How To Recruit & Develop Your Sales Team

This workshop teaches you how to recruit sales reps, how to establish commission rates and negotiate and structure agreements for an apparel or design business. Participants will learn creative solutions to overcome industry challenges, how to identify marketing strengths and capitalize on them, and how to develop sales people as team players and motivate them to perform more effectively.
3hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $ 95 for Non Members

WATCH THIS SEMINAR ONLINE!

How to Create a Well Drafted Sales Rep Agreement

The practice of using written agreements is to define the parameters of the working relationship.  This seminar with teach you the keys to creating a well drafted agreement that will help you initiate and maintain a satisfying partnership with your sales reps. There will be in depth discussions of all components needed to draft a simple, inexpensive and comprehensive sales rep agreement: including: Territory, Commission, Terms of Sale; Discounts; Termination; and much more.
3 hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

WATCH THIS SEMINAR ONLINE!

The Art Of Selling In The Apparel Industry

 This seminar helps overcome the challenges and develops the skills associated with selling wholesale apparel to retailers at all levels in the Apparel Industry.  It is specifically suitable for manufacturers, designers and sales professionals who show collections at trade shows, in showrooms, in retail stores, at market, at trunk shows and other possible venues. In this seminar you will learn how to:

• Identify the right stores/buyers
• Approach buyers the right way
• Establish buyer interest/compatibility
• Ask the right questions
• Listen attentively
• Show the line correctly
• Ask for the order
• Follow up
  

3 hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

WATCH THIS SEMINAR ONLINE!

Costing For Market: Are You Priced Correctly To Make A Profit

This important seminar will address the following:
How To Prepare a proper costing system and cost sheets
Is your current costing methods earning your company a profit, or losing money?
3 hour seminar

Getting Ready For Market

Preparing for market is an essential step to make sure that your collection is presented professionally and your sales and marketing materials are clear, concise and appropriate. This seminar takes you from the initial preparation stages through after-market follow-up, and provides all the information you need to know to be ready for presenting your collection at market. Among the key points covered:

• Which trade show is best for your product
• How to prepare the collection 
• Sales and marketing materials 
• Contacting buyers 
• Merchandising the booth for eye catching attention 
• Presenting the collection 
• Writing orders 
• Payment methods 
• Checking credit 
• Follow up
  

3 hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

WATCH THIS SEMINAR ONLINE!

How to Build a Trunk Show Business

If you have a business that specializes in unique, high end or one-of-a-kind designs then Trunk Shows may be the perfect vehicle to build a successful business. Buyers all over this country conduct successful Trunk Shows that bring designer collections to their stores from which their invited customers can make their purchases. This seminar will help you identify if Trunk Shows are right for your business, how to plan them, conduct them and make them highly profitable.
Among the key points covered:

• Preparing the collection
• Identifying the buyers 
• Trunk Show Agreement 
• Booking the show 
• Planning the show 
• Conducting the show 
• Effective sales techniques 
• Special orders 
• Payment 
• Follow up
  

3 hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

WATCH THIS SEMINAR ONLINE!

How to Retain and Motivate Your Sales Team

Turning over sales staff can be a costly undertaking.  Relationships and training take time and money to establish.  In this seminar you will learn techniques to bring out the best in your existing sales people and how to motivate them to perform as a team, while increasing your company's bottom line.  This seminar is a must for employers what want to bring out the best in their sales people.
3 hour seminar
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

How to Grow Your Apparel Business With The "Grow Principle" ™

Are you satisfied with your current business growth?  How confident are you with the future growth of your business?  Does anything need to change for you to experience the growth you would like to achieve?  This seminar is designed especially for Apparel Business Owners, manufacturers, reps or retailers, at any stage of growth, who want to accelerate or tune up their business growth. 

Using The GROW Principle™, a professionally recognized tool for business and personal growth and transformation, created by Robert Silverstone, participants will come away with renewed enthusiasm, less anxiety, clearer vision, and detailed action steps they can take now that will serve to further build and grow their businesses. 3 hours In this seminar you will learn to GROW your ability to:

• Focus on the positive aspects of your business
• Reduce stress, anxiety and other negatives 
• Set clear future goals and objectives 
• Identify action steps to grow your business now
  

3 hour seminar

Understanding Retail Language

Understanding the words and terms used within the retail world will be an important part of conducting everyday business with retailers. Retail vocabulary and the proper use of these words is a necessary part of dealing with people from the retail world.
3 hour seminar

Retail Math For Apparel Manufacturers: How To Make The Retailer Feel Like Your In Tune With The Business

Understanding Retail Language
Open To Buy- What is it?
Signing Gross Margin Agreements
My merchandise is selling! How much should the retailer reorder?
How to calculate markup, gross margin, markdown money
Knowing your profit at retail, where do I fit into retail 
3 hour seminar

Increase The Profit Of Your Boutique- A fun And Interactive Class That Makes Sense Of Financial Merchandising

This merchandising based class reviews industry techniques to Set and Reach your Financial Goals-- Project and Analyze Your Sales-Merge your Marketing with your Sales Strategy as well as Effectively Manage your Inventory for Ultimate Profits.
Some basic retail math and excel knowledge required.
3 hour seminar 

Think Like A Buyer Workshop

This Workshop is designed to give manufactures of apparel and accessory product insight into the minds of potential retail buyers. We will explore what a buyer looks for, how a buyer responds to new vendor solicitation, how to get your line presented to a buyer, and how to maintain a fruitful vendor/buyer relationship. The objective of this workshop is to improve your chances of selling your product to buyers while establishing a solid and ongoing relationship.
Learn How Public Relations is a Key to Making Your Business A Success
Discover: Strategically growing and positioning your business with Public Relations
Public Relations vs. Advertising and Marketing
Creating a Public Relations plan and budget
Manage, track and quantify results
Develop brand and brand position in the market
3 hour workshop
Available as a DVD Cost: $80.00 for FBI Members - $95 for Non Members

 

Retail Online! The A-Z In Starting A Professional Web Store

Have you ever wanted to have your own professional web store? Sick and tired of unprofessional templates, webmasters, and stores you pay too much to retail your merchandise? Learn the inside ways of retailing online from the industry’s best.  It’s more than just a website it’s an Online Retail Store.  We will address the following issues along with any additional questions:
Why web retailing is important
The responsibilities held in opening a web retail operation
Search Engine Optimization
Web Merchandising
Marketing your site
All the options and services available to retail online
What is the best option for you
3 hour workshop

Building an Effective Website - Using a Template for Easy Internet Sales

When starting a new apparel business it is essential, as part of a marketing strategy to have a web presence and to offer marketing, sales and distribution information through your own website. It is also important to have the necessary links in place so that potential customers can find a new website.
This seminar will make it easy for the first time business owner, by demonstrating easy steps to uploading existing PR material and photos into a template.
 3 hour seminar

Building a Custom Designed Website

This 4 week series of classes will demonstrate to small business owners some of the more complex steps and techniques necessary to build their own website site. Offering a front retail store and a secured password user site for retail buyers. It will also teach the "how to" of building into a custom website a shopping cart for direct sales.
Please note: To achieve a more professional and creative web design result, Illustrator and photo shop experience will be helpful for participants of this class.
12 hour workshop

Want to Open your Own Showroom

This seminar will outline the important steps and necessary experience needed to become your own boss and open a showroom that will represent multiple lines.
 3 hour seminar