Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Navigating the Luxury Market in Interior Design
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Navigating the Luxury Market in Interior Design
Guest Profile: Amy Wollf
She is an award winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in Scottsdale.
WINNER 2022 VISION Design Award – Outdoor
WINNER 2021 – Top Treatments
WINNER 2017 – Specialty Windows | Certified Interior Decorator
Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years!
She has developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture.
Other Notes/Links:
To learn more about Amy Wollf visit:
Amy Wollf Interiors
pssst…. want to be a guest on the show?
Listen to other episodes
Summary
In this episode of Marketing Panes, host Will Hanke interviews Amy Wolff, an award-winning designer and decorator specializing in custom window treatments. Amy shares her journey in the industry, her unique business model as a solopreneur, and her strategies for attracting premium clients. The conversation delves into the importance of personal service, navigating competition, and leveraging marketing strategies, including social media and PR efforts. Amy also discusses trends in the window treatment industry, maintaining business stability, and her aspirations for the future.
Video
https://youtu.be/H6dLxgc7qPs
Click here to display Transcript
TRANSCRIPT
Will Hanke (00:00)
All right, hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Marketing Panes, the podcast where we talk to real window treatment and awning service providers and business owners about their successes and struggles related to marketing their business. Today we’ve got a guest with some great insights that I’m excited to interview and I’ve known for a long time. She’s an award-winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in the Scottsdale, Arizona area.
She is the winner of 2017 Specialty Windows Award, 2021 Top Treatments, and in 2022, the Vision Design Award for Outdoor. Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years. She’s developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations, including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture. Amy from Amy Wolf Interiors, thank you for being on the show today.
Amy (01:07)
Thanks for having me, Will.
Will Hanke (01:08)
Yeah, I really do appreciate you jumping on. So I saw and I just read in your bio that you’ve been in the industry for 20 years. Congrats on that milestone. That’s pretty awesome. What inspired you to get into window treatments and interior design in the first place?
Amy (01:19)
Thank you.
You know, it sounds cliche, but I was kind of born with it. I always did it. Even as a little kid, I was rearranging my room and painting it. So it’s just stuff that I’ve always done.
Will Hanke (01:40)
OK, yeah, that’s cool. it was you it was you were just born with it, right?
Amy (01:44)
Hahaha
Will Hanke (01:46)
I love that. So, so tell me a little bit about your business, Amy Wolf Interiors. Who do you serve and what sets you apart in your area?
Amy (01:54)
Well, I’m a solopreneur. I do not have a storefront. work from home because I go to my client’s home. I serve mostly, you know, the 45 plus crowd, the people who want some more luxury, the people who are willing to pay for custom, for something more unique than you could just buy online. or at Home Depot. And so that’s my crowd. They’re at the point in their life where they want better things, you know, and buy good by once and they just, you know, want to treat themselves better at the end of the day.
Will Hanke (02:40)
And you’re the right area for it. I know the Scottsdale area is growing like weeds Yeah, that’s great. So Talking about those maybe higher-end clients. I guess we could call them How do you position yourself to get those premium clients? for your services
Amy (02:45)
Always.
Well, your whole brand, because I’m my brand, you you just position it differently. We don’t put out sales and we can beat anybody’s price. That’s not us. There’s plenty of people to do that for the people who want that. And that’s a good thing. And it’s more of a personal service. You deal with me. I’m not going to send three different salesmen. Out or you know and of course I have an excellent virtual team you know I have excellent workrooms I have the best installer so everything you know we have an onboarding we have an initial call we confirm everything you know our appointment we let them know we’re on the way you have to be very consistent because people are looking for that high customer service experience that you know there was a time that was the norm now they think it’s exceptional
and
Will Hanke (03:51)
I love that you have a complete onboarding process and you’re really giving them an experience before you even do any work, really.
Amy (04:00)
Well, and at the same time, kind of qualifying them as well. You know, that they are the right client. Because, hey, it isn’t fair to my other clients to take time away from someone who isn’t a good fit. And I’m okay with that because there will be some, you know, I try to point them in the right direction if I’m not. So.
Will Hanke (04:20)
Yeah,
yeah. In my world of digital marketing, there’s a thing where the form on your website, the more fields you put, the less likely people are to fill it out. However, the people that take the time to fill that out tend to be better clients. So I’m sure putting them through this same sort of process is very similar to that.
Amy (04:43)
Well, I don’t put them through every single one, make them fill out a form. It’s more of a phone call form. But you’re right, the ones who fill out my form online to contact me, they’ve already committed. Because they’ve taken the time, they’ve gone through and they like what they see already, and they’ll fill in what they’re looking for. So those are usually good solid prospects.
Will Hanke (05:09)
like that. So you mentioned that you have an installer on your team. Do you have a workroom that helps with some of the things that you do?
Amy (05:13)
Yes.
Well, I have local workrooms that make just about everything we do in terms of soft treatments. Draperies, cornices, valances, you know, yes, and they also make custom upholstered furniture and they’re very good at what they do. And my installer is a separate person. Like I said, I kind of have a virtual firm and as needed call people in so we can accept a fair amount of volume.
Will Hanke (05:24)
Okay.
it yeah and you’re not just focused specifically on window treatments you’ll help them with other things as well right
Amy (05:52)
I do, you know, I really, it’s my favorite thing to do. So I’ve really narrowed. I mean, I used to do remodels and new builds, pick all the, you know, all the finishes for those lighting countertops, cabinetry, everything. And I’ve pretty much eliminated that. I will help my window treatment clients if you know, Hey, what do you think of this? Where should I get that? If they want custom lighting, I’ll get it.
but it isn’t something I chase after anymore in terms of a full blown house project like that.
Will Hanke (06:23)
Okay.
Okay. There’s plenty of work in that part of the country, as I mentioned earlier. So it’s nice that you can be a little bit more specific about your audience.
Amy (06:29)
Yeah.
Yeah, it’s just, it’s what I enjoy doing the most. And trust me, there’s plenty of competition in both. There’s plenty of interior designers doing all the design work and there’s plenty of other window covering companies out here too. And they all have a different niche, but there’s some overlap. You’re going to run into some now and again.
Will Hanke (06:55)
Yeah. Yeah. Have you created any special strategies to compete against the other people in town, specifically the larger dealers without compromising your kind of like boutique service model?
Amy (07:10)
Well, let’s face it, the larger dealers have a huge advertising and marketing budget. You know, I can’t bid against them at $500 a lead on Google, you know, and being everywhere like that. So I honed in and, you know, geographically, I honed in a lot closer to home because I provide better service if I can get there sooner or I can get there.
Will Hanke (07:22)
Right.
Amy (07:37)
you know, without having to schedule someone out a week and a half because I don’t have a big enough block of time for travel because it’s a big valley here and there are people who go anywhere. Well, that could be an hour and a half away. And that doesn’t serve my clients well. So I have honed into a very specific geographic area. Will I go elsewhere? Yes, but I don’t market to it. And what I do that’s different from the larger is the personal service.
You’re not one of five appointments today. know, at most I’ll schedule two. A morning and an afternoon at most. Because there’s folks who I’m out of there in 45 minutes or an hour who are very decisive, they were very crisp on what they said they wanted. And there’s others who you like to chat and get to know you and take longer. And so I’m not, you know, hit and run, hit and run, hit and run. It’s just a more personal experience. And these are the people who like that.
Will Hanke (08:28)
Yeah, that’s great.
Amy (08:29)
They’re not calling
five people and saying hand me a quote, hand me a quote, hand me a quote. That’s not my clientele.
Will Hanke (08:36)
sure. Do you have a way to filter those types of people out before you ever make it to their home?
Amy (08:42)
Usually on the initial phone call that’s usually between you know 20 minutes in an hour depending on how much they have to do and how much I’m trying to decipher Because they’ll tell you what they think they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re using the correct terminology You know I’ve had people call and say they want curtains, and they really wanted a shade So you have to you have to you know Go down through that to see what they was is in their mind’s eye that they don’t know how to describe
And I’ll also probe them, have you done custom before? Do you know what this costs? And ways to, now we can value engineer. There’s ways we can do something for most people’s budgets, if they’re realistic. I mean, if you’re comparing to buying panels off of Amazon, well, that’s not realistic. You’re not getting the same thing. And I’ll explain to them, if that’s what you want, that’s fine, just understand what you’re getting.
Cause there’s places for that. Put them in the guest room.
Will Hanke (09:38)
sense.
Yeah. And you mentioned earlier that you really don’t compete on price. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Amy (09:47)
I don’t because again, it’s a very custom product I give you. don’t sell name household brands, let’s say. I’m not one of those dealers. I was at one time. sell products that, as I tell my clients, I sell you products that don’t make you cry or give me headaches.
Will Hanke (10:07)
I like that. I like that.
Amy (10:08)
Well, callbacks cost money. So if I sell, you know, let’s say roller shades, motorized stuff, I sell stuff we don’t get callbacks on. That costs a little more upfront, but then it’s not a cost to me or heartache for them later on in the quality. people who are interested in quality, you know, are more likely to pick me. If you’re shopping strictly price,
We probably didn’t even get to the first appointment because I’ve already had that conversation. Or I’ll tell them, go ahead, go get all your pricing and come on back, let me see what you got. And we can or not take it from there. It’s an understanding what you’re getting for the money and the personal service. And of course, custom, you can’t, if you’re doing, we have huge windows here. So it can be very difficult to get something like draperies online or in the store.
Because they’re so tall and wide that sometimes custom is your only option. So, you know, can you go try and price shop that? Sure. I don’t know how effective that is.
Will Hanke (11:05)
Okay. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. So in your area, you mentioned the big windows. What is the breakdown between hard and soft treatments? Do you think for your customers?
Amy (11:25)
Well, I definitely sell more hard treatments because it’s the desert and it’s dusty. So a lot of folks don’t want draperies in that. Although they’ll do cornices, they’ll do top treatments of different kinds, or they’ll just do some side panels. So probably, I’m going to say 70-30.
Will Hanke (11:44)
Okay, interesting.
Amy (11:45)
I realized you know I Forget someone was asking me it could have been you Motorization now is probably 75 % of all the shades I order So even if someone’s doing the whole house Very few motorized the whole house For instance they’ll put cordless in the guest room because they don’t want the guests to be messing around with a remote and it’s just easier
Will Hanke (11:57)
wow, okay.
You
Amy (12:11)
So they won’t, even they won’t do the whole house or the garage. You don’t need to motorize the garage shades. You need to open them twice a year when you have the windows cleaned. Right? Yeah. So that’s part of the value engineering. say too, okay, hey, we can save here, we can save there. That makes sense.
Will Hanke (12:20)
Makes sense. Yeah.
Yeah. Do you have people that motorize one room and then realize how awesome it is and then call you back as a separate project?
Amy (12:38)
Yes. Plus I have folks who, you know, for whatever reason they don’t want to or they can’t do the whole house at once. So we do it in phases. And we can plan that out. That’s fine. I have one now who regrets not motorizing eight windows. And she happens to have the same size windows in other rooms. We’re going to move them and motorize that room down.
Will Hanke (12:46)
Sure.
that’s a great idea. OK.
OK. Very cool. So as I said early on, you’ve won a lot of awards around design. And I’ve seen some of the things that you’ve done. I know that PR is a big piece of everything you do. Tell me a little bit more about that.
Amy (13:06)
Mm-hmm.
Well, I actually just started doing that. and it was suggested to me when, know, I was talking about my 20th anniversary, I said, wow, you really got to promote that. Is that I got a guy who is a, you know, a PR professional. So I said, okay, let’s do it. And it exploded to me is, you know, you’re working, you’re doing your job, whatever. It isn’t a big deal, but apparently it’s a big news deal. So.
We’re going to try and do more frequent things. We did another one on the tariff situation, how that could be affecting our business or not. It isn’t affecting mine because almost everything I do is made in the USA. And that really started because of COVID accessibility to things. So I brought things as local as I possibly could, whether it’s hard treatments or custom draperies and top treatments.
Even that’s what even got us into custom upholstery because the big, the higher end furniture manufacturers in North Carolina weren’t going to deliver for 18 months. I said, well, that’s not acceptable. So we started making them here.
Will Hanke (14:25)
I love that. That’s a great work around that worked out well for you.
Amy (14:31)
Well, and it’s actually worked out better for my clients because it’s at the same price as your higher end brands, know, your Hancock and Moore Century. Same price, but even more customized because they can go to the little showroom at my upholster and sit on different cushions. Yeah, I like this firmness or I like that one and pick any fabric we want. And, you know, the turnaround was, you know, a couple of months, not 18 and
Will Hanke (14:58)
You
Amy (15:00)
The freight for one client went from for two sofas and four, you know, big armchairs. The freight went from $3,800 down to 250 because our local white glove delivered. So it benefits everyone really.
Will Hanke (15:13)
that’s great.
Yeah. So on the on the PR, what are you doing? Are you just doing a press release or are you are you trying to get on local TV? Any of that kind of stuff?
Amy (15:26)
We haven’t gone to the local TV yet because a lot of that here is actually paid. Even though they act like yeah, so you have to pay for that spot. So we’re doing mostly mostly newspaper magazine. Trade. Journals so everything from local to to the trade. All the shelter stuff.
Will Hanke (15:45)
Okay, so you’re specifically sending a press release or some information to them and hoping to get an interview or something in those types of publications.
Amy (15:53)
Yes,
and just being picked up, it all helps with backlinks to the website. So that all helps as well. Plus I promote them on social media locally all over.
Will Hanke (16:00)
Yeah, sure.
Okay, very good. All right, so another thing that you’ve mentioned in the past is direct marketing. Tell me about that piece.
Amy (16:10)
Ahem.
Well, you know, really you want repeat and referral. That’s the golden. So, Repeat and referral is key. And then I do a lot of very local social media I’ve done really well with Nextdoor. A lot of nice referrals there. And where I live, there are at least a half dozen, could be 10.
Will Hanke (16:27)
Okay.
Amy (16:36)
social media neighborhood area pages and it’s funny they all have certain days you can post your business so on Tuesdays it’s this page Wednesdays it’s that page Thursday so I just repeat the same one all week I’ve now gotten into a system of doing that and the nice thing is you have your cheerleaders who will give you a thumbs up or a comment every time so that helps it and then people already think they know you you’re already my friend
Will Hanke (16:49)
love it.
Amy (17:03)
I had two appointments in the last month. People are like, I feel like you’re my friend. Even though we hadn’t met before. So, and then there’s certain kinds of posts that work better than others. They all love the PR ones because that’s, wow, look at you. You got some news. and other ones, the most effective are, after photos. They want to see what a job looks like. I don’t put the before photos because sometimes the clients are embarrassed.
Will Hanke (17:08)
Sure, sure.
okay.
Amy (17:31)
But people love, that gets the most reactions, the most engagement are after photos as opposed to, hey, look at the new fabrics I got.
Will Hanke (17:42)
Yeah. I love that you’re posting on the different pages, you know, for the different days when you get to post your business. Are you only doing organic type posting or are you actually paying for ads on Nextdoor?
Amy (17:55)
I used to pay for ads on Nextdoor and I found it didn’t get any more response than just posting.
Will Hanke (18:03)
Yeah, so you’re just taking the time.
Amy (18:04)
And it seems the more you post,
the more neighborhoods they’ll show.
Will Hanke (18:08)
Okay. Okay. And then you just have a list of which ones on which days. That’s fantastic.
Amy (18:09)
So.
I put it in my calendar now because I’m terrible. I hate social media. I’m terrible at it. So now that I have a list of what day what goes where, as soon as I get the first one out, then I just copy it and paste it all week.
