Some people are great with change, and others take a little more time to warm up to new things. This is never truer than when learning and embracing new technology. Many people fall into the habit of just sticking with what is comfortable and familiar. However, what if you could get ahead and embrace new technologies that have the ability to grow your business and expand your profits?! Well, now you can! Central’s National Lighting Director, Glen Nyhuis, is here to help walk you through what is on the horizon this spring in Outdoor Lighting and how you can incorporate these new technologies into your sales techniques.
From Glen
While landscape lighting continues to grow and flourish in most every market today, it amazes me when I discover the vast amount of landscape lighting contractors that are missing out on opportunities, up-sells, and profits. The majority of contractors are simply ignoring new technology all together, or just stuck in their old ways without the confidence or training to move ahead.
The last few months we have spoken about the 4 Fixture Rut. Now is time to delve into how even more important than just expanding your fixture selection, is that of embracing the new technologies available to enhance the customer experience even further and have those fixture selections bring your design fully to life. We all must become more educated on the fast-evolving technology that lighting vendors have to offer contractors and their customers. It is time to embrace the ever-more automated world we live in today, because landscape lighting is also rapidly changing and becoming more advanced just like everything else in our daily lives.
App-Based Controls, Blue Tooth Pairing, WIFI, Color Changing, Zoning, and Dimming Capabilities are the top highly trending products heading into 2023. However, it seems very few contractors are taking advantage of these easy up-sells in their arsenal of sales tactics. So now is the time to engage with these products, or be left behind!
For those contractors who have been around long enough to install Halogen systems and use multiple 900, 1200, even 1500-watt transformers have seen:
- These systems transition almost OVERNIGHT to LED systems!
- Large wattage transformers transitioned to 150 watt + 300 watt
- Analog timers transitioned to astronomical timers
With that being said, acting on new technology in your sales approach is of the up-most importance. If your company is not giving customers these new options, then the company that is winning the bid is. Consumers are hungry for options, automation, and controllability, plus quality superior products with their investment. Thus, it is critical to educate yourself and your team on all the options now available.
For example, I recently worked on a jobsite with a contractor who was bidding against his competition on a 21 fixture job at the cost of $4,300. The fixtures being installed were name brands, and apples-to-apples with the competition’s bid. However Contractor B, after being trained by the Central Team was able to give additional options during the sales process. Contractor B knew to ask the critical questions such as:
1. How do you choose to operate your lighting system?
- Set it and forget it?
- Simple Plug and Play Timer?
- An Astronomical Timer?
2. Are you and your spouse interested in zoning your property?
- If so, within those zones you could have the capability of dimming certain areas. This would mean your entire home and property turns on automatically at sunset to 100%. At 11pm then your pool area dims down to 30%, and your front façade dims down to 50%. Then perhaps at 1am those two zones turn off completely but your perimeter and security lights stay on until sunrise.
3. Have you considered color changing options?
- This is for fixtures on your home and can really turn your landscape into a trendy statement piece. You can schedule a vast range of colors to enhance your home for events like Christmas, 4th of July, Birthdays, etc.
So, what’s the moral of this job bidding story for Contractor B? They ended up selling the same 21 fixture job for $6,500!! All by simply offering options of new technologies to accompany the installed fixtures and thanks to the work they did partnering with Central to educate themselves.
Finally
If you aren’t talking about it, then you are not selling it. Maximize your profits and let the Central Team help you boost your sales with these new lighting technologies. In addition to training on controllers, fixtures, and sales techniques we also offer training on new solar technologies (for locations were there is no 120v power for a transformer, such as entrances to sub divisions), installing motion sensors, and more. Reach out to your local sales rep today to learn more!
About Glen
Glen Nyhuis has more than three decades in the landscape lighting business. He has worked both in the field installing and design landscape lighting, as well as on the distribution side. Beyond that, he has spent many years teaching and working with contractors on how to sell lighting to their customers. Whether it is a technical or design question, or helping source the right product for a special job, Glen is ready to help you make money and grow your business.