Congress Center. 


Editor's note: Diana Augspurger is owner of Creative Storage Systems of Buffalo, NY, and is immediate past president of the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals. ACSP, partnering with CLOSETS magazine, is co-sponsor of the annual Closets & Home Organization Conference & Expo coming Feb. 23-25, 2011 to Charlotte, NC.


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