Episode 33

Georgiana Schwandt From Incredible Windows

In This Episode

  • What it takes to transition from a career in education to entrepreneurship, specifically in the window treatment industry.
  • Understand the challenges and successes associated with starting a part-time, shop-at-home business model without a physical storefront.
  • Gain insights into the evolution of marketing strategies, from traditional methods like Yellow Pages and newspaper ads to digital approaches centered around
  • Google My Business and website optimization.
  • Georgi’s experience highlights the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and prioritizing customer satisfaction in building a successful business.

 

Guest Profile: Georgiana Schwandt

Georgiana (Georgi) Giese Schwandt, founder of Incredible Windows, hails from central Illinois where she imbibed the values of hard work, compassion, and dedication. A former educator with 28 years of experience across four school districts, Georgi now leads her team in covering thousands of windows in the greater Madison, WI area. Her commitment to serving clients with kindness and respect remains unwavering.

Other Notes/Links:

To learn more about Georgiana Schwandt visit: https://www.incrediblewindows.com/

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Transcript

[0:02] Alright.
[0:02] Hello everyone.
[0:03] Welcome to another episode of marketing pains.
[0:05] My name is Will hanky.
[0:08] This is the podcast where we talked with real window treatment and Awning business owners about their successes and struggles related to marketing their business today.
[0:18] We’re on covering success.
[0:20] This is episode 33 and I’m excited to have Georgiana Schwandt who we called Georgie with us from Madison, Wisconsin.
[0:30] She has been a client of ours for probably around I think nine or ten months now and we’re excited to have Georgie with us today.
[0:38] And let’s Jump Right In Georgie.
[0:40] How are you?
[0:41] I’m good.
[0:42] Well and you doing fantastic so excited to have you on today?
[0:47] Thank you.
[0:47] I appreciate the opportunity.
[0:48] Well, yeah.
[0:50] Well, let’s Jump Right In tell me a little bit about your business.
[0:53] It’s called incredible Windows.
[0:55] You’re in the Madison Wisconsin area.
[0:58] Tell us a little bit more.
[1:00] Well, so my story would I give him a very abbreviated version when I meet with a customer is this simply this is my retirement business.
[1:11] So I had a real job for 28 years as a high school educator and I retired relatively young in as far as Retirement term door speaking and I needed something to do and look around for about two years trying to figure that out.
[1:27] Try different things including real estate appraisal.
[1:30] I hated it took the courses got certified and I don’t like this.
[1:34] So I thought well, let’s look for something else and I went out for lunch or someone who is selling window treatments in Northern Illinois.
[1:42] And she said you had to do what I do.
[1:43] I said I think you’re right and it was about that quick.
[1:47] So that was in 2006 and here I am almost 18 years later selling window treatments on a part-time basis as I shop at home.
[1:56] I’ve never had a storefront.
[1:57] I never will and I I’m enjoy great success.
[2:03] Wow, okay, so you don’t like the storefront idea tell me more about that.
[2:09] Well, there are a couple reasons I decided that first of all, I was a high school principal in Madison for eight years managing lots and lots of people including students and staff and parents and you know legislators and being involved and I wanted a simple business model that was manageable.
[2:31] I didn’t want to have the expense of the storefront and I have no regrets.
[2:36] I know it took me a while to get started.
[2:39] Of course, it wasn’t easy, but I feel like I’ve done it and I was still learning and I still when I do grow.
[2:48] Good good.
[2:49] So your business model is get the lead go to the home pitch the pitch the installer.
[2:57] Whatever the product do you get the payment right then or do you go back and do a proposal and then of course do the install later?
[3:08] Well, it works in different ways.
[3:11] Ideally what actually the ideal situation happened yesterday where indeed I meant with a customer.
[3:19] She did a remodel over 30 year old home and was when a new window treatments.
[3:24] I we went in and talked about her needs and what she wanted and if it’s a she’s doing it in two parts.
