In northwestern United States, in an area just west of the Bitterroot Range and about 30 miles east of Spokane, WA lies Post Falls, ID—a booming community in a place few people outside the area probably know exists. The area is home to ski resorts, recreational lakes, golf courses and even few movie stars. The Post Falls/ Coeur d'Alene area has witnessed a surge of new residents, many of them retirees, and many of them moving into newly constructed homes. What makes this area especially exciting for Alan White of Blinds, Etc, Inc. is that each of these new homes has something in common: a need for window coverings.

Aggressive Marketing

“Our way has always been to be a little more aggressive,” White says of Blinds, Etc.'s marketing plan. “We go out and meet the people.”

Blinds, Etc. began selling door-to-door and still relies heavily on this form of personal contact. “in today's economy, you have to be aggressive. You can't just sit in your store and expect the customers to come to you,” White says.

This philosophy has led directly to sales in both residential and contract markets. When a potential customer calls to make an in-home appointment, the Blinds, Etc. salespeople will ask how soon they can come out and, whenever possible, will try to make the appointment for that same day. “when someone calls, they want to give you business,” White explains.

Must Buy

Blinds, Etc. sells almost exclusively to buyers of newly constructed homes in the Post falls area. Just as the Whites were when they first moved in,, new home buyers are in a must buy situation. “New home owners have to put something in the windows. It's not a matter of if, but from who. They might as well buy from us and get service and quality,” White says.

Singling out new residents also makes door-to-door sales a little easier—at least, it means potential new customers tend to be clustered in the new home developments. To illustrate the advantages of personal contacts with new residents, White tells the story of doing a window treatments for a woman who then recommended them to her daughter who recently moved onto the same street. The daughter then thought window treatments would make a good housewarming present for her sister who also moved to Post Falls. “We worked on the windows of a mother and two daughters on a the same street,” White recalls.

A problem with selling to new home buyers is to get them to prioritize where to spend their money, White explains. “they want to put money into their homes, but they don't always think about window treatments,” he says. The most popular trend in window fashions in the are is cellular shades, White says. They are seen as better insulators and keep their shape better, he adds.