Education

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Growing your business sustainably. Protecting the bottom line.

Our education program focuses on critical paths of professional development, with a project management course focused on increasing and preserving margin and a sales management course that supports business growth by helping the dealer create both a selling organization and a culture of accountability. The Solomon Coyle team is also available for presentations and workshops for which we will customize topics to your organization’s needs and interests.

Protect margin by managing the client, contract and project

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Enroll now for the fall term.
Classes start mid-Sep for Allsteel, Haworth, Herman Miller, Knoll and Steelcase dealer staff. Fast, easy online enrollment.
Fall enrollment opening soon
A new set of PM Training classes will start in mid-September for Allsteel, Haworth, Herman Miller, Knoll and Steelcase dealers. Dates and times are posted in our Events section. Send word through our Contact page to get on the mailing list for announcements about the Fall 2019 term.
Project Management TrainingINSTRUCTOR: SCOTT JAMISON

Through a series of 10 interactive webinars, dealer staff members are guided through information, tools and best practices that will help your dealership avoid costly mistakes, reduce margin erosion, and sustain and deepen customer relationships. The course instructor is an expert in furniture project management and an industry leader in project management training.

The Solomon Coyle Project Management Training program is a highly cost-effective way to help your entire project management team hone their ability to deliver smart project management solutions with higher quality, better accountability and greater value.

Classes are available for staff at Allsteel, Haworth, Herman Miller, Knoll and Steelcase dealerships.

Attendance is easy. Participants log into the webinars from wherever they have Internet access and a phone. The training sessions are 90 minutes long. The initial class meeting is a 45-minute online orientation.

We supply session handouts and workbooks plus forms, checklists and other professional tools. Tests along the way plus a final exam provide feedback on the attendee’s understanding of the material. Solomon Coyle issues a certificate of completion to individuals who fulfill the program requirements.

Here’s a session-by-session look at the curriculum. Click topic to see session outlines.

Session 1 - Dealer Economics and Principles of Project Management
Session 1 - Dealer Economics and Principles of Project Management
  • Dealer economics and margin erosion
  • 4 key causes of margin erosion
  • Project manager (PM) roles and responsibilities
  • 7 key concepts
  • Best practices
Session 2 - Quote-to-Invoice Process
Session 2 - Quote-to-Invoice Process
  • Sales order process and the PM's role
  • Best practices to prevent margin erosion
  • Work order process overview
  • Best practices for efficiency
Session 3 - Installation Estimating
Session 3 - Installation Estimating
  • Installation importance and key issues
  • Efficiency and effectiveness factors
  • Solomon Coyle estimating process
  • Estimating rules of thumb
  • Estimating prototypes
Session 4 - Planning the Project
Session 4 - Planning the Project
  • Key elements of the project plan
  • End-to-end view of the project plan
Session 5 - Project Communications and Managing the Client
Session 5 - Project Communications and Managing the Client
  • Communications and documentation
  • Client expectations and decision making
Session 6 - Managing the Contract
Session 6 - Managing the Contract
  • Documenting key decisions
  • Managing the scope of work
  • Terms and conditions
  • Documenting change orders
Session 7 - Managing the Project
Session 7 - Managing the Project
  • 5 key project aspects
  • Leveraging the manufacturer's capabilities
  • Managing job close-out
  • Working effectively with subcontractors
  • Managing corrective actions efficiently
  • Punch list process
Session 8 - Project Management as a Profit Center: Selling Services
Session 8 - Project Management as a Profit Center: Selling Services
  • Project management value proposition
  • Determining project management services cost
  • Marketing project management services
Session 9 - Review and Reinforcement
Session 9 - Review and Reinforcement
  • Review of key concepts
Session 10 - Using What You Learned
Session 10 - Using What You Learned
  • Challenges and opportunities in the day-to-day application of project management concepts and best practices

Our Senior PM has really enjoyed and benefited from the PM training she will be wrapping up soon. We would like to put others through it.JIM HERR, PRESIDENT, PARRON HALL OFFICE INTERIORS

Become a selling organization empowered to grow market share

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Foundations of Sales ManagementINSTRUCTOR: PAUL HOLLAND

This two-day on-site program is our antidote to the notion that you can sell your way to growth and profitability simply by acquiring sales people who come with an attractive “book” and growing the revenue from “existing” accounts.

That approach is not working today. There’s less overall demand. Products are perceived as commodities. Buyers are driven by price. Achieving incremental gains in revenue and profit means aggressively taking market share from competitors.

The Solomon Coyle team will be happy to customize a Foundations of Sales Management program for your dealership if you’re ready to become an organization where:

  • All members of the office staff understand the new competitive environment.
  • Everyone grasps the need to focus on acquiring new business.
  • There’s a well-defined sales process that everyone can and does support effectively.
  • Strong sales leaders do a good job of managing the process, hold people accountable, coach their teams to success and generate a maximum return on your sales investment.

The two days of on-site staff education we conduct is not sales training. It will complement whatever brand of sales training your company may subscribe to.

Day One is all about stimulating buy-in and forward momentum from Sales, Design, Customer Service, Project Management and Operations Management. We educate your teams on industry pressures, commoditization of the marketplace, the new competitive environment and changes in customer buying patterns. We also discuss how their roles will change as a result of the dealership’s transformation to a true selling organization.

Day Two focuses on positioning your management team to drive performance and produce lasting change. We review fundamentals, emphasizing how to manage a sales funnel, run productive meetings, and develop team members. We also provide the tools, tactics and tracking mechanisms your management team and sales leader(s) will need to successfully implement the new sales process, work with other departments and lead a selling culture.

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Enhance your group’s education program with Solomon Coyle research and insight

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Guest Speaking

Solomon Coyle can customize any of the topics listed below to create a presentation or workshop that addresses your organization’s needs and interests.

  • Benchmark your way to a better bottom line
  • Common mistakes dealers make and how to fix them
  • Project management with a profit emphasis
  • Improving efficiency in the quote-to-cash business cycle
  • Growing your business in a flat economy
  • How to make money on installation
  • Eliminating margin erosion
  • Best practices for a high-performance design department
  • Leveraging technology for greater productivity
  • Structure your dealership for success with architectural interiors
  • Finding the right dealer business model
  • The future of the dealer
  • Identifying, qualifying and developing client solutions effectively
  • Developing an effective sales and marketing plan
  • Long-term high performance for new business development