Will Hanke (18:28)
Perfect. Yeah. Well, let’s talk a little bit about business cycles. sometimes the industry is doing great. Sometimes the industry is really slow. What practical steps can business owners take to kind of maintain that stability during these ups and downs?
Amy (18:43)
I think that if you’re consistent, I mean, there’s going to be slow times and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. But if you’re consistent, I think with your message, for instance, last year was an election year. Those are always really weird years, but I did a lot better than I expected. And I think some of this consistency led toward that. There’s certain seasons for me.
And maybe the rest of the industry, don’t know if it’s a geographic thing or not, that are slower. January can be slower after the holidays. Sometimes between Thanksgiving and Christmas it can be slow because I say once the tree’s up nobody wants to see me. But you know it’s a good year when you’re still getting appointments in December that aren’t installations. And then sometimes August here can be a little slow.
And I think it’s now a lot of folks leave for the summer here. We have a lot of snowbirds. but they’ve been gone all summer. Usually they’re usually gone in May or June. So August could be a little slower and I think a lot of that might have to do with back to school, even though my really priority clients don’t have school age kids. So I just think it’s August. People are getting in their last vacations and such.
Will Hanke (20:01)
makes sense. Yeah. And I would assume Arizona is not the best place to be in August in the first place.
Amy (20:07)
We have air conditioning.
Will Hanke (20:08)
Yeah,
fair enough.
Amy (20:10)
I said I’m not a roofer or a baggage handler, so life is good.
Will Hanke (20:14)
Yes, very true. Very true. In the industry, although overall you said, you know, there’s slow times, there’s there’s great times. Do you see any trends right now in the window treatment industry? And if you do, how are you adapting to stay ahead of those?
Amy (20:28)
I don’t know if there’s trends in terms of well, I am getting a little bit more soft treatment inquiry than just blinds, know, the utilitarian. Now I’m getting a little bit more of what I’d consider luxury, optional items, because you here you have to have blinds or shades, something on your windows. There’s just that’s not negotiable, you know.
It’s just a matter of what you’re gonna spend on it and how you’re going to do it. So there’s more inquiry and that, you know, I still can’t predict how that’s gonna be up or down trend wise, but it is trending now to more luxury. So.
Will Hanke (21:09)
Really interesting
that you say that because I also do a quarterly podcast with different guests and the last two quarters, so Q3 and Q4 of 2024, that’s one thing that they’ve mentioned is that the luxury market seems to be popping up a little bit more. So it’s interesting that you also bring that up.
Amy (21:30)
Mm-hmm
Right and even more interest as well. I’m starting to get a little interested in the custom upholstery again because people Want a quality item? Yeah, you can go buy a sofa for you know $800 This isn’t the $800 crowd, you know, they they want something they’re gonna use every day and and you know quality items, so
Will Hanke (21:38)
Okay.
Amy (21:59)
It’s just, and it’s a state of mind, by the way. You asked about luxury neighborhoods. It isn’t all 5,000 and 10,000 square foot homes. Somebody could have a 2,500 or even 1,800 square foot patio home or town home, but they’re at the point of their life that they want it all perfect and beautiful.
Will Hanke (22:22)
Okay, interesting. When it comes to design trends, what’s your favorite?
Amy (22:26)
You know, it’s funny, I like a lot of stuff. I really do. As you can see, I like color. It’s more what I don’t like. I was so sick of the gray thing the week it came out. That’s pretty much gone. I really do like all, you know, I like the opportunity to do all different styles for people. You know, I have one who’s just doing.
Will Hanke (22:29)
You
Yeah.
Amy (22:47)
plain black leather cornices. And they’re gonna look really striking where she’s putting them. And other people want all the bells and whistles, completely different styles, both equally fun.
Will Hanke (22:59)
So I think you like the idea of every one of them being different from each other.
Amy (23:03)
absolutely. In fact, that’s another one of my selling points that people happen to love is that once you choose a fabric, I won’t sell it again. So it’s yours. So people may be able to find elsewhere, but they’re not getting it from me because to me it’s custom. So I’m not selling it to someone else. I may sell it another color. And I mean, look, this is a fraction of the books and stuff. There’s plenty of fabrics.
Will Hanke (23:14)
OK. that’s fantastic.
Amy (23:31)
There’s no reason I can’t make one exclusive for a client. And they love that.
Will Hanke (23:36)
That’s a great selling point. When it comes to your dream project, what does that look like?
Amy (23:38)
Yeah.
You know, I had to think about that. And I think it’d be super fun to do like a whole house of motorized draperies. You know, like hotels.
That would be just fabulous.
Will Hanke (23:54)
Yeah.
OK, very cool. All motorized. Yeah, all working together. And I guess you do the smart home piece of that as well.
Amy (23:58)
Fuck, cuz fabrics are fun, you know?
We will talk to your smart home. We will make sure whatever we put in Seize your smart home. We’re not going to go into programming in your smart home So we will help the homeowner Okay, you whether it’s on their iPad or their phone or whatever. Okay, it sees our shade It’s operating or the drapery. It’s operating You have to go in and tell it if you want different scenes times a day or all that
Will Hanke (24:32)
Sure.
Yeah. Sure.
Amy (24:34)
We won’t do that. We’ll get
it all working and make sure it sees it, but we don’t want to go into somebody’s smart home because they have so many things in there that we just don’t want to want to touch. And sometimes we have to call the smart home people because they have so many things. We need them to open up another channel or whatever it is for us because that’s the only reason it’s not seated is that you’ve already got eight other things on there. You know, the TVs, the lights, I mean,
Will Hanke (24:43)
That’s right.
Amy (25:03)
outdoor misters outdoor fans you know they’ve got everything on cameras so
Will Hanke (25:07)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah,
as a guy who is really into the smart home piece of everything, I would prefer somebody just set it up and hand it to me to build for me to build the automations anyway.
Amy (25:23)
Well that’s it too, because your preferences could change. So the cool thing is the folks who want them to go up at night and day, now the software knows when is night and day. You don’t have to reset it all year.
Will Hanke (25:36)
Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for the snowbirds, too, there’s probably different automations for when they’re not there. Right.
Amy (25:38)
So.
Well, most of the time they’ll have them down the whole time. But okay, now got somebody coming to do something at the house while I’m gone. Okay, let me open those for them while I’m in Colorado.
Will Hanke (25:46)
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (25:57)
But I’ll tell you what, that’s still a very small percentage that go to that extent. At least of my clients, I’m going to say it’s 5%. The rest just want a handheld remote. They don’t want to, even though they can do it. And I sell them because some could change their mind in a year or two. So I sell them the motors that we can get them programmed later on.
Will Hanke (26:04)
Okay.
Makes sense. Yeah.
Amy (26:19)
Yeah, in case
they change their mind, we have the ability to add it later.
Will Hanke (26:23)
Yeah. Yeah. When they go to somebody else’s house and that person is like me really into it and shows them all the cool things they can do. Yeah.
Amy (26:31)
Right.
But at the end of the day, isn’t it really just a show-off thing? You know, I mean, there’s some level for home security, but otherwise to have everything going is, you know.
Will Hanke (26:36)
Yes, a little bit.
Yeah, fair enough.
Let’s talk about single room projects. Do you have any strategies to upsell somebody who just calls you for a single room and try to get them to do more of a whole house project?
Amy (26:57)
You know, they almost upsell themselves a lot of times because they see how beautiful the one room came out and they’re, oh, yeah, now I got to do this room. That’s, you know, unless they’ve called me because they’ve had everything else done. Or let’s say they bought the home and everything was done except a certain room. But a lot of times they kind of upsell themselves.
Will Hanke (27:17)
That’s great. I think that goes back to your process and the onboarding and giving them an experience right off the bat.
Amy (27:24)
And then they see how effortless it is for them.
They really like not having to do anything, not having to run around and find fabric, not having to do all those things that some do-it-yourselfers like to do. They find that fun. But these folks like to have the whole thing taken care of. I just want to go to lunch or play golf or I’ve got other things going on, you know, that I just don’t want to do this.
Will Hanke (27:27)
like that.
You
Yeah, yeah, for window treatment businesses that are looking to run more smoothly like that, what systems or processes should they focus on first?
Amy (28:01)
the customer facing ones. You know, it’s like the duck that looks real calm on the surface and the legs are going like crazy underneath. Have the customer, you need to focus, make sure your customer facing processes are, because that’s where the money comes from. We work for them. And then your internal ones, you know, are equally important, but you can take care of those in the background.
when you’re not taking care of your clients.
Will Hanke (28:27)
Very good. You mentioned the money comes from them. When you’re presenting those higher end window treatments, how do you ensure that you still are making a healthy margin off of that?
Amy (28:39)
Well, you know, you have to charge what you need to get your gross and your net profit. You need to know what your costs are. And I’ll tell you what, just because mine may be lower than say someone who has a showroom, that doesn’t mean I’m going to charge less. It’s a value to the client. It’s the end product they’re getting. So yeah, I put healthy profit on things. And most people watching this,
Even if you have a huge showroom and you’re a multi-million dollar shade, you know blind and shade dealer You know what your formulas need to be? To make to make your profit, but most people in the business say a rule of thumb, you know is is double your cost For openers now, there’s some shade people who don’t do that because they’re doing a lot of volume But then to me you’re always playing catch-up
Will Hanke (29:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (29:29)
and those are also the folks who the price shoppers or their clientele so it’s just a different business model nothing wrong with it just a different model not one that I ever wanted
Will Hanke (29:37)
Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Back to not competing on price. think that lowers your stress, right? Maybe less clients, but better clients and less stress for you.
Amy (29:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yes. Better clients, you know, better margins. Yeah, I mean, you know, the better clients, the less running you’re doing, which is also why I narrowed my geography, too.
Will Hanke (30:03)
Make sense? Yep. Okay. So I want to do a marketing myth or fact with you. Homeowners in older homes are less likely to invest in custom window treatments.
Amy (30:09)
Okay.
that’s definitely a myth. they wear out. I would say I have 60, 40, 60 new homes, new move-ins versus 40 that they’ve been in the home 15, 20 years. And, you know, the, the, the blinds had a nice life. They’re, they’re over it. They want motorization. They want a cleaner look.
I mean it’s completely different. Look, they have verticals. know? Things that, you know, the old plastic verticals of the old hardware store with all the strings and such and no, it’s definitely a myth.
Will Hanke (30:52)
Very good. Here’s another one. Myth or fact? Luxury clients only come from high end neighborhoods.
Amy (30:59)
No, that’s a myth too. As I said before, well, you know, it could be a townhouse. Maybe it’s a high-end neighborhood, but you don’t judge that, you know, they’re not gonna spend a lot because to me, it’s a state of mind. I mean, I market to the higher-end homes when I see no home closings, because that’s an easy grab to market to, but…
No, you don’t assume, because I’ll tell you what, and I live in the desert, so there’s a lot of ranches and such. You don’t know what’s behind that gate. And sometimes you get back there and it’s Oz, I mean. Everything is like beautiful and manicured. You have no idea from the gate what you’re gonna find. So I never assume.
Will Hanke (31:48)
Yeah, yeah. So obviously you market more to the high end with the on purpose marketing. As your company grows and you have these different growth opportunities, how do you evaluate those? You know, along with I know you do a lot of traveling, diving, those sorts of things. How do you keep your business going and growing with keeping that stuff in mind as well?
Amy (31:56)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I plan my trips when it’s generally going to be slower here. I do stay in contact. See, this is another thing with hiring people. If I’m out of town and we have our initial call while I’m away or something, they’ll wait. Price shoppers want you there this afternoon.
Especially if you build a rapport with them and you know, generally they like to travel too. They like to do so they understand
Will Hanke (32:41)
Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for sharing that. So a couple last bonus questions. Is there a design trend in window treatments that you secretly dislike but your clients love?
Amy (32:44)
I’m
I really can’t think of one. Quite frankly, know, the new regulations with strings and such makes my life a lot easier because there’s a lot less choices in terms of how to operate things. And a lot of times I make that decision for my client. I’ll say to them, okay, and this one, if we’re not doing motorization, let’s say, okay, well, this is what you need to have here. And then, you know, that’s that.
Will Hanke (33:09)
You
Amy (33:16)
I take the options away because I know what’s gonna function best for them. And so that helps. But no, there isn’t anything I secretly hate because it isn’t about me. It’s not my home. Does it work at your home?
Will Hanke (33:30)
Right. Yeah, makes sense. I know that you did mention earlier the gray thing and quite honestly, my wife went through that maybe a year ago and we’re already talking about repainting.
Amy (33:36)
Ha!
But here’s the good thing. It’s just paint.
Will Hanke (33:46)
Right.
Amy (33:47)
So when clients were into that, I wouldn’t let them put it on the expensive stuff, like your shades, your countertops, your floors, things that are expensive to replace. I would move more toward grayish. You know that beige gray? And then otherwise, it’s just paint. It’s a pain, but it isn’t expensive in the scheme of things.
Will Hanke (34:08)
Right.
Yeah,
yeah. As long as you don’t use that to match everything up like you said. And then when it comes to repainting, now we have to start over.
Amy (34:19)
February would…
Will Hanke (34:21)
Yeah, yeah. So Amy, if someone wants to learn more about your work and what you do, where’s the best place for them to connect with you?
Amy (34:28)
Well, obviously my website www.amywolffinteriors.com and that’s with two F’s as you see right there. And, or call me, text me.
Will Hanke (34:39)
Okay. Lastly, what are the three most important business lessons that you’ve learned in your over 20 years that could help other people listening to the podcast?
Amy (34:49)
Well, one, decide what kind of business you want to be.
You know, do you want to be a huge showroom with all kinds of salespeople and all that? Or do you want to be a boutique solopreneur like me or something in between? Decide what you want to be.
Find out who your priority customers are, your premium clientele. Who are they? Where do you find them?
And then, you know, everything beyond that kind of rolls into place. But you have to be consistent as well. You can’t, you can’t try and be both. I don’t think. Yes, do, do the big showrooms offer what I do? Sure they do. Do they do it the same way? No. So I think that’s the hardest part is deciding what kind of business you want to be and who you’re going to serve.
Will Hanke (35:37)
Yeah, good point. We talk about in my world, the message, the market and the media, right? If you know who the market is and you know, you know what message you’re going to say to them, you’re 75 % of the world in this case, 66 % of the way done, right?
Amy (35:45)
Right.
Right. Right. And there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s you choose what you want it to look like. And, know, there was a point in the last 20 years where I could have gone a different way, but as I thought about it and I had gone to a, was invited, it was a big deal to this VIP designer business seminar, running your business and all these other, and as I sat there,
And they’re like, what’s your takeaway? And I thought, wow, my takeaway is I don’t want 12 or 20 people working for me to be responsible for feeding all those families. My personal choice. Can I make the same salary as those owners without having to worry about all these other families? And so that’s just my personal choice, you know.
Will Hanke (36:46)
Yeah,
that’s great. And that’s the way that you’ve built your business to be in that position. That’s great. Amy, thank you. Yeah, yeah, I’ll bet. Last question. I know I said last already. You’re 20 years into this with your business. What do the next five years look like for you?
Amy (36:53)
Right. But it was an aha moment.
You
Well, that’s a good question. mean, I love doing this, but I mean, at some point you want to figure out a retirement gig. So, you know, I’m just mulling over in my head what that would look like.
What would a laptop life look like that keeps me still in the industry?
Will Hanke (37:29)
Yeah. And I know that you like to travel and diving is something that you really love. So obviously you probably want to do more of that, right?
Amy (37:34)
Yes.
