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 geogra