Page 52 - Lighting Magazine April 2019

growing your busiNEss
“We also donate our showroom as a venue to several charities for their fund-raising events. This introduces many a uent potential clients to our showroom.” —Fred Naimer,
Montreal Lighting
new to our area. We strive to keep our marketing concepts original. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘Creativity Counts!’”
Naimer says Montreal Lighting uses a slightly dif- ferent approach to marketing throughout the year to bring in customers. “With the exception of a few magazine ads, our marketing is done strictly online through social media and e-mail blasts,” he explains.
“We market our business as a ‘showroom’ and not a ‘store.’ We have plenty of up-to-date samples in the showroom, but do not keep back-up inven- tory. The only items we carry in stock are recessed lights, bulbs, lighting controls, and a few commodity xtures. Anything else, we order when sold. Yes, we do incur additional shipping costs on some lines [this way], but it is far be er than the cost of carrying slow-moving inventory both dollar- and space-wise. This also allows us to keep manufactur- ers’ samples in the showroom longer and not lose sales on a popular item. For the most part, custom- ers don’t mind waiting for their order. The internet has trained them to ‘pay now, get later.’”
About 85 percent of Montreal Lighting’s sales are to designers or are designer-referrals. To deep- en those relationships, the showroom hosts three designer-oriented evenings in both the spring and the fall.
“Each of these evenings features either a manu- facturer or a speaker of interest to designers,” Naimer states. “We also donate our showroom as a venue to several charities for their fund-raising events. This introduces many a uent potential cli- ents to our showroom.”
refresHinG THeir look
If your goal is for consistent repeat client business, it’s critical that showrooms update their displays and design as o en as time allows.
“At Rick’s, we strive to continually change our look because we don’t want customers to see the same thing each time,” Cynthia comments. “We want to keep them coming back because they are anxious to see something new.” To that end, new product is displayed in key areas of the showroom.
“Our lighting, furniture, and accents from a va- riety of vendors really work well with each other from a design standpoint,” Cynthia remarks. “We enjoy pu ing scenes together in the showroom to spark our customers’ creativity. It also helps our sales team in encouraging customers to see us as more than just a great source for lighting.”
Strategically holding sales is another way Mon- treal Lighting has successfully turned over displays while maintaining its very clean design and layout.
“Just a er the two Dallas markets, we promote ‘sample sales’ at our showroom,” Naimer explains. “We deeply discount items that we want to clear o the oor so we can make room for new arrivals. Our showroom only uses junction boxes to mount x- tures, so without tracks and grids, we have limited space for display. This works well in both limiting what we can purchase and in giving space to each individual lighting xture or sconce. We get count- less compliments on how it is so much easier to shop in our showroom compared to other lighting stores.”
There are many options today for lighting show- rooms to consider when it comes to adding new categories — from hardware, furniture, and accent pieces to artwork, seasonal items, and more.
According to these retailers, the key is to know your customers and your competition. Start slowly and educate your team on the new category, making service a priority. Don’t forget to market yourself, create a welcoming environment, and be adventurous! While stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy, it can be very worth the risk. 
Stools, cabinets, casual dining sets, and accent tables are all a part of the product mix at Rick’s Lighting + Home.
48 enLIGHTenment Magazine | april 2019
www.enlightenmentmag.com