Well, who
Will Hanke (37:39)
Well, Amy, thank you so much for being on. You shared some incredible tips with us today. And if you are a window treatment dealer and you’re inspired by some of Amy’s things, you know, feel free to reach out to her and make sure to apply these to your business where you can and really start using these strategies to build your business to the next point. If you love this episode, obviously, please consider sending it to a friend in the industry.
Like us on YouTube like us on the podcast networks and make sure you’ll never miss another episode Amy thank you so much for being on we really appreciate it and we’ll see everybody in the next episode
Amy Wolff (38:22)
Thanks Will, always great to chat with you.
TRANSCRIPT
Will Hanke (00:00)
All right, hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Marketing Panes, the podcast where we talk to real window treatment and awning service providers and business owners about their successes and struggles related to marketing their business. Today we’ve got a guest with some great insights that I’m excited to interview and I’ve known for a long time. She’s an award-winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in the Scottsdale, Arizona area.
She is the winner of 2017 Specialty Windows Award, 2021 Top Treatments, and in 2022, the Vision Design Award for Outdoor. Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years. She’s developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations, including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture. Amy from Amy Wolf Interiors, thank you for being on the show today.
Amy (01:07)
Thanks for having me, Will.
Will Hanke (01:08)
Yeah, I really do appreciate you jumping on. So I saw and I just read in your bio that you’ve been in the industry for 20 years. Congrats on that milestone. That’s pretty awesome. What inspired you to get into window treatments and interior design in the first place?
Amy (01:19)
Thank you.
You know, it sounds cliche, but I was kind of born with it. I always did it. Even as a little kid, I was rearranging my room and painting it. So it’s just stuff that I’ve always done.
Will Hanke (01:40)
OK, yeah, that’s cool. it was you it was you were just born with it, right?
Amy (01:44)
Hahaha
Will Hanke (01:46)
I love that. So, so tell me a little bit about your business, Amy Wolf Interiors. Who do you serve and what sets you apart in your area?
Amy (01:54)
Well, I’m a solopreneur. I do not have a storefront. work from home because I go to my client’s home. I serve mostly, you know, the 45 plus crowd, the people who want some more luxury, the people who are willing to pay for custom, for something more unique than you could just buy online. or at Home Depot. And so that’s my crowd. They’re at the point in their life where they want better things, you know, and buy good by once and they just, you know, want to treat themselves better at the end of the day.
Will Hanke (02:40)
And you’re the right area for it. I know the Scottsdale area is growing like weeds Yeah, that’s great. So Talking about those maybe higher-end clients. I guess we could call them How do you position yourself to get those premium clients? for your services
Amy (02:45)
Always.
Well, your whole brand, because I’m my brand, you you just position it differently. We don’t put out sales and we can beat anybody’s price. That’s not us. There’s plenty of people to do that for the people who want that. And that’s a good thing. And it’s more of a personal service. You deal with me. I’m not going to send three different salesmen. Out or you know and of course I have an excellent virtual team you know I have excellent workrooms I have the best installer so everything you know we have an onboarding we have an initial call we confirm everything you know our appointment we let them know we’re on the way you have to be very consistent because people are looking for that high customer service experience that you know there was a time that was the norm now they think it’s exceptional
and
Will Hanke (03:51)
I love that you have a complete onboarding process and you’re really giving them an experience before you even do any work, really.
Amy (04:00)
Well, and at the same time, kind of qualifying them as well. You know, that they are the right client. Because, hey, it isn’t fair to my other clients to take time away from someone who isn’t a good fit. And I’m okay with that because there will be some, you know, I try to point them in the right direction if I’m not. So.
Will Hanke (04:20)
Yeah,
yeah. In my world of digital marketing, there’s a thing where the form on your website, the more fields you put, the less likely people are to fill it out. However, the people that take the time to fill that out tend to be better clients. So I’m sure putting them through this same sort of process is very similar to that.
Amy (04:43)
Well, I don’t put them through every single one, make them fill out a form. It’s more of a phone call form. But you’re right, the ones who fill out my form online to contact me, they’ve already committed. Because they’ve taken the time, they’ve gone through and they like what they see already, and they’ll fill in what they’re looking for. So those are usually good solid prospects.
Will Hanke (05:09)
like that. So you mentioned that you have an installer on your team. Do you have a workroom that helps with some of the things that you do?
Amy (05:13)
Yes.
Well, I have local workrooms that make just about everything we do in terms of soft treatments. Draperies, cornices, valances, you know, yes, and they also make custom upholstered furniture and they’re very good at what they do. And my installer is a separate person. Like I said, I kind of have a virtual firm and as needed call people in so we can accept a fair amount of volume.
Will Hanke (05:24)
Okay.
it yeah and you’re not just focused specifically on window treatments you’ll help them with other things as well right
Amy (05:52)
I do, you know, I really, it’s my favorite thing to do. So I’ve really narrowed. I mean, I used to do remodels and new builds, pick all the, you know, all the finishes for those lighting countertops, cabinetry, everything. And I’ve pretty much eliminated that. I will help my window treatment clients if you know, Hey, what do you think of this? Where should I get that? If they want custom lighting, I’ll get it.
but it isn’t something I chase after anymore in terms of a full blown house project like that.
Will Hanke (06:23)
Okay.
Okay. There’s plenty of work in that part of the country, as I mentioned earlier. So it’s nice that you can be a little bit more specific about your audience.
Amy (06:29)
Yeah.
Yeah, it’s just, it’s what I enjoy doing the most. And trust me, there’s plenty of competition in both. There’s plenty of interior designers doing all the design work and there’s plenty of other window covering companies out here too. And they all have a different niche, but there’s some overlap. You’re going to run into some now and again.
Will Hanke (06:55)
Yeah. Yeah. Have you created any special strategies to compete against the other people in town, specifically the larger dealers without compromising your kind of like boutique service model?
Amy (07:10)
Well, let’s face it, the larger dealers have a huge advertising and marketing budget. You know, I can’t bid against them at $500 a lead on Google, you know, and being everywhere like that. So I honed in and, you know, geographically, I honed in a lot closer to home because I provide better service if I can get there sooner or I can get there.
Will Hanke (07:22)
Right.
Amy (07:37)
you know, without having to schedule someone out a week and a half because I don’t have a big enough block of time for travel because it’s a big valley here and there are people who go anywhere. Well, that could be an hour and a half away. And that doesn’t serve my clients well. So I have honed into a very specific geographic area. Will I go elsewhere? Yes, but I don’t market to it. And what I do that’s different from the larger is the personal service.
You’re not one of five appointments today. know, at most I’ll schedule two. A morning and an afternoon at most. Because there’s folks who I’m out of there in 45 minutes or an hour who are very decisive, they were very crisp on what they said they wanted. And there’s others who you like to chat and get to know you and take longer. And so I’m not, you know, hit and run, hit and run, hit and run. It’s just a more personal experience. And these are the people who like that.
Will Hanke (08:28)
Yeah, that’s great.
Amy (08:29)
They’re not calling
five people and saying hand me a quote, hand me a quote, hand me a quote. That’s not my clientele.
Will Hanke (08:36)
sure. Do you have a way to filter those types of people out before you ever make it to their home?
Amy (08:42)
Usually on the initial phone call that’s usually between you know 20 minutes in an hour depending on how much they have to do and how much I’m trying to decipher Because they’ll tell you what they think they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re using the correct terminology You know I’ve had people call and say they want curtains, and they really wanted a shade So you have to you have to you know Go down through that to see what they was is in their mind’s eye that they don’t know how to describe
And I’ll also probe them, have you done custom before? Do you know what this costs? And ways to, now we can value engineer. There’s ways we can do something for most people’s budgets, if they’re realistic. I mean, if you’re comparing to buying panels off of Amazon, well, that’s not realistic. You’re not getting the same thing. And I’ll explain to them, if that’s what you want, that’s fine, just understand what you’re getting.
Cause there’s places for that. Put them in the guest room.
Will Hanke (09:38)
sense.
Yeah. And you mentioned earlier that you really don’t compete on price. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Amy (09:47)
I don’t because again, it’s a very custom product I give you. don’t sell name household brands, let’s say. I’m not one of those dealers. I was at one time. sell products that, as I tell my clients, I sell you products that don’t make you cry or give me headaches.
Will Hanke (10:07)
I like that. I like that.
Amy (10:08)
Well, callbacks cost money. So if I sell, you know, let’s say roller shades, motorized stuff, I sell stuff we don’t get callbacks on. That costs a little more upfront, but then it’s not a cost to me or heartache for them later on in the quality. people who are interested in quality, you know, are more likely to pick me. If you’re shopping strictly price,
We probably didn’t even get to the first appointment because I’ve already had that conversation. Or I’ll tell them, go ahead, go get all your pricing and come on back, let me see what you got. And we can or not take it from there. It’s an understanding what you’re getting for the money and the personal service. And of course, custom, you can’t, if you’re doing, we have huge windows here. So it can be very difficult to get something like draperies online or in the store.
Because they’re so tall and wide that sometimes custom is your only option. So, you know, can you go try and price shop that? Sure. I don’t know how effective that is.
Will Hanke (11:05)
Okay. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. So in your area, you mentioned the big windows. What is the breakdown between hard and soft treatments? Do you think for your customers?
Amy (11:25)
Well, I definitely sell more hard treatments because it’s the desert and it’s dusty. So a lot of folks don’t want draperies in that. Although they’ll do cornices, they’ll do top treatments of different kinds, or they’ll just do some side panels. So probably, I’m going to say 70-30.
Will Hanke (11:44)
Okay, interesting.
Amy (11:45)
I realized you know I Forget someone was asking me it could have been you Motorization now is probably 75 % of all the shades I order So even if someone’s doing the whole house Very few motorized the whole house For instance they’ll put cordless in the guest room because they don’t want the guests to be messing around with a remote and it’s just easier
Will Hanke (11:57)
wow, okay.
You
Amy (12:11)
So they won’t, even they won’t do the whole house or the garage. You don’t need to motorize the garage shades. You need to open them twice a year when you have the windows cleaned. Right? Yeah. So that’s part of the value engineering. say too, okay, hey, we can save here, we can save there. That makes sense.
Will Hanke (12:20)
Makes sense. Yeah.
Yeah. Do you have people that motorize one room and then realize how awesome it is and then call you back as a separate project?
Amy (12:38)
Yes. Plus I have folks who, you know, for whatever reason they don’t want to or they can’t do the whole house at once. So we do it in phases. And we can plan that out. That’s fine. I have one now who regrets not motorizing eight windows. And she happens to have the same size windows in other rooms. We’re going to move them and motorize that room down.
Will Hanke (12:46)
Sure.
that’s a great idea. OK.
OK. Very cool. So as I said early on, you’ve won a lot of awards around design. And I’ve seen some of the things that you’ve done. I know that PR is a big piece of everything you do. Tell me a little bit more about that.
Amy (13:06)
Mm-hmm.
Well, I actually just started doing that. and it was suggested to me when, know, I was talking about my 20th anniversary, I said, wow, you really got to promote that. Is that I got a guy who is a, you know, a PR professional. So I said, okay, let’s do it. And it exploded to me is, you know, you’re working, you’re doing your job, whatever. It isn’t a big deal, but apparently it’s a big news deal. So.
We’re going to try and do more frequent things. We did another one on the tariff situation, how that could be affecting our business or not. It isn’t affecting mine because almost everything I do is made in the USA. And that really started because of COVID accessibility to things. So I brought things as local as I possibly could, whether it’s hard treatments or custom draperies and top treatments.
Even that’s what even got us into custom upholstery because the big, the higher end furniture manufacturers in North Carolina weren’t going to deliver for 18 months. I said, well, that’s not acceptable. So we started making them here.
Will Hanke (14:25)
I love that. That’s a great work around that worked out well for you.
Amy (14:31)
Well, and it’s actually worked out better for my clients because it’s at the same price as your higher end brands, know, your Hancock and Moore Century. Same price, but even more customized because they can go to the little showroom at my upholster and sit on different cushions. Yeah, I like this firmness or I like that one and pick any fabric we want. And, you know, the turnaround was, you know, a couple of months, not 18 and
Will Hanke (14:58)
You
Amy (15:00)
The freight for one client went from for two sofas and four, you know, big armchairs. The freight went from $3,800 down to 250 because our local white glove delivered. So it benefits everyone really.
Will Hanke (15:13)
that’s great.
Yeah. So on the on the PR, what are you doing? Are you just doing a press release or are you are you trying to get on local TV? Any of that kind of stuff?
Amy (15:26)
We haven’t gone to the local TV yet because a lot of that here is actually paid. Even though they act like yeah, so you have to pay for that spot. So we’re doing mostly mostly newspaper magazine. Trade. Journals so everything from local to to the trade. All the shelter stuff.
Will Hanke (15:45)
Okay, so you’re specifically sending a press release or some information to them and hoping to get an interview or something in those types of publications.
Amy (15:53)
Yes,
and just being picked up, it all helps with backlinks to the website. So that all helps as well. Plus I promote them on social media locally all over.
Will Hanke (16:00)
Yeah, sure.
Okay, very good. All right, so another thing that you’ve mentioned in the past is direct marketing. Tell me about that piece.
Amy (16:10)
Ahem.
Well, you know, really you want repeat and referral. That’s the golden. So, Repeat and referral is key. And then I do a lot of very local social media I’ve done really well with Nextdoor. A lot of nice referrals there. And where I live, there are at least a half dozen, could be 10.
Will Hanke (16:27)
Okay.
Amy (16:36)
social media neighborhood area pages and it’s funny they all have certain days you can post your business so on Tuesdays it’s this page Wednesdays it’s that page Thursday so I just repeat the same one all week I’ve now gotten into a system of doing that and the nice thing is you have your cheerleaders who will give you a thumbs up or a comment every time so that helps it and then people already think they know you you’re already my friend
Will Hanke (16:49)
love it.
Amy (17:03)
I had two appointments in the last month. People are like, I feel like you’re my friend. Even though we hadn’t met before. So, and then there’s certain kinds of posts that work better than others. They all love the PR ones because that’s, wow, look at you. You got some news. and other ones, the most effective are, after photos. They want to see what a job looks like. I don’t put the before photos because sometimes the clients are embarrassed.
Will Hanke (17:08)
Sure, sure.
okay.
Amy (17:31)
But people love, that gets the most reactions, the most engagement are after photos as opposed to, hey, look at the new fabrics I got.
Will Hanke (17:42)
Yeah. I love that you’re posting on the different pages, you know, for the different days when you get to post your business. Are you only doing organic type posting or are you actually paying for ads on Nextdoor?
Amy (17:55)
I used to pay for ads on Nextdoor and I found it didn’t get any more response than just posting.
Will Hanke (18:03)
Yeah, so you’re just taking the time.
Amy (18:04)
And it seems the more you post,
the more neighborhoods they’ll show.
Will Hanke (18:08)
Okay. Okay. And then you just have a list of which ones on which days. That’s fantastic.
Amy (18:09)
So.
I put it in my calendar now because I’m terrible. I hate social media. I’m terrible at it. So now that I have a list of what day what goes where, as soon as I get the first one out, then I just copy it and paste it all week.
Will Hanke (18:28)
Perfect. Yeah. Well, let’s talk a little bit about business cycles. sometimes the industry is doing great. Sometimes the industry is really slow. What practical steps can business owners take to kind of maintain that stability during these ups and downs?
Amy (18:43)
I think that if you’re consistent, I mean, there’s going to be slow times and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. But if you’re consistent, I think with your message, for instance, last year was an election year. Those are always really weird years, but I did a lot better than I expected. And I think some of this consistency led toward that. There’s certain seasons for me.
