Education Conference

Top Remodelers Speak Out: Best Practices to Strengthen Your Business
Victoria will share best practices used by successful companies across the country.  Hear directly from business owners via video and learn how to use their experience in your own company.  If you’re serious about building a consistently profitable, strong company, there’s no better path to follow than the one made by business leaders.

Cheap Tricks 2010 – Simple Technology Solutions to Big Business Problems
Great technology doesn't have to break the bank. You can be a tech-savvy builder and save thousands of dollars, IF you know what to look for. This fast-paced session will teach attendees the latest technology trends in webware, software, hardware, Internet services and handheld devices. Joe will cover everything from blogging and social media platforms, totally free office suites, estimating, scheduling, and project management replacements, builder-specific utilities, smartphone apps, and even complete online project collaboration systems. Learn what technology really works for builders, and how to put it to work right away!

Green is Mainstream: Energy Codes, Energy Efficiency and Best Practices in Green Building Workshop
This workshop primarily covers best practices in green residential building techniques, including residential green building technologies from design to construction, insulation, site work, building envelope, roof, mechanical and other energy efficient systems in residential construction.  Anyone interested in green can benefit from this presentation.

Social Media and the Rise of the Reputation Economy: How we use social media to strengthen our relationships, learn from our peers, and share our ethos with the world.
In this presentation, Geoff will present his argument for why social media is a boon for the quality-focused companies that are operating in our reputation-challenged profession. He'll also provide a nuts-and-bolts overview of how his company has embraced and benefited from social media and how successful builders and remodelers engage their customers to fuel their success in today's reputation-driven economy.

Lessons Learned Doing “Near Zero Energy” Homes – a Nuts & Bolts Approach to Green Building & Remodeling
This is a “how-to” seminar presenting down-to-earth strategies you can use right away to add real value through smart design & building guidance, and how to avoid the pitfalls of those who have gone before you.  Some fundamentals of physics and an understanding of how they affect design & building decisions will be covered, and many myths and urban legends that persist within our industry will be exposed.  Develop an understanding of: the relevant laws of nature that will help you make thoughtful green building prioritization decisions on your own; well-vetted green building techniques that are "builder relevant"; and, what’s worked and what hasn't over the past three decades of the Peter's experience.

Social Media and Its Role in your Marketing Mix
Social Media is not a fad. Think about the following statistics and you’ll see that social media can be both effective and efficient for your company. Radio reached 50 million users after 38 years. Television reached 50 million users after 13 years.  Facebook had 100 million users after 9 months.  This class will cover the basics to navigate social media networks, and why it is important to your business and your overall media mix. You will also learn how to measure the effectiveness of your efforts in the social media world, and we will discuss some unique ideas specifically for builders to generate awareness about their companies and ultimately drive sales in the right direction.

Achieving the Impossible, Overcoming Doubt, & Beginning with the End in Mind
With innovation, creative thinking, break-through strategies, and by refusing to accept our perceived business and personal limitations, there is no end to our potential. By challenging ourselves daily to liberate our “entrapped mind” – which tells us dreams cannot come true – we are all destined for remarkable and unprecedented growth.  Learn to quit thinking about limitations and change your mindset from impossible to IS-possible.

Reverse Rigor Mortis: Excelling in Tough Times
We must accept that this tougher economy is our new normal.  So, how do you re-tool the basic business strategies that got you where you are but aren’t working anymore?  Throw away the comfortable and get back to selling!  Learn how to create your new success model instead of hoping it walks through the door.  Discover how you can sharpen your skills to compete in a highly competitive and selective world.  Rediscover the strengths and personal innovations you and your team have to offer.

Understanding Margin and Markup: Basic but Critical Principles for Success
This class is back by popular demand! Builders and remodelers tend to focus strongly on the construction side of business.  Financial management is overwhelming, complicated and pushed aside. Basic principles such as margin and markup can easily be misunderstood and misapplied – and the results can be costly. This seminar focuses on the definitions, differences and applications of margin and markup and will teach why this focus is critical to success.

The Buyer-Seller Dance: Who’s Leading Who?
Frustrated by sales challenges such as:  your sales cycle is getting longer and you are unsure why; prospects are eager to talk with you but then never buy; differentiating your company from the competition; and, not having enough new prospects in the pipeline?  If you have to sell to survive, then this class will show you how to: close more deals and shorten your sales cycles; stop discounting your products and services; sell without giving away your valuable expertise; and, why people really buy!

To Spec or Not to Spec: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.
Is building a “spec house” right for you?  What are the rewards and extreme risks of daring to embark on the adventure of building a home that is not sold?  Will you make lots of money?  Will this home propel your business to the next level?  Will this spec house sit unsold, keep you up at night and dash your hopes for success?  Get a fresh perspective on whether building a spec is right for you from an experienced home builder who builds unsold houses as a significant part of his day-to-day business.

Engage, Inspire, Sell.  Improve your results using the Internet.
Generate more leads. Convert more prospects into customers. Make customers your advocates and boost referrals. How can the Internet help you achieve these objectives? This course will cover practical ways you can grow your business by utilizing proven best Internet practices. No “Web master speak” – just simple explanations of how effective, online strategies boost sales and profits

Meet the Buyers
In the last year – in a very challenging economy – builders around the country set record sales by embracing a new understanding of women home buyers’ personalities.  For example, one builder grew their Web-based leads tenfold by incorporating the four buyer personalities in their Web site homepage!  “Meet the Buyers” is an insightful, often humorous and thought-provoking look into women's primary personalities as evidenced in their homes.  The presentation offers new ways to look at home design and marketing from each personality's perspective.