Alan Bates goes to his overhead projector to make a point.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- The NWFA’s “Education Vacation” truly lived up to its name today.

The event’s seminar program kicked into overdrive this morning with a range of presentations that addressed many of the industry’s hottest current issues. Leading off the program schedule were Dr. Kerry Johnson and The Trust Connection: How to Master the Art of Business Relationships, Wally Bock with What Makes a Great Business Web Site?, Pricing Strategies that Drive Sales by Alan Bates, and Warren Tyler’s Winning Against the Big Box Stores.

Later in the morning, Tyler returned for Effective Claims Management, Bock weighed in with Cyberselling -- How to Profit from the Information Highway, Bates came back with Pricing for a Greater Profit, and Randy Nash stepped up to the lectern with Recruiting and Retaining Quality Employees.

Wally Bock expounds on the power of a well-executed business website.
Following the Speaker Luncheon, which featured Johnson’sHow to Read Your Customer’s Mind, the workshops continued with Janice Zak’sStore Layouts that Sellpresentation,Improving Your Customer Relations Skillsby Ben McAdoo and Bill Jopling’sUse of Alternative Wood Species to Increase Profits.

See all that you missed by not making the trip to Palm Springs?

The day’s program rounded out with a return to the trade show floor. Key activities on tap for the convention’s concluding day tomorrow include the association’s annual Meeting luncheon, more educational seminars, an overview of the NWFA’s Advanced School and, of course, the Floor of the Year Awards Banquet.