And maybe the rest of the industry, don’t know if it’s a geographic thing or not, that are slower. January can be slower after the holidays. Sometimes between Thanksgiving and Christmas it can be slow because I say once the tree’s up nobody wants to see me. But you know it’s a good year when you’re still getting appointments in December that aren’t installations. And then sometimes August here can be a little slow.
And I think it’s now a lot of folks leave for the summer here. We have a lot of snowbirds. but they’ve been gone all summer. Usually they’re usually gone in May or June. So August could be a little slower and I think a lot of that might have to do with back to school, even though my really priority clients don’t have school age kids. So I just think it’s August. People are getting in their last vacations and such.
Will Hanke (20:01)
makes sense. Yeah. And I would assume Arizona is not the best place to be in August in the first place.
Amy (20:07)
We have air conditioning.
Will Hanke (20:08)
Yeah,
fair enough.
Amy (20:10)
I said I’m not a roofer or a baggage handler, so life is good.
Will Hanke (20:14)
Yes, very true. Very true. In the industry, although overall you said, you know, there’s slow times, there’s there’s great times. Do you see any trends right now in the window treatment industry? And if you do, how are you adapting to stay ahead of those?
Amy (20:28)
I don’t know if there’s trends in terms of well, I am getting a little bit more soft treatment inquiry than just blinds, know, the utilitarian. Now I’m getting a little bit more of what I’d consider luxury, optional items, because you here you have to have blinds or shades, something on your windows. There’s just that’s not negotiable, you know.
It’s just a matter of what you’re gonna spend on it and how you’re going to do it. So there’s more inquiry and that, you know, I still can’t predict how that’s gonna be up or down trend wise, but it is trending now to more luxury. So.
Will Hanke (21:09)
Really interesting
that you say that because I also do a quarterly podcast with different guests and the last two quarters, so Q3 and Q4 of 2024, that’s one thing that they’ve mentioned is that the luxury market seems to be popping up a little bit more. So it’s interesting that you also bring that up.
Amy (21:30)
Mm-hmm
Right and even more interest as well. I’m starting to get a little interested in the custom upholstery again because people Want a quality item? Yeah, you can go buy a sofa for you know $800 This isn’t the $800 crowd, you know, they they want something they’re gonna use every day and and you know quality items, so
Will Hanke (21:38)
Okay.
Amy (21:59)
It’s just, and it’s a state of mind, by the way. You asked about luxury neighborhoods. It isn’t all 5,000 and 10,000 square foot homes. Somebody could have a 2,500 or even 1,800 square foot patio home or town home, but they’re at the point of their life that they want it all perfect and beautiful.
Will Hanke (22:22)
Okay, interesting. When it comes to design trends, what’s your favorite?
Amy (22:26)
You know, it’s funny, I like a lot of stuff. I really do. As you can see, I like color. It’s more what I don’t like. I was so sick of the gray thing the week it came out. That’s pretty much gone. I really do like all, you know, I like the opportunity to do all different styles for people. You know, I have one who’s just doing.
Will Hanke (22:29)
You
Yeah.
Amy (22:47)
plain black leather cornices. And they’re gonna look really striking where she’s putting them. And other people want all the bells and whistles, completely different styles, both equally fun.
Will Hanke (22:59)
So I think you like the idea of every one of them being different from each other.
Amy (23:03)
absolutely. In fact, that’s another one of my selling points that people happen to love is that once you choose a fabric, I won’t sell it again. So it’s yours. So people may be able to find elsewhere, but they’re not getting it from me because to me it’s custom. So I’m not selling it to someone else. I may sell it another color. And I mean, look, this is a fraction of the books and stuff. There’s plenty of fabrics.
Will Hanke (23:14)
OK. that’s fantastic.
Amy (23:31)
There’s no reason I can’t make one exclusive for a client. And they love that.
Will Hanke (23:36)
That’s a great selling point. When it comes to your dream project, what does that look like?
Amy (23:38)
Yeah.
You know, I had to think about that. And I think it’d be super fun to do like a whole house of motorized draperies. You know, like hotels.
That would be just fabulous.
Will Hanke (23:54)
Yeah.
OK, very cool. All motorized. Yeah, all working together. And I guess you do the smart home piece of that as well.
Amy (23:58)
Fuck, cuz fabrics are fun, you know?
We will talk to your smart home. We will make sure whatever we put in Seize your smart home. We’re not going to go into programming in your smart home So we will help the homeowner Okay, you whether it’s on their iPad or their phone or whatever. Okay, it sees our shade It’s operating or the drapery. It’s operating You have to go in and tell it if you want different scenes times a day or all that
Will Hanke (24:32)
Sure.
Yeah. Sure.
Amy (24:34)
We won’t do that. We’ll get
it all working and make sure it sees it, but we don’t want to go into somebody’s smart home because they have so many things in there that we just don’t want to want to touch. And sometimes we have to call the smart home people because they have so many things. We need them to open up another channel or whatever it is for us because that’s the only reason it’s not seated is that you’ve already got eight other things on there. You know, the TVs, the lights, I mean,
Will Hanke (24:43)
That’s right.
Amy (25:03)
outdoor misters outdoor fans you know they’ve got everything on cameras so
Will Hanke (25:07)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah,
as a guy who is really into the smart home piece of everything, I would prefer somebody just set it up and hand it to me to build for me to build the automations anyway.
Amy (25:23)
Well that’s it too, because your preferences could change. So the cool thing is the folks who want them to go up at night and day, now the software knows when is night and day. You don’t have to reset it all year.
Will Hanke (25:36)
Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for the snowbirds, too, there’s probably different automations for when they’re not there. Right.
Amy (25:38)
So.
Well, most of the time they’ll have them down the whole time. But okay, now got somebody coming to do something at the house while I’m gone. Okay, let me open those for them while I’m in Colorado.
Will Hanke (25:46)
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (25:57)
But I’ll tell you what, that’s still a very small percentage that go to that extent. At least of my clients, I’m going to say it’s 5%. The rest just want a handheld remote. They don’t want to, even though they can do it. And I sell them because some could change their mind in a year or two. So I sell them the motors that we can get them programmed later on.
Will Hanke (26:04)
Okay.
Makes sense. Yeah.
Amy (26:19)
Yeah, in case
they change their mind, we have the ability to add it later.
Will Hanke (26:23)
Yeah. Yeah. When they go to somebody else’s house and that person is like me really into it and shows them all the cool things they can do. Yeah.
Amy (26:31)
Right.
But at the end of the day, isn’t it really just a show-off thing? You know, I mean, there’s some level for home security, but otherwise to have everything going is, you know.
Will Hanke (26:36)
Yes, a little bit.
Yeah, fair enough.
Let’s talk about single room projects. Do you have any strategies to upsell somebody who just calls you for a single room and try to get them to do more of a whole house project?
Amy (26:57)
You know, they almost upsell themselves a lot of times because they see how beautiful the one room came out and they’re, oh, yeah, now I got to do this room. That’s, you know, unless they’ve called me because they’ve had everything else done. Or let’s say they bought the home and everything was done except a certain room. But a lot of times they kind of upsell themselves.
Will Hanke (27:17)
That’s great. I think that goes back to your process and the onboarding and giving them an experience right off the bat.
Amy (27:24)
And then they see how effortless it is for them.
They really like not having to do anything, not having to run around and find fabric, not having to do all those things that some do-it-yourselfers like to do. They find that fun. But these folks like to have the whole thing taken care of. I just want to go to lunch or play golf or I’ve got other things going on, you know, that I just don’t want to do this.
Will Hanke (27:27)
like that.
You
Yeah, yeah, for window treatment businesses that are looking to run more smoothly like that, what systems or processes should they focus on first?
Amy (28:01)
the customer facing ones. You know, it’s like the duck that looks real calm on the surface and the legs are going like crazy underneath. Have the customer, you need to focus, make sure your customer facing processes are, because that’s where the money comes from. We work for them. And then your internal ones, you know, are equally important, but you can take care of those in the background.
when you’re not taking care of your clients.
Will Hanke (28:27)
Very good. You mentioned the money comes from them. When you’re presenting those higher end window treatments, how do you ensure that you still are making a healthy margin off of that?
Amy (28:39)
Well, you know, you have to charge what you need to get your gross and your net profit. You need to know what your costs are. And I’ll tell you what, just because mine may be lower than say someone who has a showroom, that doesn’t mean I’m going to charge less. It’s a value to the client. It’s the end product they’re getting. So yeah, I put healthy profit on things. And most people watching this,
Even if you have a huge showroom and you’re a multi-million dollar shade, you know blind and shade dealer You know what your formulas need to be? To make to make your profit, but most people in the business say a rule of thumb, you know is is double your cost For openers now, there’s some shade people who don’t do that because they’re doing a lot of volume But then to me you’re always playing catch-up
Will Hanke (29:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (29:29)
and those are also the folks who the price shoppers or their clientele so it’s just a different business model nothing wrong with it just a different model not one that I ever wanted
Will Hanke (29:37)
Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Back to not competing on price. think that lowers your stress, right? Maybe less clients, but better clients and less stress for you.
Amy (29:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yes. Better clients, you know, better margins. Yeah, I mean, you know, the better clients, the less running you’re doing, which is also why I narrowed my geography, too.
Will Hanke (30:03)
Make sense? Yep. Okay. So I want to do a marketing myth or fact with you. Homeowners in older homes are less likely to invest in custom window treatments.
Amy (30:09)
Okay.
that’s definitely a myth. they wear out. I would say I have 60, 40, 60 new homes, new move-ins versus 40 that they’ve been in the home 15, 20 years. And, you know, the, the, the blinds had a nice life. They’re, they’re over it. They want motorization. They want a cleaner look.
I mean it’s completely different. Look, they have verticals. know? Things that, you know, the old plastic verticals of the old hardware store with all the strings and such and no, it’s definitely a myth.
Will Hanke (30:52)
Very good. Here’s another one. Myth or fact? Luxury clients only come from high end neighborhoods.
Amy (30:59)
No, that’s a myth too. As I said before, well, you know, it could be a townhouse. Maybe it’s a high-end neighborhood, but you don’t judge that, you know, they’re not gonna spend a lot because to me, it’s a state of mind. I mean, I market to the higher-end homes when I see no home closings, because that’s an easy grab to market to, but…
No, you don’t assume, because I’ll tell you what, and I live in the desert, so there’s a lot of ranches and such. You don’t know what’s behind that gate. And sometimes you get back there and it’s Oz, I mean. Everything is like beautiful and manicured. You have no idea from the gate what you’re gonna find. So I never assume.
Will Hanke (31:48)
Yeah, yeah. So obviously you market more to the high end with the on purpose marketing. As your company grows and you have these different growth opportunities, how do you evaluate those? You know, along with I know you do a lot of traveling, diving, those sorts of things. How do you keep your business going and growing with keeping that stuff in mind as well?
Amy (31:56)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I plan my trips when it’s generally going to be slower here. I do stay in contact. See, this is another thing with hiring people. If I’m out of town and we have our initial call while I’m away or something, they’ll wait. Price shoppers want you there this afternoon.
Especially if you build a rapport with them and you know, generally they like to travel too. They like to do so they understand
Will Hanke (32:41)
Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for sharing that. So a couple last bonus questions. Is there a design trend in window treatments that you secretly dislike but your clients love?
Amy (32:44)
I’m
I really can’t think of one. Quite frankly, know, the new regulations with strings and such makes my life a lot easier because there’s a lot less choices in terms of how to operate things. And a lot of times I make that decision for my client. I’ll say to them, okay, and this one, if we’re not doing motorization, let’s say, okay, well, this is what you need to have here. And then, you know, that’s that.
Will Hanke (33:09)
You
Amy (33:16)
I take the options away because I know what’s gonna function best for them. And so that helps. But no, there isn’t anything I secretly hate because it isn’t about me. It’s not my home. Does it work at your home?
Will Hanke (33:30)
Right. Yeah, makes sense. I know that you did mention earlier the gray thing and quite honestly, my wife went through that maybe a year ago and we’re already talking about repainting.
Amy (33:36)
Ha!
But here’s the good thing. It’s just paint.
Will Hanke (33:46)
Right.
Amy (33:47)
So when clients were into that, I wouldn’t let them put it on the expensive stuff, like your shades, your countertops, your floors, things that are expensive to replace. I would move more toward grayish. You know that beige gray? And then otherwise, it’s just paint. It’s a pain, but it isn’t expensive in the scheme of things.
Will Hanke (34:08)
Right.
Yeah,
yeah. As long as you don’t use that to match everything up like you said. And then when it comes to repainting, now we have to start over.
Amy (34:19)
February would…
Will Hanke (34:21)
Yeah, yeah. So Amy, if someone wants to learn more about your work and what you do, where’s the best place for them to connect with you?
Amy (34:28)
Well, obviously my website www.amywolffinteriors.com and that’s with two F’s as you see right there. And, or call me, text me.
Will Hanke (34:39)
Okay. Lastly, what are the three most important business lessons that you’ve learned in your over 20 years that could help other people listening to the podcast?
Amy (34:49)
Well, one, decide what kind of business you want to be.
You know, do you want to be a huge showroom with all kinds of salespeople and all that? Or do you want to be a boutique solopreneur like me or something in between? Decide what you want to be.
Find out who your priority customers are, your premium clientele. Who are they? Where do you find them?
And then, you know, everything beyond that kind of rolls into place. But you have to be consistent as well. You can’t, you can’t try and be both. I don’t think. Yes, do, do the big showrooms offer what I do? Sure they do. Do they do it the same way? No. So I think that’s the hardest part is deciding what kind of business you want to be and who you’re going to serve.
Will Hanke (35:37)
Yeah, good point. We talk about in my world, the message, the market and the media, right? If you know who the market is and you know, you know what message you’re going to say to them, you’re 75 % of the world in this case, 66 % of the way done, right?
Amy (35:45)
Right.
Right. Right. And there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s you choose what you want it to look like. And, know, there was a point in the last 20 years where I could have gone a different way, but as I thought about it and I had gone to a, was invited, it was a big deal to this VIP designer business seminar, running your business and all these other, and as I sat there,
And they’re like, what’s your takeaway? And I thought, wow, my takeaway is I don’t want 12 or 20 people working for me to be responsible for feeding all those families. My personal choice. Can I make the same salary as those owners without having to worry about all these other families? And so that’s just my personal choice, you know.
Will Hanke (36:46)
Yeah,
that’s great. And that’s the way that you’ve built your business to be in that position. That’s great. Amy, thank you. Yeah, yeah, I’ll bet. Last question. I know I said last already. You’re 20 years into this with your business. What do the next five years look like for you?
Amy (36:53)
Right. But it was an aha moment.
You
Well, that’s a good question. mean, I love doing this, but I mean, at some point you want to figure out a retirement gig. So, you know, I’m just mulling over in my head what that would look like.
What would a laptop life look like that keeps me still in the industry?
Will Hanke (37:29)
Yeah. And I know that you like to travel and diving is something that you really love. So obviously you probably want to do more of that, right?
Amy (37:34)
Yes.
Well, who
Will Hanke (37:39)
Well, Amy, thank you so much for being on. You shared some incredible tips with us today. And if you are a window treatment dealer and you’re inspired by some of Amy’s things, you know, feel free to reach out to her and make sure to apply these to your business where you can and really start using these strategies to build your business to the next point. If you love this episode, obviously, please consider sending it to a friend in the industry.
Like us on YouTube like us on the podcast networks and make sure you’ll never miss another episode Amy thank you so much for being on we really appreciate it and we’ll see everybody in the next episode
Amy Wolff (38:22)
Thanks Will, always great to chat with you.
View all episodes
By Window Treatment Marketing Pros
5
11 ratings
Guest Profile: Amy Wollf
She is an award winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in Scottsdale.
