Fred Berns

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach and speaker who trains design professionals worldwide on how to substantially increase sales and profits, promote themselves more effectively and build their businesses. He also trains manufacturers, retailers, design centers and showrooms on how to create "buzz," build traffic and improve sales to design professionals. Berns has been a featured presenter at a variety of industry events, including NeoCon, High Point Market and Surfaces, and has spoken at national conferences for such groups as ASID, NKBA and IFDA. In addition to his blog, InteriorDesignBusiness.net, and his BusinessbyDesign newsletter, both of which reach thousands of design professionals around the world, Berns has developed several audio training programs and is the author of Sell Yourself! 501 Ways to Get Them to Buy from YOU.

If you’re working too hard these days, you’re not working smart.

Working too much for too little? That could mean you…

+ Waste your time. You’re “busy,” but you’re not profitable.

+ Give away your time. You don’t bill for all of your time, all of the time.

+ Charge too little. You don’t attach enough value to what you do.

+ Look for love in all the wrong places. You work with clients who can’t afford to pay what you need to earn.

+ Don’t know your business. You’re unaware of what brings in the most money.

+ Don’t control your business. You’re more apt to play “Let’s Make a Deal” than say: “This is how I charge.”

+ Don’t delegate. You don’t call on others to do what’s too menial—or too difficult—for you.

+ Don’t “maximize” appointments. You’re sacrificing income by not asking enough upselling questions.

How to work less and earn more this summer is a theme of the May 17 free tele-seminar entitled: “Summer Survival Strategies: 10 Ways to Boost Your Business by September.”

Presenting this program with me will be Gail Doby, the cofounder of Design Success University.

Have you signed up yet?

If not, click here for more information and registration details.

—Fred Berns trains interior design professionals worldwide on how to maximize profits.

Much better clients are just two hours away.

Invest that time on February 1, and you’ll learn how to find and serve higher-caliber clients—with bigger budgets for better projects.

“How to Connect With More Affluent Clients” is the name of the two-hour tele-seminar scheduled for 11 am EST (10 am CST, 9 am MST, 8 am PST) on Tuesday, February 1.

Joining me in presenting this powerful program is Gail Doby, the cofounder of Design Success University.

The investment, which includes an audio download, is $79 for the first 30 who sign up, and $99 for the others.

You won’t have to leave your home, office or showroom to learn ten steps to finding and working with a higher caliber clientele.

You need only to dial into this program to learn how to:

• Attract affluent prospects, and convert them into clients

• Turn single sales into long term relationships, with multiple profitable projects

• Position yourself as the go-to design professional most qualified to serve the affluent market

• Set and get high-caliber fees.

If more affluent clients are what you want, this tele-seminar is what you need.

Remember, you’ll save $20 off the registration fee if you’re among the first 30 to sign up.

For more information and registration details, click here: http://fredberns.com/feb1teleseminar/

Fred Berns coaches design professionals on how to dramatically increase sales and profits, and promote themselves more effectively. Contact him at 303-665-6688, or Fred@FredBerns.com.

It won’t take magic for kitchen and bath professionals to attract bigger projects from better clients, and get higher profits in the year ahead. It will take seven simple strategies.

#1: Sell Yourself! Communicate with confidence, and present yourself with polish. The most important sale you’ll ever make is the Personal one.

#2: Expand Your Brand. Create your brand around your “Only” statement. Nothing differentiates you better.

#3: Risk More Rejection. Don’t be “nullified” by “No.” Understand that it may simply mean “Not now.” Or, “Not yet.”

#4: Add “Wow!” to Your Website. Include a knock-their-socks-off Home Page. Address timely, topical issues in a website blog, and make your site interactive.

#5: Save the Best for First. Show your best before talking about the rest.

#6: Focus on the Future. Discuss “Phase II” before you start Phase I.

#7: Persist. Winners never quit. Quitters never win.


—Fred Berns coaches interior design professionals worldwide. Contact him at 303-665-6688, or Fred@FredBerns.com.

“Why” is why you miss out on bigger contracts, better projects and higher add-on sales.

“Why” is why you don’t connect with better clients.

If you’re like so many kitchen and bath professionals, you don’t adequately explain WHY people should buy from you. And it’s costing you big time.

Sure, you tell your prospects and clients what to do: Make an appointment, check out our website, buy our cabinets, send us referrals and so on.

But you don’t always tell why. The result: thousands of dollars end up in your competitors’ pockets.

Tell them why, and they’ll buy. Don’t, and they won’t.

In challenging times like these, people are more apt to wonder why they should invest in a kitchen or bath remodel.

And why they need you.

And why they need you…NOW.

You need to address the “why” in every call to action.

Say: Make an appointment, and we’ll give you ideas on how to substantially increase the value of your home.

or, Check out our website, and you’ll see an article on the ten most common mistakes homeowners make in selecting kitchen and bathroom tile.

or, Buy our cabinets, because they carry the best guarantee available in this area.

or, Hire our firm because we’re only the one in the area with 27 years experience providing “eco-friendly” design solutions for vacation homes.

or, Send us a referral, and we’ll send you a check for $150 when they place their first order.
Remember: “Why” is their question. Make sure you have the answer.

—Fred Berns, an interior design industry business coach and trainer, is the author of the audio program “12 Reasons You Earn Less Than You Could…and Should.”