THERE ALWAYS SEEMS to be somebody selling custom window coverings at ridiculously low prices. Whether it's an 800 number, a "Big Box" store or some dealer across town.  Here are some ways to help you compete on a completely different level!

Take a look just at the size of the Hunter Douglas Reference & Price Guide.   While few of us have this information memorized, it's important that your customer is confident that you know where to find answers to virtually any question.   Or, just browse through the details you may have discovered here as a reader of Designer Blinds Tip Of The Week.  Many of these tips contain information that is not included in the Reference Guide or even in Installation Instructions.

CUSTOM window coverings are not easy.  The average person needs help from an expert. Use the Reference & Price Guide for more than pricing in front of your customer.  The mere size of the Reference Guide suggests to your customer that there is more to CUSTOM window coverings than she may have thought. To be an "expert" in the industry doesn't mean you know everything, it simply means you've taken the time to know where to find the answers. 

Confused by all the easy lifting, motorization and other optional systems?  Good!  Think of it this way --If experienced dealers are a little confused, it must be completely bewildering to the average consumer who hasn't thought about window coverings for the last seven years or so.  The additional options are all terrific in the right application, but results could be disastrous if certain things are not considered.  This is the reason consumers need local dealers that they can talk to face-to-face.  It pays to keep up on the various options.

Ever notice that the big discounters never go after specialty windows? Actually, hardly anybody does.  About 80% of arched, angled, skylight and other unusual windows are left untreated.  These windows pose enormous problems for consumers!  Sun-Faded carpets and accessories, excessively high heating and cooling bills, uncomfortable living space, glare and more. 

The fact that so many specialty windows are left untreated leaves a huge opportunity for ambitious dealers who take time to get to know how to approach almost any window with Hunter Douglas Window Fashions handcrafted by Designer Blinds, widely recognized as the leader in specialty fabrication.  Even better —cover the specialty windows in a house, you'll do the whole house.  You can save the consumers more in reduced heating and cooling bills alone than they'll save from a low-price somewhere else.

It hurts when you've spent your time specifying products only to have a customer pass the information you've gathered to anyone who will sell it to them cheaper. If customers want a copy of your specifications, sell it to them. Apply it against the sale when you get the order. Otherwise, keep your measurements and plans away from the customer. There's no reason for you to provide free labor to your customer — or to your competitors.

Don't hand your customers the information they need to place an order with ANYBODY else. Be careful in checking out samples. Instead of quoting prices over the phone, arrange a home visit.  It's easy to beat a price if somebody has done all the work already.  Be sure not to make it easy for your competitors to cash in on your hard work.

Don't doubt for a minute that your customer is at least a little apprehensive about buying custom products from a voice on a telephone, a distant web site or even a local dealer that leads with low prices but is less knowledgeable about custom products. The very fact that a customer tells you about a lower price indicates that he or she is somehow uncomfortable about it. Tilt this natural apprehension in your favor by pointing out the risks.

Lots of mistakes are made every day in this business. Even the most experienced dealers make their share of mistakes. Your business is a local company with a history, reputation, accountability and a place in the community. Working with Designer Blinds as your fabricator, you can resolve any problem quickly. This can't be said for 800 numbers, web sites or fly-by-night local dealers.

This may seem strange —but it works. Remember the first time you measured windows with cranks? How about side by side casement windows, one with a screen and one without? Remember how you didn't know for sure what to do? Your customer isn't sure what to do either. And he or she may not have even thought about it —yet.

Offer to help your customer specify products– for a fee. You can ensure that no measuring mistakes are made that your customer would be responsible for. This is a great way to show your expertise and superior product knowledge. Be sure to point out that “special” brackets may be needed to fit inside casement windows, but avoid being too specific by saying "swivel" brackets. The added expense may cut down on their savings, but it also cuts down the risk. Chances are that when they realize how complex CUSTOM window fashions can be, they'll turn the order over to you.

There are many "horror stories" about people who thought they were getting a good buy but ended up with nothing but trouble. You've probably rescued a customer or two from such mistakes.  Relate incidents of  "big-discounter" shenanigans that you have personal knowledge of to your customers. Victims of these companies often tell their stories in newspaper "Consumer Action" columns. Carry and show copies of such newspaper articles to give yourself credibility.

Call the "big discounter" with an imaginary problem and see how they react. Some companies will instruct you to call "customer service" at a toll number, where you will grow old on hold.  Others will immediately tell you because you measured, it's your fault.  Make sure your customer knows how you will handle anything that might go wrong.

Get the order signed as soon as possible. Vast volumes have been written on improving sales techniques and especially on closing. There is information as near as the nearest library or book store. See if you can put some new techniques into practice to help close your sale at the first opportunity.

Recognize that in America the big boxes, 800 numbers and even the fly-by-nighters have a right to do business as they see fit, so long as they remain legal –whether we like it or not. Rise up to the challenge of proving to your customer that your way is better. Remember, too, that in the big picture, the "big-box" stores, web sites and 800 numbers sell far fewer window fashions than local independent retailers —by far preferred by most consumers (by Designer Blinds, too).