WINNER 2022 VISION Design Award – Outdoor
WINNER 2021 – Top Treatments
WINNER 2017 – Specialty Windows | Certified Interior Decorator
Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years!
She has developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture.
Other Notes/Links:
To learn more about Amy Wollf visit:
Amy Wollf Interiors
pssst…. want to be a guest on the show?
Listen to other episodes
Summary
In this episode of Marketing Panes, host Will Hanke interviews Amy Wolff, an award-winning designer and decorator specializing in custom window treatments. Amy shares her journey in the industry, her unique business model as a solopreneur, and her strategies for attracting premium clients. The conversation delves into the importance of personal service, navigating competition, and leveraging marketing strategies, including social media and PR efforts. Amy also discusses trends in the window treatment industry, maintaining business stability, and her aspirations for the future.
Video
https://youtu.be/H6dLxgc7qPs
Click here to display Transcript
TRANSCRIPT
Will Hanke (00:00)
All right, hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Marketing Panes, the podcast where we talk to real window treatment and awning service providers and business owners about their successes and struggles related to marketing their business. Today we’ve got a guest with some great insights that I’m excited to interview and I’ve known for a long time. She’s an award-winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in the Scottsdale, Arizona area.
She is the winner of 2017 Specialty Windows Award, 2021 Top Treatments, and in 2022, the Vision Design Award for Outdoor. Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years. She’s developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations, including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture. Amy from Amy Wolf Interiors, thank you for being on the show today.
Amy (01:07)
Thanks for having me, Will.
Will Hanke (01:08)
Yeah, I really do appreciate you jumping on. So I saw and I just read in your bio that you’ve been in the industry for 20 years. Congrats on that milestone. That’s pretty awesome. What inspired you to get into window treatments and interior design in the first place?
Amy (01:19)
Thank you.
You know, it sounds cliche, but I was kind of born with it. I always did it. Even as a little kid, I was rearranging my room and painting it. So it’s just stuff that I’ve always done.
Will Hanke (01:40)
OK, yeah, that’s cool. it was you it was you were just born with it, right?
Amy (01:44)
Hahaha
Will Hanke (01:46)
I love that. So, so tell me a little bit about your business, Amy Wolf Interiors. Who do you serve and what sets you apart in your area?
Amy (01:54)
Well, I’m a solopreneur. I do not have a storefront. work from home because I go to my client’s home. I serve mostly, you know, the 45 plus crowd, the people who want some more luxury, the people who are willing to pay for custom, for something more unique than you could just buy online. or at Home Depot. And so that’s my crowd. They’re at the point in their life where they want better things, you know, and buy good by once and they just, you know, want to treat themselves better at the end of the day.
Will Hanke (02:40)
And you’re the right area for it. I know the Scottsdale area is growing like weeds Yeah, that’s great. So Talking about those maybe higher-end clients. I guess we could call them How do you position yourself to get those premium clients? for your services
Amy (02:45)
Always.
Well, your whole brand, because I’m my brand, you you just position it differently. We don’t put out sales and we can beat anybody’s price. That’s not us. There’s plenty of people to do that for the people who want that. And that’s a good thing. And it’s more of a personal service. You deal with me. I’m not going to send three different salesmen. Out or you know and of course I have an excellent virtual team you know I have excellent workrooms I have the best installer so everything you know we have an onboarding we have an initial call we confirm everything you know our appointment we let them know we’re on the way you have to be very consistent because people are looking for that high customer service experience that you know there was a time that was the norm now they think it’s exceptional
and
Will Hanke (03:51)
I love that you have a complete onboarding process and you’re really giving them an experience before you even do any work, really.
Amy (04:00)
Well, and at the same time, kind of qualifying them as well. You know, that they are the right client. Because, hey, it isn’t fair to my other clients to take time away from someone who isn’t a good fit. And I’m okay with that because there will be some, you know, I try to point them in the right direction if I’m not. So.
Will Hanke (04:20)
Yeah,
yeah. In my world of digital marketing, there’s a thing where the form on your website, the more fields you put, the less likely people are to fill it out. However, the people that take the time to fill that out tend to be better clients. So I’m sure putting them through this same sort of process is very similar to that.
Amy (04:43)
Well, I don’t put them through every single one, make them fill out a form. It’s more of a phone call form. But you’re right, the ones who fill out my form online to contact me, they’ve already committed. Because they’ve taken the time, they’ve gone through and they like what they see already, and they’ll fill in what they’re looking for. So those are usually good solid prospects.
Will Hanke (05:09)
like that. So you mentioned that you have an installer on your team. Do you have a workroom that helps with some of the things that you do?
Amy (05:13)
Yes.
Well, I have local workrooms that make just about everything we do in terms of soft treatments. Draperies, cornices, valances, you know, yes, and they also make custom upholstered furniture and they’re very good at what they do. And my installer is a separate person. Like I said, I kind of have a virtual firm and as needed call people in so we can accept a fair amount of volume.
Will Hanke (05:24)
Okay.
it yeah and you’re not just focused specifically on window treatments you’ll help them with other things as well right
Amy (05:52)
I do, you know, I really, it’s my favorite thing to do. So I’ve really narrowed. I mean, I used to do remodels and new builds, pick all the, you know, all the finishes for those lighting countertops, cabinetry, everything. And I’ve pretty much eliminated that. I will help my window treatment clients if you know, Hey, what do you think of this? Where should I get that? If they want custom lighting, I’ll get it.
but it isn’t something I chase after anymore in terms of a full blown house project like that.
Will Hanke (06:23)
Okay.
Okay. There’s plenty of work in that part of the country, as I mentioned earlier. So it’s nice that you can be a little bit more specific about your audience.
Amy (06:29)
Yeah.
Yeah, it’s just, it’s what I enjoy doing the most. And trust me, there’s plenty of competition in both. There’s plenty of interior designers doing all the design work and there’s plenty of other window covering companies out here too. And they all have a different niche, but there’s some overlap. You’re going to run into some now and again.
Will Hanke (06:55)
Yeah. Yeah. Have you created any special strategies to compete against the other people in town, specifically the larger dealers without compromising your kind of like boutique service model?
Amy (07:10)
Well, let’s face it, the larger dealers have a huge advertising and marketing budget. You know, I can’t bid against them at $500 a lead on Google, you know, and being everywhere like that. So I honed in and, you know, geographically, I honed in a lot closer to home because I provide better service if I can get there sooner or I can get there.
Will Hanke (07:22)
Right.
Amy (07:37)
you know, without having to schedule someone out a week and a half because I don’t have a big enough block of time for travel because it’s a big valley here and there are people who go anywhere. Well, that could be an hour and a half away. And that doesn’t serve my clients well. So I have honed into a very specific geographic area. Will I go elsewhere? Yes, but I don’t market to it. And what I do that’s different from the larger is the personal service.
You’re not one of five appointments today. know, at most I’ll schedule two. A morning and an afternoon at most. Because there’s folks who I’m out of there in 45 minutes or an hour who are very decisive, they were very crisp on what they said they wanted. And there’s others who you like to chat and get to know you and take longer. And so I’m not, you know, hit and run, hit and run, hit and run. It’s just a more personal experience. And these are the people who like that.
Will Hanke (08:28)
Yeah, that’s great.
Amy (08:29)
They’re not calling
five people and saying hand me a quote, hand me a quote, hand me a quote. That’s not my clientele.
Will Hanke (08:36)
sure. Do you have a way to filter those types of people out before you ever make it to their home?
Amy (08:42)
Usually on the initial phone call that’s usually between you know 20 minutes in an hour depending on how much they have to do and how much I’m trying to decipher Because they’ll tell you what they think they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re using the correct terminology You know I’ve had people call and say they want curtains, and they really wanted a shade So you have to you have to you know Go down through that to see what they was is in their mind’s eye that they don’t know how to describe
And I’ll also probe them, have you done custom before? Do you know what this costs? And ways to, now we can value engineer. There’s ways we can do something for most people’s budgets, if they’re realistic. I mean, if you’re comparing to buying panels off of Amazon, well, that’s not realistic. You’re not getting the same thing. And I’ll explain to them, if that’s what you want, that’s fine, just understand what you’re getting.
Cause there’s places for that. Put them in the guest room.
Will Hanke (09:38)
sense.
Yeah. And you mentioned earlier that you really don’t compete on price. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Amy (09:47)
I don’t because again, it’s a very custom product I give you. don’t sell name household brands, let’s say. I’m not one of those dealers. I was at one time. sell products that, as I tell my clients, I sell you products that don’t make you cry or give me headaches.
Will Hanke (10:07)
I like that. I like that.
Amy (10:08)
Well, callbacks cost money. So if I sell, you know, let’s say roller shades, motorized stuff, I sell stuff we don’t get callbacks on. That costs a little more upfront, but then it’s not a cost to me or heartache for them later on in the quality. people who are interested in quality, you know, are more likely to pick me. If you’re shopping strictly price,
We probably didn’t even get to the first appointment because I’ve already had that conversation. Or I’ll tell them, go ahead, go get all your pricing and come on back, let me see what you got. And we can or not take it from there. It’s an understanding what you’re getting for the money and the personal service. And of course, custom, you can’t, if you’re doing, we have huge windows here. So it can be very difficult to get something like draperies online or in the store.
Because they’re so tall and wide that sometimes custom is your only option. So, you know, can you go try and price shop that? Sure. I don’t know how effective that is.
Will Hanke (11:05)
Okay. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. So in your area, you mentioned the big windows. What is the breakdown between hard and soft treatments? Do you think for your customers?
Amy (11:25)
Well, I definitely sell more hard treatments because it’s the desert and it’s dusty. So a lot of folks don’t want draperies in that. Although they’ll do cornices, they’ll do top treatments of different kinds, or they’ll just do some side panels. So probably, I’m going to say 70-30.
Will Hanke (11:44)
Okay, interesting.
Amy (11:45)
I realized you know I Forget someone was asking me it could have been you Motorization now is probably 75 % of all the shades I order So even if someone’s doing the whole house Very few motorized the whole house For instance they’ll put cordless in the guest room because they don’t want the guests to be messing around with a remote and it’s just easier
Will Hanke (11:57)
wow, okay.
You
Amy (12:11)
So they won’t, even they won’t do the whole house or the garage. You don’t need to motorize the garage shades. You need to open them twice a year when you have the windows cleaned. Right? Yeah. So that’s part of the value engineering. say too, okay, hey, we can save here, we can save there. That makes sense.
Will Hanke (12:20)
Makes sense. Yeah.
Yeah. Do you have people that motorize one room and then realize how awesome it is and then call you back as a separate project?
Amy (12:38)
Yes. Plus I have folks who, you know, for whatever reason they don’t want to or they can’t do the whole house at once. So we do it in phases. And we can plan that out. That’s fine. I have one now who regrets not motorizing eight windows. And she happens to have the same size windows in other rooms. We’re going to move them and motorize that room down.
Will Hanke (12:46)
Sure.
that’s a great idea. OK.
OK. Very cool. So as I said early on, you’ve won a lot of awards around design. And I’ve seen some of the things that you’ve done. I know that PR is a big piece of everything you do. Tell me a little bit more about that.
Amy (13:06)
Mm-hmm.
Well, I actually just started doing that. and it was suggested to me when, know, I was talking about my 20th anniversary, I said, wow, you really got to promote that. Is that I got a guy who is a, you know, a PR professional. So I said, okay, let’s do it. And it exploded to me is, you know, you’re working, you’re doing your job, whatever. It isn’t a big deal, but apparently it’s a big news deal. So.
We’re going to try and do more frequent things. We did another one on the tariff situation, how that could be affecting our business or not. It isn’t affecting mine because almost everything I do is made in the USA. And that really started because of COVID accessibility to things. So I brought things as local as I possibly could, whether it’s hard treatments or custom draperies and top treatments.
Even that’s what even got us into custom upholstery because the big, the higher end furniture manufacturers in North Carolina weren’t going to deliver for 18 months. I said, well, that’s not acceptable. So we started making them here.
Will Hanke (14:25)
I love that. That’s a great work around that worked out well for you.
Amy (14:31)
Well, and it’s actually worked out better for my clients because it’s at the same price as your higher end brands, know, your Hancock and Moore Century. Same price, but even more customized because they can go to the little showroom at my upholster and sit on different cushions. Yeah, I like this firmness or I like that one and pick any fabric we want. And, you know, the turnaround was, you know, a couple of months, not 18 and
Will Hanke (14:58)
You
Amy (15:00)
The freight for one client went from for two sofas and four, you know, big armchairs. The freight went from $3,800 down to 250 because our local white glove delivered. So it benefits everyone really.
Will Hanke (15:13)
that’s great.
Yeah. So on the on the PR, what are you doing? Are you just doing a press release or are you are you trying to get on local TV? Any of that kind of stuff?
Amy (15:26)
We haven’t gone to the local TV yet because a lot of that here is actually paid. Even though they act like yeah, so you have to pay for that spot. So we’re doing mostly mostly newspaper magazine. Trade. Journals so everything from local to to the trade. All the shelter stuff.
Will Hanke (15:45)
Okay, so you’re specifically sending a press release or some information to them and hoping to get an interview or something in those types of publications.
Amy (15:53)
Yes,
and just being picked up, it all helps with backlinks to the website. So that all helps as well. Plus I promote them on social media locally all over.
Will Hanke (16:00)
Yeah, sure.
Okay, very good. All right, so another thing that you’ve mentioned in the past is direct marketing. Tell me about that piece.
Amy (16:10)
Ahem.
Well, you know, really you want repeat and referral. That’s the golden. So, Repeat and referral is key. And then I do a lot of very local social media I’ve done really well with Nextdoor. A lot of nice referrals there. And where I live, there are at least a half dozen, could be 10.
Will Hanke (16:27)
Okay.
Amy (16:36)
social media neighborhood area pages and it’s funny they all have certain days you can post your business so on Tuesdays it’s this page Wednesdays it’s that page Thursday so I just repeat the same one all week I’ve now gotten into a system of doing that and the nice thing is you have your cheerleaders who will give you a thumbs up or a comment every time so that helps it and then people already think they know you you’re already my friend
Will Hanke (16:49)
love it.
Amy (17:03)
I had two appointments in the last month. People are like, I feel like you’re my friend. Even though we hadn’t met before. So, and then there’s certain kinds of posts that work better than others. They all love the PR ones because that’s, wow, look at you. You got some news. and other ones, the most effective are, after photos. They want to see what a job looks like. I don’t put the before photos because sometimes the clients are embarrassed.
Will Hanke (17:08)
Sure, sure.
okay.
Amy (17:31)
But people love, that gets the most reactions, the most engagement are after photos as opposed to, hey, look at the new fabrics I got.
Will Hanke (17:42)
Yeah. I love that you’re posting on the different pages, you know, for the different days when you get to post your business. Are you only doing organic type posting or are you actually paying for ads on Nextdoor?
Amy (17:55)
I used to pay for ads on Nextdoor and I found it didn’t get any more response than just posting.
Will Hanke (18:03)
Yeah, so you’re just taking the time.
Amy (18:04)
And it seems the more you post,
the more neighborhoods they’ll show.
Will Hanke (18:08)
Okay. Okay. And then you just have a list of which ones on which days. That’s fantastic.
Amy (18:09)
So.
I put it in my calendar now because I’m terrible. I hate social media. I’m terrible at it. So now that I have a list of what day what goes where, as soon as I get the first one out, then I just copy it and paste it all week.
Will Hanke (18:28)
Perfect. Yeah. Well, let’s talk a little bit about business cycles. sometimes the industry is doing great. Sometimes the industry is really slow. What practical steps can business owners take to kind of maintain that stability during these ups and downs?
