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 Blinds & Shutters met with Apollo Blinds’ general manager Gary Chambers to discuss the many developments he has initiated since his arrival at the company
When Blinds & Shutters last met with Apollo Blinds a little over two years ago, there was no talk of credit crunch or banks going bust but in the time since then, it is fair to say that the market and industry in general has been fairly turbulent.
These economic conditions have made many companies sit back and try to ride out the difficult times, but this has not been a tactic adopted by Apollo Blinds who have preferred to invest in a more diverse range of products and arm their franchisees with the tools to move forward. Overseeing the developments at Apollo is general manager Gary Chambers who has brought his experiences as executive director at Thomas Sanderson to what he describes as a ‘whole different business model’. On his appointment a little over a year ago Apollo was described as an ‘under-leveraged brand’ by owner company Hunter Douglas. Gary explained what HD meant by this: “Hunter Douglas has recognised the value of the brand through the work that has been done in the past – but also that it can be improved and developed as a whole.”
After consulting with the network of franchisees Gary immediately initiated a series of initiatives to support them and help them generate more sales. It sounds simple but as Gary explains it’s about listening to the franchisee and delivering what they need: “The agenda has been driven by what they need to further their business.”
An example of this is the regular product development meetings with franchisees. Here, Gary and his team sit around a table with franchisees and take note of what products they ‘can’ and ‘want’ to sell. Gary points out that apart from being a “Sure-fire way to be able to sell a product” and “The best way to develop the product range” it gives a close interaction with the franchisee, involves them in the process and creates a team spirit which is important for business.
With all the developments at Apollo, support seems to be a theme that remains throughout. For Apollo it is about giving franchisees the tools to do what they do best. Gary is certain that there are some independent dealers who would generate more sales by joining the Apollo network. “There are dealers out there who would benefit from becoming an Apollo franchise owner.” Gary is talking about dealers who have perhaps hit a wall in terms of development and are looking to give their operation a bit of a lift. As Gary points out: “We know what the next step is and we can blow wind in their sails.”
Apollo holds ‘Discovery Days’ where they sit down with prospective clients and go through what they offer, all the figures and data and Gary would welcome talking to any independents who are “interested in taking their business to the next level or who would like to expand but aren’t sure how to do it”. Gary is focused on improving Apollo’s coverage of the UK and has carried out in depth research into the population of certain areas, their spending habits, property sizes etc and recognises that there are many UK territories to fill. “In certain areas it would be more beneficial to convert someone who knows about blinds and selling blinds into an Apollo franchisee. Once we have national coverage there will be no stopping us.”
Sales training is an area that Gary sees as vitally important to the success of a company but is all too often overlooked or not carried out to a high enough standard. In his opinion, it’s about selling the features and benefits of products.
“Today’s consumer is more demanding about they want and more aware of thermals, blackouts, acoustic fabrics etc. So I think we need to see a big change in the way that we sell blinds. We tell our franchisees to spot the potential in a customer’s home. You are not just there to measure up or work out a price – you are there to add value to their property, show them what they could have to make their home more beautiful.”
 And with the additions to the Apollo product range, there is certainly plenty on offer. To name a few, the company has extended its range of window coverings and launched a new handcrafted interior plantation shutter collection, released five new venetian blinds in what the company describes as seriously vibrant and striking colours and launched its Calico blind which mixes woods with natural fabrics. More products and options give the franchisee a better opportunity to ‘up sell’.
Marketing is also an area that Gary has placed much emphasis on. “Our Intranet is a veritable treasure trove of resources for our network. It contains a plethora of different adverts and leaflets and a variety of business support tools covering advice guides on managing a customer database to telephone scripts. There’s also a raft of letter templates that can be downloaded and used to write to customers.”
It is clear Apollo recognises that, as in all walks of life, franchisees will be masters of some aspects of their business but not all, it is about providing the back up when they need it. As Gary explains to all franchisees: “Know what you are good at, do what you are good at, fill the gaps in elsewhere with our assistance.” Isn’t it nice to have someone to rely on?
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