Buying Your Blinds

Are you a sneaky customer?

We’ve all heard about sneaky salespeople right, but customers?

Yes, they are out there in the wild.

I entered the custom window treatment field from a completely unrelated industry, where I spent 10 hours a day pounding on a keyboard with relatively few human interactions. Consequently, in my early sales calls I must have come off as a babe in the woods, you know, the guy who just fell off the turnip truck. Most of the folks I met were patient and understanding. With others though, I felt myself being pushed and pulled, poked and prodded. The word ‘manipulated’ comes to mind. It could be a bit overwhelming.

After a couple of months on the job, I did some arithmetic. I figured that by retirement age, a major shade / blind enthusiast could easily have participated in a dozen window treatment consultations! That’s a lot, right?

But quite a few less than I had already experienced in my first 8 or 10 weeks on the job. (And few people consider themselves ‘enthusiasts’!)

So, now being an ‘expert’ and a bit more observant, I began to catalog the…

Top 5 Sneaky Customer Tricks

It doesn’t take too much experience to recognize these tricks, so it’s unlikely you will fool your pro.

More to explore

I want the levolors

May 14, 2024 No Comments

Customers frequently called my business asking for “levolors”. After sighing to myself, I’d gently ask them to be more specific. “Is there

Tips for New Construction

April 25, 2024 No Comments

If you’re considering new construction or a major renovation to your home, it’s not too soon to start thinking about window treatments.

I Love Paper Shades

April 15, 2024 No Comments

I wish I had invented or, rather, brought Paper Shades to market. Consider… You just bought or signed the lease on a

Window Treatment Descriptions

Horizontal Blinds – Window covering with louver/slats/vanes running left-to-right or parallel to the horizon. Also known as Venetian blinds. Sub-categories includes Wood, Faux Wood, Vinyl, Aluminum(mini, micro).

Vertical Blinds – Window covering with louver/slats/vanes running top-to-bottom or perpendicular to the horizon.

Shadings – These are hybrid roller shades with internal, tilting fabric louvers. Originally released as the Hunter Douglas Silhouette but now available from many brands.

Banded Shades – Also known as Zebra shades. They are rollers with alternating strips of varying opacity which can overlap for full privacy.

Vertical Sheers – A hybrid of a traditional vertical blind and sheer drapery.

Roller Shades – A traditional product familiar to many as a cheap vinyl covering from a home center or hardware store but custom rollers are available in a dizzying array of fabrics.

Solar Shades – A sub-category of roller shade featuring ‘screen’ like fabric of varying transparency expressed as a percentage ‘openness factor’.

Pleated Shades – A simple, traditional fabric shade formed by creasing fabric in increments from 3/4″ – 2″. The predecessor of the cellular shade.

Cellular (Cell) Shades – Also known as honeycomb and accordion shade. Based on pleated shades but have two or more layers creating a thermal barrier which is an effective insulator. Popular with a ‘top-down/bottom-up’ feature which provides direct light while maintaining partial privacy.

Vertical Cellular – A cell shade with cells (pleat lines) running top to bottom. Ideal alternative to vertical blinds for sliding patio doors.

Roman Shades – A decorative traditional fabric shade available in several styles.

Austrian Shades – A traditional fabric shade typically made with sheer fabrics. Privacy comes through the ‘gathering’ effect. They are not particularly practical but are valued for the decorative street view they provide.

Woven Wood – A rustic sub-category of Roman shade available in natural wood and grass woven materials.

Louver Drape – Another sliding door option, these are generally woven wood shades with a drape-like appearance drawing side-to-side.

Panel Track – Also known as a sliding panel. Typically used for sliding patio doors, these feature 2 or more fabric, solar or woven wood panels which stack in parallel, one over another. Great companion to matching roller, solar or woven shades. A clean, modern look but partially obstructs the view outside.