Amy (18:43)
I think that if you’re consistent, I mean, there’s going to be slow times and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. But if you’re consistent, I think with your message, for instance, last year was an election year. Those are always really weird years, but I did a lot better than I expected. And I think some of this consistency led toward that. There’s certain seasons for me.
And maybe the rest of the industry, don’t know if it’s a geographic thing or not, that are slower. January can be slower after the holidays. Sometimes between Thanksgiving and Christmas it can be slow because I say once the tree’s up nobody wants to see me. But you know it’s a good year when you’re still getting appointments in December that aren’t installations. And then sometimes August here can be a little slow.
And I think it’s now a lot of folks leave for the summer here. We have a lot of snowbirds. but they’ve been gone all summer. Usually they’re usually gone in May or June. So August could be a little slower and I think a lot of that might have to do with back to school, even though my really priority clients don’t have school age kids. So I just think it’s August. People are getting in their last vacations and such.
Will Hanke (20:01)
makes sense. Yeah. And I would assume Arizona is not the best place to be in August in the first place.
Amy (20:07)
We have air conditioning.
Will Hanke (20:08)
Yeah,
fair enough.
Amy (20:10)
I said I’m not a roofer or a baggage handler, so life is good.
Will Hanke (20:14)
Yes, very true. Very true. In the industry, although overall you said, you know, there’s slow times, there’s there’s great times. Do you see any trends right now in the window treatment industry? And if you do, how are you adapting to stay ahead of those?
Amy (20:28)
I don’t know if there’s trends in terms of well, I am getting a little bit more soft treatment inquiry than just blinds, know, the utilitarian. Now I’m getting a little bit more of what I’d consider luxury, optional items, because you here you have to have blinds or shades, something on your windows. There’s just that’s not negotiable, you know.
It’s just a matter of what you’re gonna spend on it and how you’re going to do it. So there’s more inquiry and that, you know, I still can’t predict how that’s gonna be up or down trend wise, but it is trending now to more luxury. So.
Will Hanke (21:09)
Really interesting
that you say that because I also do a quarterly podcast with different guests and the last two quarters, so Q3 and Q4 of 2024, that’s one thing that they’ve mentioned is that the luxury market seems to be popping up a little bit more. So it’s interesting that you also bring that up.
Amy (21:30)
Mm-hmm
Right and even more interest as well. I’m starting to get a little interested in the custom upholstery again because people Want a quality item? Yeah, you can go buy a sofa for you know $800 This isn’t the $800 crowd, you know, they they want something they’re gonna use every day and and you know quality items, so
Will Hanke (21:38)
Okay.
Amy (21:59)
It’s just, and it’s a state of mind, by the way. You asked about luxury neighborhoods. It isn’t all 5,000 and 10,000 square foot homes. Somebody could have a 2,500 or even 1,800 square foot patio home or town home, but they’re at the point of their life that they want it all perfect and beautiful.
Will Hanke (22:22)
Okay, interesting. When it comes to design trends, what’s your favorite?
Amy (22:26)
You know, it’s funny, I like a lot of stuff. I really do. As you can see, I like color. It’s more what I don’t like. I was so sick of the gray thing the week it came out. That’s pretty much gone. I really do like all, you know, I like the opportunity to do all different styles for people. You know, I have one who’s just doing.
Will Hanke (22:29)
You
Yeah.
Amy (22:47)
plain black leather cornices. And they’re gonna look really striking where she’s putting them. And other people want all the bells and whistles, completely different styles, both equally fun.
Will Hanke (22:59)
So I think you like the idea of every one of them being different from each other.
Amy (23:03)
absolutely. In fact, that’s another one of my selling points that people happen to love is that once you choose a fabric, I won’t sell it again. So it’s yours. So people may be able to find elsewhere, but they’re not getting it from me because to me it’s custom. So I’m not selling it to someone else. I may sell it another color. And I mean, look, this is a fraction of the books and stuff. There’s plenty of fabrics.
Will Hanke (23:14)
OK. that’s fantastic.
Amy (23:31)
There’s no reason I can’t make one exclusive for a client. And they love that.
Will Hanke (23:36)
That’s a great selling point. When it comes to your dream project, what does that look like?
Amy (23:38)
Yeah.
You know, I had to think about that. And I think it’d be super fun to do like a whole house of motorized draperies. You know, like hotels.
That would be just fabulous.
Will Hanke (23:54)
Yeah.
OK, very cool. All motorized. Yeah, all working together. And I guess you do the smart home piece of that as well.
Amy (23:58)
Fuck, cuz fabrics are fun, you know?
We will talk to your smart home. We will make sure whatever we put in Seize your smart home. We’re not going to go into programming in your smart home So we will help the homeowner Okay, you whether it’s on their iPad or their phone or whatever. Okay, it sees our shade It’s operating or the drapery. It’s operating You have to go in and tell it if you want different scenes times a day or all that
Will Hanke (24:32)
Sure.
Yeah. Sure.
Amy (24:34)
We won’t do that. We’ll get
it all working and make sure it sees it, but we don’t want to go into somebody’s smart home because they have so many things in there that we just don’t want to want to touch. And sometimes we have to call the smart home people because they have so many things. We need them to open up another channel or whatever it is for us because that’s the only reason it’s not seated is that you’ve already got eight other things on there. You know, the TVs, the lights, I mean,
Will Hanke (24:43)
That’s right.
Amy (25:03)
outdoor misters outdoor fans you know they’ve got everything on cameras so
Will Hanke (25:07)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah,
as a guy who is really into the smart home piece of everything, I would prefer somebody just set it up and hand it to me to build for me to build the automations anyway.
Amy (25:23)
Well that’s it too, because your preferences could change. So the cool thing is the folks who want them to go up at night and day, now the software knows when is night and day. You don’t have to reset it all year.
Will Hanke (25:36)
Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for the snowbirds, too, there’s probably different automations for when they’re not there. Right.
Amy (25:38)
So.
Well, most of the time they’ll have them down the whole time. But okay, now got somebody coming to do something at the house while I’m gone. Okay, let me open those for them while I’m in Colorado.
Will Hanke (25:46)
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (25:57)
But I’ll tell you what, that’s still a very small percentage that go to that extent. At least of my clients, I’m going to say it’s 5%. The rest just want a handheld remote. They don’t want to, even though they can do it. And I sell them because some could change their mind in a year or two. So I sell them the motors that we can get them programmed later on.
Will Hanke (26:04)
Okay.
Makes sense. Yeah.
Amy (26:19)
Yeah, in case
they change their mind, we have the ability to add it later.
Will Hanke (26:23)
Yeah. Yeah. When they go to somebody else’s house and that person is like me really into it and shows them all the cool things they can do. Yeah.
Amy (26:31)
Right.
But at the end of the day, isn’t it really just a show-off thing? You know, I mean, there’s some level for home security, but otherwise to have everything going is, you know.
Will Hanke (26:36)
Yes, a little bit.
Yeah, fair enough.
Let’s talk about single room projects. Do you have any strategies to upsell somebody who just calls you for a single room and try to get them to do more of a whole house project?
Amy (26:57)
You know, they almost upsell themselves a lot of times because they see how beautiful the one room came out and they’re, oh, yeah, now I got to do this room. That’s, you know, unless they’ve called me because they’ve had everything else done. Or let’s say they bought the home and everything was done except a certain room. But a lot of times they kind of upsell themselves.
Will Hanke (27:17)
That’s great. I think that goes back to your process and the onboarding and giving them an experience right off the bat.
Amy (27:24)
And then they see how effortless it is for them.
They really like not having to do anything, not having to run around and find fabric, not having to do all those things that some do-it-yourselfers like to do. They find that fun. But these folks like to have the whole thing taken care of. I just want to go to lunch or play golf or I’ve got other things going on, you know, that I just don’t want to do this.
Will Hanke (27:27)
like that.
You
Yeah, yeah, for window treatment businesses that are looking to run more smoothly like that, what systems or processes should they focus on first?
Amy (28:01)
the customer facing ones. You know, it’s like the duck that looks real calm on the surface and the legs are going like crazy underneath. Have the customer, you need to focus, make sure your customer facing processes are, because that’s where the money comes from. We work for them. And then your internal ones, you know, are equally important, but you can take care of those in the background.
when you’re not taking care of your clients.
Will Hanke (28:27)
Very good. You mentioned the money comes from them. When you’re presenting those higher end window treatments, how do you ensure that you still are making a healthy margin off of that?
Amy (28:39)
Well, you know, you have to charge what you need to get your gross and your net profit. You need to know what your costs are. And I’ll tell you what, just because mine may be lower than say someone who has a showroom, that doesn’t mean I’m going to charge less. It’s a value to the client. It’s the end product they’re getting. So yeah, I put healthy profit on things. And most people watching this,
Even if you have a huge showroom and you’re a multi-million dollar shade, you know blind and shade dealer You know what your formulas need to be? To make to make your profit, but most people in the business say a rule of thumb, you know is is double your cost For openers now, there’s some shade people who don’t do that because they’re doing a lot of volume But then to me you’re always playing catch-up
Will Hanke (29:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (29:29)
and those are also the folks who the price shoppers or their clientele so it’s just a different business model nothing wrong with it just a different model not one that I ever wanted
Will Hanke (29:37)
Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Back to not competing on price. think that lowers your stress, right? Maybe less clients, but better clients and less stress for you.
Amy (29:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yes. Better clients, you know, better margins. Yeah, I mean, you know, the better clients, the less running you’re doing, which is also why I narrowed my geography, too.
Will Hanke (30:03)
Make sense? Yep. Okay. So I want to do a marketing myth or fact with you. Homeowners in older homes are less likely to invest in custom window treatments.
Amy (30:09)
Okay.
that’s definitely a myth. they wear out. I would say I have 60, 40, 60 new homes, new move-ins versus 40 that they’ve been in the home 15, 20 years. And, you know, the, the, the blinds had a nice life. They’re, they’re over it. They want motorization. They want a cleaner look.
I mean it’s completely different. Look, they have verticals. know? Things that, you know, the old plastic verticals of the old hardware store with all the strings and such and no, it’s definitely a myth.
Will Hanke (30:52)
Very good. Here’s another one. Myth or fact? Luxury clients only come from high end neighborhoods.
Amy (30:59)
No, that’s a myth too. As I said before, well, you know, it could be a townhouse. Maybe it’s a high-end neighborhood, but you don’t judge that, you know, they’re not gonna spend a lot because to me, it’s a state of mind. I mean, I market to the higher-end homes when I see no home closings, because that’s an easy grab to market to, but…
No, you don’t assume, because I’ll tell you what, and I live in the desert, so there’s a lot of ranches and such. You don’t know what’s behind that gate. And sometimes you get back there and it’s Oz, I mean. Everything is like beautiful and manicured. You have no idea from the gate what you’re gonna find. So I never assume.
Will Hanke (31:48)
Yeah, yeah. So obviously you market more to the high end with the on purpose marketing. As your company grows and you have these different growth opportunities, how do you evaluate those? You know, along with I know you do a lot of traveling, diving, those sorts of things. How do you keep your business going and growing with keeping that stuff in mind as well?
Amy (31:56)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I plan my trips when it’s generally going to be slower here. I do stay in contact. See, this is another thing with hiring people. If I’m out of town and we have our initial call while I’m away or something, they’ll wait. Price shoppers want you there this afternoon.
Especially if you build a rapport with them and you know, generally they like to travel too. They like to do so they understand
Will Hanke (32:41)
Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for sharing that. So a couple last bonus questions. Is there a design trend in window treatments that you secretly dislike but your clients love?
Amy (32:44)
I’m
I really can’t think of one. Quite frankly, know, the new regulations with strings and such makes my life a lot easier because there’s a lot less choices in terms of how to operate things. And a lot of times I make that decision for my client. I’ll say to them, okay, and this one, if we’re not doing motorization, let’s say, okay, well, this is what you need to have here. And then, you know, that’s that.
Will Hanke (33:09)
You
Amy (33:16)
I take the options away because I know what’s gonna function best for them. And so that helps. But no, there isn’t anything I secretly hate because it isn’t about me. It’s not my home. Does it work at your home?
Will Hanke (33:30)
Right. Yeah, makes sense. I know that you did mention earlier the gray thing and quite honestly, my wife went through that maybe a year ago and we’re already talking about repainting.
Amy (33:36)
Ha!
But here’s the good thing. It’s just paint.
Will Hanke (33:46)
Right.
Amy (33:47)
So when clients were into that, I wouldn’t let them put it on the expensive stuff, like your shades, your countertops, your floors, things that are expensive to replace. I would move more toward grayish. You know that beige gray? And then otherwise, it’s just paint. It’s a pain, but it isn’t expensive in the scheme of things.
Will Hanke (34:08)
Right.
Yeah,
yeah. As long as you don’t use that to match everything up like you said. And then when it comes to repainting, now we have to start over.
Amy (34:19)
February would…
Will Hanke (34:21)
Yeah, yeah. So Amy, if someone wants to learn more about your work and what you do, where’s the best place for them to connect with you?
Amy (34:28)
Well, obviously my website www.amywolffinteriors.com and that’s with two F’s as you see right there. And, or call me, text me.
Will Hanke (34:39)
Okay. Lastly, what are the three most important business lessons that you’ve learned in your over 20 years that could help other people listening to the podcast?
Amy (34:49)
Well, one, decide what kind of business you want to be.
You know, do you want to be a huge showroom with all kinds of salespeople and all that? Or do you want to be a boutique solopreneur like me or something in between? Decide what you want to be.
Find out who your priority customers are, your premium clientele. Who are they? Where do you find them?
And then, you know, everything beyond that kind of rolls into place. But you have to be consistent as well. You can’t, you can’t try and be both. I don’t think. Yes, do, do the big showrooms offer what I do? Sure they do. Do they do it the same way? No. So I think that’s the hardest part is deciding what kind of business you want to be and who you’re going to serve.
Will Hanke (35:37)
Yeah, good point. We talk about in my world, the message, the market and the media, right? If you know who the market is and you know, you know what message you’re going to say to them, you’re 75 % of the world in this case, 66 % of the way done, right?
Amy (35:45)
Right.
Right. Right. And there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s you choose what you want it to look like. And, know, there was a point in the last 20 years where I could have gone a different way, but as I thought about it and I had gone to a, was invited, it was a big deal to this VIP designer business seminar, running your business and all these other, and as I sat there,
And they’re like, what’s your takeaway? And I thought, wow, my takeaway is I don’t want 12 or 20 people working for me to be responsible for feeding all those families. My personal choice. Can I make the same salary as those owners without having to worry about all these other families? And so that’s just my personal choice, you know.
Will Hanke (36:46)
Yeah,
that’s great. And that’s the way that you’ve built your business to be in that position. That’s great. Amy, thank you. Yeah, yeah, I’ll bet. Last question. I know I said last already. You’re 20 years into this with your business. What do the next five years look like for you?
Amy (36:53)
Right. But it was an aha moment.
You
Well, that’s a good question. mean, I love doing this, but I mean, at some point you want to figure out a retirement gig. So, you know, I’m just mulling over in my head what that would look like.
What would a laptop life look like that keeps me still in the industry?
Will Hanke (37:29)
Yeah. And I know that you like to travel and diving is something that you really love. So obviously you probably want to do more of that, right?
Amy (37:34)
Yes.
Well, who
Will Hanke (37:39)
Well, Amy, thank you so much for being on. You shared some incredible tips with us today. And if you are a window treatment dealer and you’re inspired by some of Amy’s things, you know, feel free to reach out to her and make sure to apply these to your business where you can and really start using these strategies to build your business to the next point. If you love this episode, obviously, please consider sending it to a friend in the industry.