[3:30] So we did the bedrooms and baths first and if it’s a relatively small project meaning 10 12 15 blinds, I can do a quote pretty easily in the home and then I can present it to her and discuss it and I said, are you ready to move forward you want to think about?
[3:48] Thought she said I’ll get my credit card.
[3:51] Okay that one place in the home if it’s a more involved proposal.
[4:00] Like I just did one actually a Monday just 38 hardwired roller Shades why I wanted to think about that a little bit.
[4:08] I got to sign proposal this morning.
[4:10] So, you know, it just differs on mature situation.
[4:14] Sure Okay, it definitely makes sense.
[4:17] Yeah.
[4:18] Another one has to address throw that into where I’m at with it.
[4:21] Mmm and no customer who’s building a new home and it’s you know, they’ve done the groundbreaking and all that.
[4:28] So we just with a fine-tooth comb and through every room and discuss needs so it’s a process for some others.
[4:36] It’s quick and easy.
[4:37] Yeah.
[4:37] Yeah.
[4:38] So tell me about that mix new home construction versus people that are already, you know embedded in their home.
[4:48] I Yes, well, I would encourage people if they’re building or remodeling a new home to contact a window treatment providers quickly as possible because too often they don’t think about things that we can help them with for example a popular door in Wisconsin today and that perhaps is Nationwide is a full glass or a partial glass on the as a window on the door.
[5:16] Well people don’t often.
[5:18] Think about the fact that that might need some privacy.
[5:22] So if indeed a blind is needed they need to think about the door handle.
[5:26] So can I get a blind behind that door handle and if it’s one of the you know, the lever door handles very popular today at new construction and remodels that’s more difficult.
[5:38] It can be done but it’s more difficult.
[5:40] So this I can point out simple things or another window treatment person can’t find those things out or simply the molding and the placement of the windows.
[5:48] And do you really want that high window?
[5:50] There’s a octagon, you know it just you know, as people are beginning to think about a remodel or build.
[5:57] It’s important to bring in that window treatment person.
[6:01] Sure.
[6:02] The other thing we can help them with in that situation is talking about if they want to do power house that blank going to operate.
[6:09] Is it going to be a hard wire?
[6:10] Is it going to be batteries?
[6:11] Can you reach it plus the whole budget issue?
[6:17] If they wait till the very end, it’s often like oh my gosh.
[6:20] I didn’t realize custom window treatments were so much money.
[6:24] But if we can help them with that to understand the value and the class upfront it behooves all of us.
[6:33] Yeah.
[6:34] Yeah makes that conversation a little easier than he does.
[6:37] Yeah, I mean fortunately I’m going to be able to offer financing shortly to which will help them those bigger projects.
[6:44] Yeah, yeah, that’s going to be a big game changer 24.
[6:48] Yeah.
[6:48] I’m looking forward to having that option for customers.
[6:51] That’s awesome.
[6:52] That’s great.
[6:53] So we’ve been talking kind of about your ideal customer.
[6:56] What about commercial?
[6:58] Do you guys do any commercial work or is it mostly all residential we do some commercial work the one I just told you about the 38 hardwired rollers is a commercial project.
[7:08] But the way I get the commercial projects is typically because I’ve done the customers home.
[7:15] and they’ve you know, we’ve had the camps to work together and this one I mean they they didn’t do any shopping that I mean, I’ve helped them multiple times in multiple projects and they just fortunately like to work with me and I gave him a fair price and I’ll forego so I only do small commercial projects and then a lot of Culver’s in the Madison area some smaller instruments offices and not a couple of wineries, but not the big not the big High-rise residential Halls on campus and I’m not doing that kind of work.
[7:51] Very good.
[7:52] Okay, very good.
[7:53] Cool.
[7:54] All right, so we talked about your story a little bit or who you are talked about kind of who your target market is.
[8:03] Let’s let’s talk about the part that I really like, which is a marketing piece.
[8:09] So tell me about your marketing mix.
[8:11] I mentioned that you are one of our clients.
[8:14] So you’ve got a digital marketing piece kind of tell us about the mix of what you’re up to.
[8:19] Well, let me back up a little bit.
[8:22] Well, you know as being in business 18 years the marketing has evolved significantly over the years, you know, I started long ago spending too much money on paper advertising.
