LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Goal Setting Helps Susan Day Build Her Business From $27,000 to Over $700,000

BY STEVEN C. BURSTEN

In the mid-2000s, Susan Day had a basement drapery business selling $27,000 per year. She wanted college funds for her daughter, Maggie, and son, Spencer, and realized her business could be the answer. But how could she do it? It started with goal setting. She learned that monitoring three essential numbers could help her business grow: monthly appointments, closing rates and average sales. With a goal and planning, she topped $100,000 her first year after sales training. As years rolled by, she reached higher levels and has now topped $700,000 the last two years.

She wanted to work from home only four days a week and about 42 weeks a year to have a balanced lifestyle. With guidance from successful colleagues and Exciting Windows! executives, she exceeded her goals. In fact, she set an example as one of the highestperforming home businesses anywhere. Here are some tips from her experience that others can use.

Creating a Selling System

Like most in the industry, Day served customers with kindness and respect. She gave them what they asked for but did not control the selling process. However, she had no system to inspire customers to buy from her instead of a competitor and no method to upsell creative ideas. So, in 2005, Day attended the “Make a Friend: 7 Steps to Success” sales class. It was a major investment of $2,000 and required travel to Baltimore, but she knew if she wanted to grow, she needed sales and business education.

“During the course, I had a light-bulb, aha moment,” she said. “Not only was I learning new sales skills, I discovered the power of numbers and goal setting to plan for what I wanted. With my confidence raised, I felt ready to build a better business. It became clear that by managing correctly, I could control my time and how much money I would make during the year.”

Day’s first day in class taught her that three appointments a week could result in sales as little as $112,000 a year to more than $480,000. She learned the closing rate and average size of a customer sale were essential to control. She learned a system to do it. Steadily, her selling skills inspired the best homeowners in Springfield, Illinois, to buy from her. She guided them to invest in creative window designs, not just functional blinds and shades.

Setting Goals to Create Life Balance

Day wanted to balance business with family and personal time. She developed a mantra of “four and 20.” That meant she planned four appointments a week, about 17 a month, which would ensure sales of $20,000. It was a simple way to focus daily on her goal to sell $240,000 a year—in manageable “bites.” This allowed her the lifestyle she wanted. With four appointments a week, she had time for family and customers.

As business grew, Day hired a contract installer, then an accountant, and later a part-time administrative assistant. She helped a local Benjamin Moore paint store staff sell blinds and shades in the store and they referred customer leads to her. Then, she contracted with the paint store to receive and check her orders. This gave Day the personal time she wanted—and an exceptional income as she built on her experience selling with the “7 Steps System.”

Building a Better Business

A few months after the course, Day said she decided she wanted a serious business and she became one of the first Exciting Windows! licensees. “There were other members selling a lot more,” she said. “Just the kind of business owners I wanted to associate with to learn their secrets.”

She went from selling $27,000 a year to almost $350,000 in a few years. “I put two kids through college and gave a wonderful wedding for Maggie—all with money from the business and without borrowing,” she said.

Marketing to Better Customers

“One of the first things I learned with Exciting Windows! was the importance of moving up from broad-market customers to focus on selling to upscale and luxury customers,” she said. “They had money and could afford what they wanted.”

She said her drapery experience was a big help. “Then as iPads advanced, I used simple software and more than 100 photos to show customers treatment designs they never thought of,” she said. “They appreciated my ideas and the unique, personal look they would enjoy for years.”

Not an Easy Transition

It was a gradual transition from doing everything herself to hiring others to help. “That was the hardest part,” Day said. “I was, and still am, superpicky about craftsmanship and high standards. But, as I found helpers, I kept my eye on the numbers and sales goals. It’s tough for any specialist to become a manager, but growing requires change and I wanted that.”

What’s Next?

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I feel that I’ve worked past that ‘critical’ point and now am in a ‘sweet spot’ of profitability versus extended efforts.”

She said her reputation is solid and she plans to grow more through a “partnership alliance” with local businesses, including a paint store, furniture store and lighting/electrical distributor.

“Most recently, I even found a person to train as my first consultant/ salesperson,” she said. “Without years of encouragement and watching my Exciting Windows! friends, I never would have considered this big step toward my company’s future. I can’t sit still—new opportunities are always catching my attention.”

Advice for Others

“I would say, ‘Think about what you want from your business and personal life. Are you willing to change in order to grow? Are you willing to accept the help that’s out there?’ There’s lots of it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of successful business owners who can help you use a proven system.

“Most of all, if you’re serious about the transition to grow, your first step is to hire a housekeeper. Unless you have a partner who loves housecleaning, this must be your first employee.

“Really, if you want to grow, you can do it. It’s truly a great life,” Day said. V

Steven C. Bursten, with more than 60 years in the window treatment business, is co-founder and partner in Exciting Windows!, a national network of more than 40 independent window fashions retailers and 100 decorating consultants. Bursten is the originator of the graphic sample van for Shop At Home sales, co-founder of the Window Coverings University specializing in sales and profit management education and co-founder of the International Window Coverings Exchange for high-volume retailers.

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