Like us on YouTube like us on the podcast networks and make sure you’ll never miss another episode Amy thank you so much for being on we really appreciate it and we’ll see everybody in the next episode
Amy Wolff (38:22)
Thanks Will, always great to chat with you.
TRANSCRIPT
Will Hanke (00:00)
All right, hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Marketing Panes, the podcast where we talk to real window treatment and awning service providers and business owners about their successes and struggles related to marketing their business. Today we’ve got a guest with some great insights that I’m excited to interview and I’ve known for a long time. She’s an award-winning designer and decorator providing custom window treatments in the Scottsdale, Arizona area.
She is the winner of 2017 Specialty Windows Award, 2021 Top Treatments, and in 2022, the Vision Design Award for Outdoor. Amy recently celebrated being in the industry for 20 years. She’s developed a reputation for successfully delivering functional solutions for intricate or technically challenging window configurations, including custom window shades, custom and motorized window treatments, draperies, and even custom upholstered furniture. Amy from Amy Wolf Interiors, thank you for being on the show today.
Amy (01:07)
Thanks for having me, Will.
Will Hanke (01:08)
Yeah, I really do appreciate you jumping on. So I saw and I just read in your bio that you’ve been in the industry for 20 years. Congrats on that milestone. That’s pretty awesome. What inspired you to get into window treatments and interior design in the first place?
Amy (01:19)
Thank you.
You know, it sounds cliche, but I was kind of born with it. I always did it. Even as a little kid, I was rearranging my room and painting it. So it’s just stuff that I’ve always done.
Will Hanke (01:40)
OK, yeah, that’s cool. it was you it was you were just born with it, right?
Amy (01:44)
Hahaha
Will Hanke (01:46)
I love that. So, so tell me a little bit about your business, Amy Wolf Interiors. Who do you serve and what sets you apart in your area?
Amy (01:54)
Well, I’m a solopreneur. I do not have a storefront. work from home because I go to my client’s home. I serve mostly, you know, the 45 plus crowd, the people who want some more luxury, the people who are willing to pay for custom, for something more unique than you could just buy online. or at Home Depot. And so that’s my crowd. They’re at the point in their life where they want better things, you know, and buy good by once and they just, you know, want to treat themselves better at the end of the day.
Will Hanke (02:40)
And you’re the right area for it. I know the Scottsdale area is growing like weeds Yeah, that’s great. So Talking about those maybe higher-end clients. I guess we could call them How do you position yourself to get those premium clients? for your services
Amy (02:45)
Always.
Well, your whole brand, because I’m my brand, you you just position it differently. We don’t put out sales and we can beat anybody’s price. That’s not us. There’s plenty of people to do that for the people who want that. And that’s a good thing. And it’s more of a personal service. You deal with me. I’m not going to send three different salesmen. Out or you know and of course I have an excellent virtual team you know I have excellent workrooms I have the best installer so everything you know we have an onboarding we have an initial call we confirm everything you know our appointment we let them know we’re on the way you have to be very consistent because people are looking for that high customer service experience that you know there was a time that was the norm now they think it’s exceptional
and
Will Hanke (03:51)
I love that you have a complete onboarding process and you’re really giving them an experience before you even do any work, really.
Amy (04:00)
Well, and at the same time, kind of qualifying them as well. You know, that they are the right client. Because, hey, it isn’t fair to my other clients to take time away from someone who isn’t a good fit. And I’m okay with that because there will be some, you know, I try to point them in the right direction if I’m not. So.
Will Hanke (04:20)
Yeah,
yeah. In my world of digital marketing, there’s a thing where the form on your website, the more fields you put, the less likely people are to fill it out. However, the people that take the time to fill that out tend to be better clients. So I’m sure putting them through this same sort of process is very similar to that.
Amy (04:43)
Well, I don’t put them through every single one, make them fill out a form. It’s more of a phone call form. But you’re right, the ones who fill out my form online to contact me, they’ve already committed. Because they’ve taken the time, they’ve gone through and they like what they see already, and they’ll fill in what they’re looking for. So those are usually good solid prospects.
Will Hanke (05:09)
like that. So you mentioned that you have an installer on your team. Do you have a workroom that helps with some of the things that you do?
Amy (05:13)
Yes.
Well, I have local workrooms that make just about everything we do in terms of soft treatments. Draperies, cornices, valances, you know, yes, and they also make custom upholstered furniture and they’re very good at what they do. And my installer is a separate person. Like I said, I kind of have a virtual firm and as needed call people in so we can accept a fair amount of volume.
Will Hanke (05:24)
Okay.
it yeah and you’re not just focused specifically on window treatments you’ll help them with other things as well right
Amy (05:52)
I do, you know, I really, it’s my favorite thing to do. So I’ve really narrowed. I mean, I used to do remodels and new builds, pick all the, you know, all the finishes for those lighting countertops, cabinetry, everything. And I’ve pretty much eliminated that. I will help my window treatment clients if you know, Hey, what do you think of this? Where should I get that? If they want custom lighting, I’ll get it.
but it isn’t something I chase after anymore in terms of a full blown house project like that.
Will Hanke (06:23)
Okay.
Okay. There’s plenty of work in that part of the country, as I mentioned earlier. So it’s nice that you can be a little bit more specific about your audience.
Amy (06:29)
Yeah.
Yeah, it’s just, it’s what I enjoy doing the most. And trust me, there’s plenty of competition in both. There’s plenty of interior designers doing all the design work and there’s plenty of other window covering companies out here too. And they all have a different niche, but there’s some overlap. You’re going to run into some now and again.
Will Hanke (06:55)
Yeah. Yeah. Have you created any special strategies to compete against the other people in town, specifically the larger dealers without compromising your kind of like boutique service model?
Amy (07:10)
Well, let’s face it, the larger dealers have a huge advertising and marketing budget. You know, I can’t bid against them at $500 a lead on Google, you know, and being everywhere like that. So I honed in and, you know, geographically, I honed in a lot closer to home because I provide better service if I can get there sooner or I can get there.
Will Hanke (07:22)
Right.
Amy (07:37)
you know, without having to schedule someone out a week and a half because I don’t have a big enough block of time for travel because it’s a big valley here and there are people who go anywhere. Well, that could be an hour and a half away. And that doesn’t serve my clients well. So I have honed into a very specific geographic area. Will I go elsewhere? Yes, but I don’t market to it. And what I do that’s different from the larger is the personal service.
You’re not one of five appointments today. know, at most I’ll schedule two. A morning and an afternoon at most. Because there’s folks who I’m out of there in 45 minutes or an hour who are very decisive, they were very crisp on what they said they wanted. And there’s others who you like to chat and get to know you and take longer. And so I’m not, you know, hit and run, hit and run, hit and run. It’s just a more personal experience. And these are the people who like that.
Will Hanke (08:28)
Yeah, that’s great.
Amy (08:29)
They’re not calling
five people and saying hand me a quote, hand me a quote, hand me a quote. That’s not my clientele.
Will Hanke (08:36)
sure. Do you have a way to filter those types of people out before you ever make it to their home?
Amy (08:42)
Usually on the initial phone call that’s usually between you know 20 minutes in an hour depending on how much they have to do and how much I’m trying to decipher Because they’ll tell you what they think they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re using the correct terminology You know I’ve had people call and say they want curtains, and they really wanted a shade So you have to you have to you know Go down through that to see what they was is in their mind’s eye that they don’t know how to describe
And I’ll also probe them, have you done custom before? Do you know what this costs? And ways to, now we can value engineer. There’s ways we can do something for most people’s budgets, if they’re realistic. I mean, if you’re comparing to buying panels off of Amazon, well, that’s not realistic. You’re not getting the same thing. And I’ll explain to them, if that’s what you want, that’s fine, just understand what you’re getting.
Cause there’s places for that. Put them in the guest room.
Will Hanke (09:38)
sense.
Yeah. And you mentioned earlier that you really don’t compete on price. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Amy (09:47)
I don’t because again, it’s a very custom product I give you. don’t sell name household brands, let’s say. I’m not one of those dealers. I was at one time. sell products that, as I tell my clients, I sell you products that don’t make you cry or give me headaches.
Will Hanke (10:07)
I like that. I like that.
Amy (10:08)
Well, callbacks cost money. So if I sell, you know, let’s say roller shades, motorized stuff, I sell stuff we don’t get callbacks on. That costs a little more upfront, but then it’s not a cost to me or heartache for them later on in the quality. people who are interested in quality, you know, are more likely to pick me. If you’re shopping strictly price,
We probably didn’t even get to the first appointment because I’ve already had that conversation. Or I’ll tell them, go ahead, go get all your pricing and come on back, let me see what you got. And we can or not take it from there. It’s an understanding what you’re getting for the money and the personal service. And of course, custom, you can’t, if you’re doing, we have huge windows here. So it can be very difficult to get something like draperies online or in the store.
Because they’re so tall and wide that sometimes custom is your only option. So, you know, can you go try and price shop that? Sure. I don’t know how effective that is.
Will Hanke (11:05)
Okay. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. So in your area, you mentioned the big windows. What is the breakdown between hard and soft treatments? Do you think for your customers?
Amy (11:25)
Well, I definitely sell more hard treatments because it’s the desert and it’s dusty. So a lot of folks don’t want draperies in that. Although they’ll do cornices, they’ll do top treatments of different kinds, or they’ll just do some side panels. So probably, I’m going to say 70-30.
Will Hanke (11:44)
Okay, interesting.
Amy (11:45)
I realized you know I Forget someone was asking me it could have been you Motorization now is probably 75 % of all the shades I order So even if someone’s doing the whole house Very few motorized the whole house For instance they’ll put cordless in the guest room because they don’t want the guests to be messing around with a remote and it’s just easier
Will Hanke (11:57)
wow, okay.
You
Amy (12:11)
So they won’t, even they won’t do the whole house or the garage. You don’t need to motorize the garage shades. You need to open them twice a year when you have the windows cleaned. Right? Yeah. So that’s part of the value engineering. say too, okay, hey, we can save here, we can save there. That makes sense.
Will Hanke (12:20)
Makes sense. Yeah.
Yeah. Do you have people that motorize one room and then realize how awesome it is and then call you back as a separate project?
Amy (12:38)
Yes. Plus I have folks who, you know, for whatever reason they don’t want to or they can’t do the whole house at once. So we do it in phases. And we can plan that out. That’s fine. I have one now who regrets not motorizing eight windows. And she happens to have the same size windows in other rooms. We’re going to move them and motorize that room down.
Will Hanke (12:46)
Sure.
that’s a great idea. OK.
OK. Very cool. So as I said early on, you’ve won a lot of awards around design. And I’ve seen some of the things that you’ve done. I know that PR is a big piece of everything you do. Tell me a little bit more about that.
Amy (13:06)
Mm-hmm.
Well, I actually just started doing that. and it was suggested to me when, know, I was talking about my 20th anniversary, I said, wow, you really got to promote that. Is that I got a guy who is a, you know, a PR professional. So I said, okay, let’s do it. And it exploded to me is, you know, you’re working, you’re doing your job, whatever. It isn’t a big deal, but apparently it’s a big news deal. So.
We’re going to try and do more frequent things. We did another one on the tariff situation, how that could be affecting our business or not. It isn’t affecting mine because almost everything I do is made in the USA. And that really started because of COVID accessibility to things. So I brought things as local as I possibly could, whether it’s hard treatments or custom draperies and top treatments.
Even that’s what even got us into custom upholstery because the big, the higher end furniture manufacturers in North Carolina weren’t going to deliver for 18 months. I said, well, that’s not acceptable. So we started making them here.
Will Hanke (14:25)
I love that. That’s a great work around that worked out well for you.
Amy (14:31)
Well, and it’s actually worked out better for my clients because it’s at the same price as your higher end brands, know, your Hancock and Moore Century. Same price, but even more customized because they can go to the little showroom at my upholster and sit on different cushions. Yeah, I like this firmness or I like that one and pick any fabric we want. And, you know, the turnaround was, you know, a couple of months, not 18 and
Will Hanke (14:58)
You
Amy (15:00)
The freight for one client went from for two sofas and four, you know, big armchairs. The freight went from $3,800 down to 250 because our local white glove delivered. So it benefits everyone really.
Will Hanke (15:13)
that’s great.
Yeah. So on the on the PR, what are you doing? Are you just doing a press release or are you are you trying to get on local TV? Any of that kind of stuff?
Amy (15:26)
We haven’t gone to the local TV yet because a lot of that here is actually paid. Even though they act like yeah, so you have to pay for that spot. So we’re doing mostly mostly newspaper magazine. Trade. Journals so everything from local to to the trade. All the shelter stuff.
Will Hanke (15:45)
Okay, so you’re specifically sending a press release or some information to them and hoping to get an interview or something in those types of publications.
Amy (15:53)
Yes,
and just being picked up, it all helps with backlinks to the website. So that all helps as well. Plus I promote them on social media locally all over.
Will Hanke (16:00)
Yeah, sure.
Okay, very good. All right, so another thing that you’ve mentioned in the past is direct marketing. Tell me about that piece.
Amy (16:10)
Ahem.
Well, you know, really you want repeat and referral. That’s the golden. So, Repeat and referral is key. And then I do a lot of very local social media I’ve done really well with Nextdoor. A lot of nice referrals there. And where I live, there are at least a half dozen, could be 10.
Will Hanke (16:27)
Okay.
Amy (16:36)
social media neighborhood area pages and it’s funny they all have certain days you can post your business so on Tuesdays it’s this page Wednesdays it’s that page Thursday so I just repeat the same one all week I’ve now gotten into a system of doing that and the nice thing is you have your cheerleaders who will give you a thumbs up or a comment every time so that helps it and then people already think they know you you’re already my friend
Will Hanke (16:49)
love it.
Amy (17:03)
I had two appointments in the last month. People are like, I feel like you’re my friend. Even though we hadn’t met before. So, and then there’s certain kinds of posts that work better than others. They all love the PR ones because that’s, wow, look at you. You got some news. and other ones, the most effective are, after photos. They want to see what a job looks like. I don’t put the before photos because sometimes the clients are embarrassed.
Will Hanke (17:08)
Sure, sure.
okay.
Amy (17:31)
But people love, that gets the most reactions, the most engagement are after photos as opposed to, hey, look at the new fabrics I got.
Will Hanke (17:42)
Yeah. I love that you’re posting on the different pages, you know, for the different days when you get to post your business. Are you only doing organic type posting or are you actually paying for ads on Nextdoor?
Amy (17:55)
I used to pay for ads on Nextdoor and I found it didn’t get any more response than just posting.
Will Hanke (18:03)
Yeah, so you’re just taking the time.
Amy (18:04)
And it seems the more you post,
the more neighborhoods they’ll show.
Will Hanke (18:08)
Okay. Okay. And then you just have a list of which ones on which days. That’s fantastic.
Amy (18:09)
So.
I put it in my calendar now because I’m terrible. I hate social media. I’m terrible at it. So now that I have a list of what day what goes where, as soon as I get the first one out, then I just copy it and paste it all week.
Will Hanke (18:28)
Perfect. Yeah. Well, let’s talk a little bit about business cycles. sometimes the industry is doing great. Sometimes the industry is really slow. What practical steps can business owners take to kind of maintain that stability during these ups and downs?
Amy (18:43)
I think that if you’re consistent, I mean, there’s going to be slow times and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. But if you’re consistent, I think with your message, for instance, last year was an election year. Those are always really weird years, but I did a lot better than I expected. And I think some of this consistency led toward that. There’s certain seasons for me.