[8:34] Okay, you know I had some result now I’m talking like between 2006 2010-11 whatever peel that away because I wasn’t getting any well not any but the results I was looking for.
[8:49] You’re talking about Direct Mail type stuff.
[8:51] So I’m talking about this is really going to date me yellow pages.
[8:56] Okay paper newspaper ads, you know those kinds of things.
[9:01] I don’t even think there’s a yellow page book out there anymore.
[9:04] I don’t know for sure.
[9:05] I don’t have one.
[9:06] That’s for sure.
[9:07] But anyway, so that brings me no through the course of time to working with you.
[9:13] Well, I’ve learned the value of the internet and Google my business and having a great website and consequently when we reached out to you you’ve helped me with all of that just yesterday somebody calls that hey week.
[9:31] I called you because you’ve got a great website and I saw what I was looking for and when can we get together?
[9:36] So and it’s going to be a great job great Polly told me over the phone so that Google My Business Connection the SEO that has been able to boost my business has has been tremendous.
[9:50] So that’s what I’m relying on mostly today.
[9:53] Okay, as far as As I’m getting the name out there about incredible windows.
[10:01] I was doing I was doing social media for several years spent a lot of money on it.
[10:11] I stuffed in it.
[10:12] Okay, and that was in September and I don’t feel like it’s been a big negative impact and its busiest I want to be so I you know, it’s the Google my business.
[10:25] My website it’s the reviews.
[10:27] Yeah having said that that’s only really a third of my business which I need because those are my new customers the other third are repeat customers.
[10:37] In fact, I have an installation going on today that they said.
[10:40] Oh we’ve added the sunroom.
[10:42] I need to do more Mentos 04.
[10:44] I moved.
[10:45] I have a new home that’s going in next week that afternoon.
[10:48] I was Old Flames five years ago.
[10:52] Another one is are they could buy a second home?
[10:55] And so, you know, I’ve helped people a second homes in Florida, Arizona just because of the installation services opportunities Hunter Douglas offers.
[11:03] And so that’s been great.
[11:05] And then the third way I get customers and marketing my referrals.
[11:11] I mean, so I try to nurture my existing customers.
[11:17] So they remember me when they have a friend who needs a project.
[11:20] So yeah.
[11:22] But yeah, there’s social media media hasn’t been something that me lying on Google my business and a great website as well.
[11:30] I rely on for new customers.
[11:32] Yeah.
[11:33] Yeah.
[11:33] That’s a good marketing mix though.
[11:35] I think the word of mouth and the referrals when I talk to a potential customer for our business.
[11:43] Those are the two things that they’ve they’ve relied on up to that point and it’s there’s a missing piece and I think that is that obviously the digital Marketing piece you can only go so far on referrals and word Ralph, right?
[11:57] So so no, no things like Valpak more I get Valpak and I thought the recycling bin right away.
[12:09] It’s okay and look through it and it’s just not something I would use and so that’s not been something that I feel shame has been my money.
[12:18] Sure.
[12:19] Okay.
[12:19] Do you do any old working or home show?
[12:22] Anything like that?
[12:24] Nope.
[12:25] Nope.
[12:26] I’m pretty protective of my time.
[12:28] Yeah, and you know, I have to think about the time involved in a home show and the expense and I know I just don’t feel like it’s worth my time.
[12:39] Sure.
[12:39] Okay.
[12:40] Now that does he doesn’t work for some but it’s not an area I choose to spend any time or money on sure sure.
[12:48] I do have a question here.
[12:49] What marketing efforts have you stopped using in the past years?
[12:52] You mentioned the social media thing and tell me a little bit more about what you were doing on the social side.
[13:00] I was doing Facebook and Instagram just you were just posting on those channels.
[13:07] Okay?
[13:08] Okay.
[13:08] Yeah, so I’ve heard in the past the phrase likes don’t pay the bills.
[13:14] Yeah, right.
[13:15] Exactly.
[13:16] Yeah, I think there’s I think there’s some some credibility in brand awareness sure for social media people people being aware and staying top of mind.
[13:30] I definitely don’t think social media pays the bills, right?
[13:33] It doesn’t.
[13:35] Yeah.
