industry :
broadening your base
Cast a Wider Net: Incorporating Closets into Your Window Design Business
W BY JEFF FALCON
hile on vacation in Maui, I came across a man fishing off a rocky point using a traditional throwing net. We struck up a conversation, and I asked him why we don’t often see this technique used. He shared with me the struggle against dwindling fish populations in island waters and told me very simply that fewer fish meant fewer fishermen. I noticed that he had quite a catch stashed in his bucket, so I asked him his secret in being luckier than his competition. He replied “Brah, I got a bigger net.”
“We launched our custom closet business in 2007 to synergistically appeal to the same demographic of high-end homeowners who appreciate luxury additions to their lifestyle.”
The current pandemic has created a challenge for our industry, but it is not the first storm we have weathered in the last decade. The window fashion industry faced an enormous crisis during the Great Recession of 2008-2011, and our entire industry flailed. Much like that time, the 2021 market faced and continues to face huge challenges, so it’s no wonder that many companies are once again choosing to batten down hatches to wait out the headwinds. As many experts have predicted, the business environment we now face may very well become the new “normal,” at least for the foreseeable future.
34
| NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2021 | wf-vision.com
Instead of shrinking operations, laying off talent and tightening belts, Bay Home & Window chose another path during the last recession. We began looking for opportunities to broaden our base to become less vulnerable during the storm we faced then and the one we face now. Like the fisherman, as leads became scarcer, we began searching for ways to broaden our appeal to both new and previous customers. We believed that a new offering could invite customers who, at the time, chose to postpone buying window coverings but might possibly consider another opportunity, and, even more importantly, invite those who DID buy window coverings to do the same.
Our first decision was choosing an analog product that dovetailed into our operations but did not siphon away from current sales opportunities. We looked at several options, including flooring and tinting, before ultimately deciding on custom closet systems. We launched our custom closet business in 2007 to synergistically appeal to the same demographic of high-end homeowners who appreciate luxury additions to their lifestyle. This new offering allowed us to create a different conversation with potential customers who needed more storage and organization to facilitate spending more time in, and even working inside, their homes. And we