And maybe the rest of the industry, don’t know if it’s a geographic thing or not, that are slower. January can be slower after the holidays. Sometimes between Thanksgiving and Christmas it can be slow because I say once the tree’s up nobody wants to see me. But you know it’s a good year when you’re still getting appointments in December that aren’t installations. And then sometimes August here can be a little slow.
And I think it’s now a lot of folks leave for the summer here. We have a lot of snowbirds. but they’ve been gone all summer. Usually they’re usually gone in May or June. So August could be a little slower and I think a lot of that might have to do with back to school, even though my really priority clients don’t have school age kids. So I just think it’s August. People are getting in their last vacations and such.
Will Hanke (20:01)
makes sense. Yeah. And I would assume Arizona is not the best place to be in August in the first place.
Amy (20:07)
We have air conditioning.
Will Hanke (20:08)
Yeah,
fair enough.
Amy (20:10)
I said I’m not a roofer or a baggage handler, so life is good.
Will Hanke (20:14)
Yes, very true. Very true. In the industry, although overall you said, you know, there’s slow times, there’s there’s great times. Do you see any trends right now in the window treatment industry? And if you do, how are you adapting to stay ahead of those?
Amy (20:28)
I don’t know if there’s trends in terms of well, I am getting a little bit more soft treatment inquiry than just blinds, know, the utilitarian. Now I’m getting a little bit more of what I’d consider luxury, optional items, because you here you have to have blinds or shades, something on your windows. There’s just that’s not negotiable, you know.
It’s just a matter of what you’re gonna spend on it and how you’re going to do it. So there’s more inquiry and that, you know, I still can’t predict how that’s gonna be up or down trend wise, but it is trending now to more luxury. So.
Will Hanke (21:09)
Really interesting
that you say that because I also do a quarterly podcast with different guests and the last two quarters, so Q3 and Q4 of 2024, that’s one thing that they’ve mentioned is that the luxury market seems to be popping up a little bit more. So it’s interesting that you also bring that up.
Amy (21:30)
Mm-hmm
Right and even more interest as well. I’m starting to get a little interested in the custom upholstery again because people Want a quality item? Yeah, you can go buy a sofa for you know $800 This isn’t the $800 crowd, you know, they they want something they’re gonna use every day and and you know quality items, so
Will Hanke (21:38)
Okay.
Amy (21:59)
It’s just, and it’s a state of mind, by the way. You asked about luxury neighborhoods. It isn’t all 5,000 and 10,000 square foot homes. Somebody could have a 2,500 or even 1,800 square foot patio home or town home, but they’re at the point of their life that they want it all perfect and beautiful.
Will Hanke (22:22)
Okay, interesting. When it comes to design trends, what’s your favorite?
Amy (22:26)
You know, it’s funny, I like a lot of stuff. I really do. As you can see, I like color. It’s more what I don’t like. I was so sick of the gray thing the week it came out. That’s pretty much gone. I really do like all, you know, I like the opportunity to do all different styles for people. You know, I have one who’s just doing.
Will Hanke (22:29)
You
Yeah.
Amy (22:47)
plain black leather cornices. And they’re gonna look really striking where she’s putting them. And other people want all the bells and whistles, completely different styles, both equally fun.
Will Hanke (22:59)
So I think you like the idea of every one of them being different from each other.
Amy (23:03)
absolutely. In fact, that’s another one of my selling points that people happen to love is that once you choose a fabric, I won’t sell it again. So it’s yours. So people may be able to find elsewhere, but they’re not getting it from me because to me it’s custom. So I’m not selling it to someone else. I may sell it another color. And I mean, look, this is a fraction of the books and stuff. There’s plenty of fabrics.
Will Hanke (23:14)
OK. that’s fantastic.
Amy (23:31)
There’s no reason I can’t make one exclusive for a client. And they love that.
Will Hanke (23:36)
That’s a great selling point. When it comes to your dream project, what does that look like?
Amy (23:38)
Yeah.
You know, I had to think about that. And I think it’d be super fun to do like a whole house of motorized draperies. You know, like hotels.
That would be just fabulous.
Will Hanke (23:54)
Yeah.
OK, very cool. All motorized. Yeah, all working together. And I guess you do the smart home piece of that as well.
Amy (23:58)
Fuck, cuz fabrics are fun, you know?
We will talk to your smart home. We will make sure whatever we put in Seize your smart home. We’re not going to go into programming in your smart home So we will help the homeowner Okay, you whether it’s on their iPad or their phone or whatever. Okay, it sees our shade It’s operating or the drapery. It’s operating You have to go in and tell it if you want different scenes times a day or all that
Will Hanke (24:32)
Sure.
Yeah. Sure.
Amy (24:34)
We won’t do that. We’ll get
it all working and make sure it sees it, but we don’t want to go into somebody’s smart home because they have so many things in there that we just don’t want to want to touch. And sometimes we have to call the smart home people because they have so many things. We need them to open up another channel or whatever it is for us because that’s the only reason it’s not seated is that you’ve already got eight other things on there. You know, the TVs, the lights, I mean,
Will Hanke (24:43)
That’s right.
Amy (25:03)
outdoor misters outdoor fans you know they’ve got everything on cameras so
Will Hanke (25:07)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah,
as a guy who is really into the smart home piece of everything, I would prefer somebody just set it up and hand it to me to build for me to build the automations anyway.
Amy (25:23)
Well that’s it too, because your preferences could change. So the cool thing is the folks who want them to go up at night and day, now the software knows when is night and day. You don’t have to reset it all year.
Will Hanke (25:36)
Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for the snowbirds, too, there’s probably different automations for when they’re not there. Right.
Amy (25:38)
So.
Well, most of the time they’ll have them down the whole time. But okay, now got somebody coming to do something at the house while I’m gone. Okay, let me open those for them while I’m in Colorado.
Will Hanke (25:46)
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (25:57)
But I’ll tell you what, that’s still a very small percentage that go to that extent. At least of my clients, I’m going to say it’s 5%. The rest just want a handheld remote. They don’t want to, even though they can do it. And I sell them because some could change their mind in a year or two. So I sell them the motors that we can get them programmed later on.
Will Hanke (26:04)
Okay.
Makes sense. Yeah.
Amy (26:19)
Yeah, in case
they change their mind, we have the ability to add it later.
Will Hanke (26:23)
Yeah. Yeah. When they go to somebody else’s house and that person is like me really into it and shows them all the cool things they can do. Yeah.
Amy (26:31)
Right.
But at the end of the day, isn’t it really just a show-off thing? You know, I mean, there’s some level for home security, but otherwise to have everything going is, you know.
Will Hanke (26:36)
Yes, a little bit.
Yeah, fair enough.
Let’s talk about single room projects. Do you have any strategies to upsell somebody who just calls you for a single room and try to get them to do more of a whole house project?
Amy (26:57)
You know, they almost upsell themselves a lot of times because they see how beautiful the one room came out and they’re, oh, yeah, now I got to do this room. That’s, you know, unless they’ve called me because they’ve had everything else done. Or let’s say they bought the home and everything was done except a certain room. But a lot of times they kind of upsell themselves.
Will Hanke (27:17)
That’s great. I think that goes back to your process and the onboarding and giving them an experience right off the bat.
Amy (27:24)
And then they see how effortless it is for them.
They really like not having to do anything, not having to run around and find fabric, not having to do all those things that some do-it-yourselfers like to do. They find that fun. But these folks like to have the whole thing taken care of. I just want to go to lunch or play golf or I’ve got other things going on, you know, that I just don’t want to do this.
Will Hanke (27:27)
like that.
You
Yeah, yeah, for window treatment businesses that are looking to run more smoothly like that, what systems or processes should they focus on first?
Amy (28:01)
the customer facing ones. You know, it’s like the duck that looks real calm on the surface and the legs are going like crazy underneath. Have the customer, you need to focus, make sure your customer facing processes are, because that’s where the money comes from. We work for them. And then your internal ones, you know, are equally important, but you can take care of those in the background.
when you’re not taking care of your clients.
Will Hanke (28:27)
Very good. You mentioned the money comes from them. When you’re presenting those higher end window treatments, how do you ensure that you still are making a healthy margin off of that?
Amy (28:39)
Well, you know, you have to charge what you need to get your gross and your net profit. You need to know what your costs are. And I’ll tell you what, just because mine may be lower than say someone who has a showroom, that doesn’t mean I’m going to charge less. It’s a value to the client. It’s the end product they’re getting. So yeah, I put healthy profit on things. And most people watching this,
Even if you have a huge showroom and you’re a multi-million dollar shade, you know blind and shade dealer You know what your formulas need to be? To make to make your profit, but most people in the business say a rule of thumb, you know is is double your cost For openers now, there’s some shade people who don’t do that because they’re doing a lot of volume But then to me you’re always playing catch-up
Will Hanke (29:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Amy (29:29)
and those are also the folks who the price shoppers or their clientele so it’s just a different business model nothing wrong with it just a different model not one that I ever wanted
Will Hanke (29:37)
Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Back to not competing on price. think that lowers your stress, right? Maybe less clients, but better clients and less stress for you.
Amy (29:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yes. Better clients, you know, better margins. Yeah, I mean, you know, the better clients, the less running you’re doing, which is also why I narrowed my geography, too.
Will Hanke (30:03)
Make sense? Yep. Okay. So I want to do a marketing myth or fact with you. Homeowners in older homes are less likely to invest in custom window treatments.
Amy (30:09)
Okay.
that’s definitely a myth. they wear out. I would say I have 60, 40, 60 new homes, new move-ins versus 40 that they’ve been in the home 15, 20 years. And, you know, the, the, the blinds had a nice life. They’re, they’re over it. They want motorization. They want a cleaner look.
I mean it’s completely different. Look, they have verticals. know? Things that, you know, the old plastic verticals of the old hardware store with all the strings and such and no, it’s definitely a myth.
Will Hanke (30:52)
Very good. Here’s another one. Myth or fact? Luxury clients only come from high end neighborhoods.
Amy (30:59)
No, that’s a myth too. As I said before, well, you know, it could be a townhouse. Maybe it’s a high-end neighborhood, but you don’t judge that, you know, they’re not gonna spend a lot because to me, it’s a state of mind. I mean, I market to the higher-end homes when I see no home closings, because that’s an easy grab to market to, but…
No, you don’t assume, because I’ll tell you what, and I live in the desert, so there’s a lot of ranches and such. You don’t know what’s behind that gate. And sometimes you get back there and it’s Oz, I mean. Everything is like beautiful and manicured. You have no idea from the gate what you’re gonna find. So I never assume.
Will Hanke (31:48)
Yeah, yeah. So obviously you market more to the high end with the on purpose marketing. As your company grows and you have these different growth opportunities, how do you evaluate those? You know, along with I know you do a lot of traveling, diving, those sorts of things. How do you keep your business going and growing with keeping that stuff in mind as well?
Amy (31:56)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I plan my trips when it’s generally going to be slower here. I do stay in contact. See, this is another thing with hiring people. If I’m out of town and we have our initial call while I’m away or something, they’ll wait. Price shoppers want you there this afternoon.
Especially if you build a rapport with them and you know, generally they like to travel too. They like to do so they understand
Will Hanke (32:41)
Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for sharing that. So a couple last bonus questions. Is there a design trend in window treatments that you secretly dislike but your clients love?
Amy (32:44)
I’m
I really can’t think of one. Quite frankly, know, the new regulations with strings and such makes my life a lot easier because there’s a lot less choices in terms of how to operate things. And a lot of times I make that decision for my client. I’ll say to them, okay, and this one, if we’re not doing motorization, let’s say, okay, well, this is what you need to have here. And then, you know, that’s that.
Will Hanke (33:09)
You
Amy (33:16)
I take the options away because I know what’s gonna function best for them. And so that helps. But no, there isn’t anything I secretly hate because it isn’t about me. It’s not my home. Does it work at your home?
Will Hanke (33:30)
Right. Yeah, makes sense. I know that you did mention earlier the gray thing and quite honestly, my wife went through that maybe a year ago and we’re already talking about repainting.
Amy (33:36)
Ha!
But here’s the good thing. It’s just paint.
Will Hanke (33:46)
Right.
Amy (33:47)
So when clients were into that, I wouldn’t let them put it on the expensive stuff, like your shades, your countertops, your floors, things that are expensive to replace. I would move more toward grayish. You know that beige gray? And then otherwise, it’s just paint. It’s a pain, but it isn’t expensive in the scheme of things.
Will Hanke (34:08)
Right.
Yeah,
yeah. As long as you don’t use that to match everything up like you said. And then when it comes to repainting, now we have to start over.
Amy (34:19)
February would…
Will Hanke (34:21)
Yeah, yeah. So Amy, if someone wants to learn more about your work and what you do, where’s the best place for them to connect with you?
Amy (34:28)
Well, obviously my website www.amywolffinteriors.com and that’s with two F’s as you see right there. And, or call me, text me.
Will Hanke (34:39)
Okay. Lastly, what are the three most important business lessons that you’ve learned in your over 20 years that could help other people listening to the podcast?
Amy (34:49)
Well, one, decide what kind of business you want to be.
You know, do you want to be a huge showroom with all kinds of salespeople and all that? Or do you want to be a boutique solopreneur like me or something in between? Decide what you want to be.
Find out who your priority customers are, your premium clientele. Who are they? Where do you find them?
And then, you know, everything beyond that kind of rolls into place. But you have to be consistent as well. You can’t, you can’t try and be both. I don’t think. Yes, do, do the big showrooms offer what I do? Sure they do. Do they do it the same way? No. So I think that’s the hardest part is deciding what kind of business you want to be and who you’re going to serve.
Will Hanke (35:37)
Yeah, good point. We talk about in my world, the message, the market and the media, right? If you know who the market is and you know, you know what message you’re going to say to them, you’re 75 % of the world in this case, 66 % of the way done, right?
Amy (35:45)
Right.
Right. Right. And there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s you choose what you want it to look like. And, know, there was a point in the last 20 years where I could have gone a different way, but as I thought about it and I had gone to a, was invited, it was a big deal to this VIP designer business seminar, running your business and all these other, and as I sat there,
And they’re like, what’s your takeaway? And I thought, wow, my takeaway is I don’t want 12 or 20 people working for me to be responsible for feeding all those families. My personal choice. Can I make the same salary as those owners without having to worry about all these other families? And so that’s just my personal choice, you know.
Will Hanke (36:46)
Yeah,
that’s great. And that’s the way that you’ve built your business to be in that position. That’s great. Amy, thank you. Yeah, yeah, I’ll bet. Last question. I know I said last already. You’re 20 years into this with your business. What do the next five years look like for you?
Amy (36:53)
Right. But it was an aha moment.
You
Well, that’s a good question. mean, I love doing this, but I mean, at some point you want to figure out a retirement gig. So, you know, I’m just mulling over in my head what that would look like.
What would a laptop life look like that keeps me still in the industry?
Will Hanke (37:29)
Yeah. And I know that you like to travel and diving is something that you really love. So obviously you probably want to do more of that, right?
Amy (37:34)
Yes.
Well, who
Will Hanke (37:39)
Well, Amy, thank you so much for being on. You shared some incredible tips with us today. And if you are a window treatment dealer and you’re inspired by some of Amy’s things, you know, feel free to reach out to her and make sure to apply these to your business where you can and really start using these strategies to build your business to the next point. If you love this episode, obviously, please consider sending it to a friend in the industry.
Like us on YouTube like us on the podcast networks and make sure you’ll never miss another episode Amy thank you so much for being on we really appreciate it and we’ll see everybody in the next episode
Amy Wolff (38:22)
Thanks Will, always great to chat with you.
More shows like Marketing Panes
View all
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
758 Listeners
Brad Leavitt Podcast
246 Listeners
Window Treatments for Profit with LuAnn Nigara
24 Listeners