[13:35] Well there was one other thing that I do but it helps me stay in touch with customers is a monthly newsletter.
[13:42] So, okay.
[13:43] I do send that out once a month.
[13:46] Yeah, I think that’s that’s a great way to stay top of mind as well.
[13:50] Right?
[13:50] And you know, I’ve asked, you know, there’s a note at the top of my newsletter self.
[13:54] Please forward to anyone you met Thing Cody of Interest so you know it.
[14:00] Okay, no helps in the bar 1500 subscribers.
[14:04] Okay.
[14:05] Okay.
[14:07] Do you have any other incentives?
[14:09] Do you offer any special incentives to attract all my reviews things of that sort?
[14:15] No, I need to go.
[14:16] I need to do better about that.
[14:17] Typically we ask people to do it.
[14:21] I said typically sometimes I forget so but you know When I’ve asked most times people have been good about ready a nice review and then very pleased and he did yeah work on getting that systematize so I can get it done easier.
[14:38] And I know that we’ve been wearing has a way to do that.
[14:40] I need to utilize that yeah.
[14:43] Well, we we can jump on a training session and I’ll show you how I usually do it verbally because I always follow up if I can get there.
[14:54] That’s great.
[14:55] But if I’m big jobs.
[14:58] I always go back now if it’s one or two, I mean I go back by always follow up on the phone.
[15:02] Okay?
[15:03] Yeah, we’re checking.
[15:04] So yeah, so in the home at the end of the install you ask them really just would you leave us a review?
[15:11] Sure.
[15:11] Okay.
[15:12] Yeah and they’ll say yes, and then you need to follow up to get them at link or whatever.
[15:17] Yeah.
[15:17] Okay, very good.
[15:20] Some of our clients have a little business cards with the with the QR code on it that they can hand them a 10.
[15:27] Yeah, yeah.
[15:28] Okay.
[15:30] Did that will help me figure that one out, please.
[15:32] Yeah, we can do that.
[15:33] I depend upon people like you to help me in those areas.
[15:38] I know what my areas of expertise are.
[15:40] Yeah.
[15:41] Yeah sure.
[15:41] You aren’t just so that’s why we have helped and even write my shop at home and I’m a sole proprietor.
[15:48] I’m an escort back play tonight.
[15:50] Subcontract all my help.
[15:53] I can’t do it all yeah.
[15:55] Yeah.
[15:57] Right, right.
[15:58] Okay follow up marketing.
[16:00] You mentioned the newsletter you doing anything else on the follow-up side after the fact so my I have an assistant that I it’s a subchapter and she works maybe about six or eight hours a month.
[16:17] Not a lot.
[16:18] She’s a teacher but just as help me for five or six years.
[16:21] She does follow up calls at the 3-month in the 10 month Mark just to make sure everybody’s Happy and things are working.
[16:28] Well the subtract in and that’s been good.
[16:32] Because if there’s a problem I’m going to taken care of right away.
[16:34] Usually they would reach out to me, but sometimes it forgets or they just don’t part of the reason I want to do that at that 10 month Mark is because I use in a hundred Douglas installation services and they pay for service calls within the first year.
[16:50] So I went okay within the first year versus at month or teen when when it’s
done.
[16:56] This morning for yeah.
[16:59] Okay, that’s great.
[17:00] And it’s it gives you an excuse to follow up with the customer.
[17:03] Yeah, and maybe oh we’ve been meaning to call you right or another room or something like that.
[17:11] Oh, that’s fantastic.
[17:12] That’s good.
[17:14] Are you are there any Services now that you see that are becoming more and more profitable?
[17:21] Well, the only service is I really offer are selling hundred I was blind so I’m not sure what you can meaning Based Services will you know, we re yeah industry Will services things that you’re offering to your car to your clients.
[17:36] No, not really.
[17:38] We try to service our clients while so for example, if you know, there’s a repair that needs to be done and you know my hands.
[17:45] My husband is my right arm with the repairs situation.
[17:47] So he we pick up.
[17:49] And take them back pick them up,pick them up the blinds up pack them up send them in for repair and then take them back to the customer.
[17:59] So that’s that’s his area Okay, so so I mean this is service of people like I’m excited.
[18:05] No other dealers they here’s the place to ship it to and here you go, you know, so we try to provide that service for them.
[18:13] No try it we do.
[18:15] Okay and on the repairs, is that for only?
[18:19] Past clients.
[18:21] Yes.
