Page 55 - Lighting Magazine August 2018

ENLIGHTENMENT MAGAZINE: Is IT possIbLE for A sMALL AGENcy To MEET MANufAcTurErs’ ExpEcTATIoNs?
 Andy Burns, Elite Lighting: Yes, and I’ve “lived” on both sides. I believe it depends on your geographical market, the lines you represent, and the relationships you have been building. It also depends on each manufacturer, their current o ering, and their expectations. Is the product speci c for lighting showrooms or also for electrical distributors? Is it a designer-style line? What is the commission percentage?
It’s important to remember that even though today might not be the right time for a connection between the agent and manufacturer, the situation might be tomorrow or vice versa. Keep the doors of communication open.
 Richard Alan, Richard Alan & Associates: There is de nitely a place for smaller agencies, espe- cially in rural or less-densely populated areas where a personal touch is always appreciated. Some of these smaller reps may be the only ones in their ar- eas who represent a really hot product, or they may o er low prices that no one else can compete with.
EM: WHAT ArE THE AdvANTAGEs THAT sMALLEr AGENcIEs cAN offEr?
 Kris Quackenbush, The Carlson Group: Small agencies are able to pivot faster and respond more quickly to customer and vendor issues/ opportunities.
 Andy Burns: Some small agents o er excep- tional service and competitive pricing, promote themselves as a solutions provider, are easier to reach, very humble, and extend genuine thanks to those who do business with them.
 Jon McMahan, KTR Lighting: There are lines that make reps, and reps that make lines. You can make an argument either way. It’s not necessarily the agency’s size; it’s their people.
EM: WHAT ArE THE bENEfITs for LArGEr AGENcIEs?
 Jon McMahan: We have reps all over our terri- tory, and they only have to drive two hours to get to their furthest account. This frees up so much more of their time to make more calls or take care of ad- ditional tasks. For a smaller rep in the same territory,
Does size Matter?
HOW THE COMMERCIAL LIGHTING
SECTOR DIFFERS
A conversation with Todd Langner, President & CEO of SESCO Lighting in Florida, the largest manufacturers’ rep rm in the country with 300 employees and a full-time training center.
Todd Langner has four decades of experience in the lighting business, starting out in his family’s hardware and lighting store in Florida. He spent 30 years in manufacturing, primarily on the residential side, with brands such as Illuminating Experiences, Forecast Lighting, Hinkley, and Troy Lighting (which he purchased and later sold). He then moved to Cleveland as VP/Marketing & Product Development for Kichler and later ran the lighting division of Hunter Fan. Ten years ago, he joined SESCO as VP/Business Development.
EM: You bring a unique perspective of both the residential and commercial lighting sectors. What have you seen as the key di erences?
Todd Langner: I want to preface this by saying that I believe relationships
are still the most important thing anyone can bring to this job. You’ve got to be motivated to build, develop, and grow strong relationships even if you’re in a very technical, engineering-oriented, commercial se ing. You can be
the most technically brilliant person, but if you don’t know how to hone and re ne those relationships, you’re not going to get the business.
My residential background helped me a li le bit, but there are major di erences in both the products and markets. On the decorative side, most of the reps I had worked with were smaller, having just a couple of principals. That scenario works ne on the decorative/residential side, but the commer- cial side is very technical and provides a large range of services to customers. You’ve got to have a tremendous amount of knowledge about the products and about lighting itself. True lighting design involves working with architects and engineers, and encompasses much more than typical sales. It’s almost the reverse of the decorative side — which is 90 percent aesthetics and 10 percent function. In the commercial world, performance is critical. Space must be lit properly, plus there are code issues and regulations for commer- cial buildings that vary by state and city.
Out of our 300 employees, 100 are salespeople on the street. The rest are a combination of project management, customer service, quotations, and applications/calculations.
Each of our major manufacturers — Philips, Acuity, Eaton, and Hubbell — have a rep rm in every major market that, together, controls a huge portion of the lighting business. They have purchased many niche manufacturers out there, and continue to, consolidating the market even further.
Any agency in even a moderately sized market must have people calling on multiple professionals: architects, contractors, engineers, and distributors. One of our largest divisions is the Public Sector, which calls on municipalities,
( continued on page 52)
august 2018 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 51