477: Power Talk Friday: Laurel Palmer: Comfortex Leader, Bringing Her Passion to Her Work

Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We have Laurel Palmer with us today. Laurel is the New England Sales Territory Manager for Comfortex, one of the premier sponsors for the LuAnn Live event last March. Laurel is a pro when it comes to the art of selling. She has many years of experience, having worked for furniture manufacturers, commercial office furniture dealerships, building materials suppliers, and ultimately, a window treatment company, where she first sold window treatments to retail consumers before landing on the wholesale side of the trade. Laurel grew up in Northern California and now resides happily in the Greater Boston area. She is committed to helping her window treatment dealers make more money, so tune in today, to hear what she has to say. Comfortex was founded in 1986 and soon became known as a provider of innovative cellular shades. The company grew, and their product offering expanded to include roller shades, sheer shades, wood, and faux wood blinds, as well as cellular shades in every shape and configuration. Then, in 2000, Comfortex was acquired by Hunter Douglas. Comfortex is known for constantly innovating and improving. An example of their innovation is Color Lux, which marries an unlimited color choice with green production processes and game-changing materials. Comfortex blinds and shades have won more than 100 Window Covering Manufacturing Association awards and they are distributed currently in more than 50 countries. Most of their products are manufactured in upstate New York. Listen in today, to find out more. Show Highlights: Laurel talks about the incredible amount of color choices that are available with Comfortex's Color Lux. How Color Lux came about. You can now get solar screens in any of Color Lux's 800 colors! As a designer, using Color Lux will give you the freedom to confidently offer your clients the exact color of their choice or to match any color that they already have. Beautiful relationships are formed between interior designers and many of the window treatment dealers that Laurel works with. The benefits of working with a window treatment pro. Window treatments are a viable way for designers to add a terrific layer of profitability to their revenue stream. The importance of creating partnerships. Laurel has a unique approach to being a representative of Comfortex. Laurel shares her sales philosophy and her sales process. If you ask the right questions and listen carefully people will tell you exactly what they need. People don't always buy what you think they're going to buy, so you owe it to your customers to show them all of the available options. LuAnn shares some pointers from the seven-step sales-course that she teaches. Confidence is a key component to your success. Why it's important to sell value, not price. LuAnn explains what makes a good salesperson. An expert is someone who has made every mistake in their field. Previous shows mentioned in this episode: WTF episode numbers #462 and #471 Links: Comfortex Window Fashions IWCE Vision To get in touch with Comfortex, send an email to [email protected] and put LuAnn Nigara in the subject line. Link to RSVP for November 5th at Exclusive Flooring Concepts  Or Luann Nigara: Live Event