[18:22] Yeah getting into the repair side of things can start to get pretty crazy if you’re it is and it’s not profitable, right if right.
[18:32] Yeah and my opinion so yeah, most of our clients do they want to stay very far away from repairs, right?
[18:41] The one exception I found is I interviewed Kelsey Stewart from Bloom and blinds which is a franchise and they Usually prefer to do the repairs with the mindset of that gets them in the door sure and they kind of use it as a loss leader.
[18:58] So I found that interesting that 95% of our clients don’t want anything to do with the repairs, but they do so any interesting.
[19:10] So, all right.
[19:12] So sounds like you need to work on the reviews.
[19:16] The reviews can really help the The the Google my business side of things, right?
[19:22] And you said that’s that’s a big driver for for New Leads as well as though I love that you guys are getting good leads from that as well.
[19:33] So what would you say to somebody who’s just getting started in the window treatment business that you know, they’re they’re struggling to get moving.
[19:43] What is something that they could do that would help Point them in the right direction.
[19:50] Well something that I would suggest when first of all find somebody to talk to who can mentor you know, like I said, I had a friend in Northern Illinois.
[20:01] It was my go-to because I knew nothing and I was an educator and I didn’t know anything about sales.
[20:12] I didn’t know anything about where the payments so you have to jump in and Learn Somehow.
[20:15] So having a mentor really helps but then I would also say not try to do it all at once.
[20:23] You know, I decided to keep my business model very simplistic.
[20:28] I started selling 100 Douglas and another brand and soft treatments within two or three years peeled away the other brand and soft treatments.
[20:38] First of all, there’s too many guards.
[20:40] I’m samples have to deal with and second goal too many products in to figure out and systems and I just want to simplify my business.
[20:49] So I would suggest rather than starting out with lots of offerings start with one will learn it figure out what you want to do and where you want to take your business and then if you choose to decide to add more do it one at a time and learn that product line.
[21:05] Yeah, so I think that’s pretty wise to yeah to not take advantage of the systems that are in place with a vendor seems foolish to me.
[21:20] I mean hundred Douglas has great systems that worked for me for all these years.
[21:24] I’ve learned them.
[21:25] I know how to use them.
[21:26] I know how to find information on how to get information they need it because I sure don’t know what all so learn the product line as well and I’m still learning.
[21:37] I mean somebody asked me about A pot recess Pocket Roller shade power yesterday was like mmm.
[21:44] I’ve never done that one.
[21:45] So sure enough.
[21:46] I was on the phone yesterday 13 all I could about it.
[21:49] So just be willing to roll your sleeves up and learn.
[21:55] Fantastic advice and if you don’t know the answer just tell I mean I always tell people I’ll find it and get back to them because and then be sure to get back to them.
[22:06] You know, we’ve all had people say I’ll get back to you and we never hear from them again.
[22:10] So right right follow-ups a big piece of that in it is yeah.
[22:16] Yeah, and if you’re not strong in that area, some people don’t have that that personality trait find somebody that you can add to your team that does that Yeah, so I mean certainly as a shop at home.
[22:29] I’m I’m a part-time business and they asked why not ask for fun.
[22:34] I wanted the flexibility of a shop at home and that was short front and that’s provided.
[22:39] I mean the shop at home has done that so I’m not know I guess.
[22:44] Yeah hell of it.
[22:45] Thank you so much for being on today.
[22:47] I really appreciate your time.
[22:49] If somebody wants to learn more about your business.
[22:52] Where can they go incredible and Those that come from the windows.com easy enough easy to find.
[23:00] Yeah again Georgie.
[23:01] Thank you so much for being on today.
[23:03] I really enjoyed your time.
[23:05] I appreciate you as a guest appreciate you as a person and thank you again.
[23:10] I hope you have a great great rest of your day you hope so too, but I appreciate your help and growing my business will.
[23:17] All right.
[23:18] Thank you very much very much.
[23:19] Thank you everybody for listening.
[23:21] We’ll see you on the next episode

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