Page 58 - Enlightenment Magazine - July 2013

Specification SaleS

Success TIP MIKE CRAFT, METRO LIGHTING/METRO ELECTRIC

always

comes Do design lunch-and-learns, e-mail, make

back to phone calls, and ofer cofee time. Just

the people stay in frst place and your hard work
and dedication will be rewarded. And
who are remember, if specifers wanted to be

involved. lighting geeks like us, they would be doing

A good what were doing but they are not. They
need you as much as you need them.
corporate

culture

helps someone with computer skills is also imperative; display so clients can see the diference in perfor-

these self- CAD, AGI, Revit (illumination analysis and design mance, aperture brightness, and cutof angles, he
documentation programs), and other design sof-
advises.
We fnd that our more seasoned designers and
motivated ware knowledge is very useful. CLCs do the best job in spec design, Bellwoar
Specifcation sales require that you have a
folks to complete understanding of the scope of the proj- notes. Whenever possible, we will pair a rookie to
achieve. ects and have the knowledge to make appropriate help the education process. Showrooms must keep
recommendations. There is no room for guessing,
a full bench of qualifed designers in order to write
Thomas warns. Be sure you have the ability to this kind of business. Success always comes back
David Bellwoar, document your recommendations. In certain situa- to the people who are involved. A good corporate
Bright Light tions, doing a mock-up can be very prudent. culture helps these self-motivated folks to achieve.
Design Center Thomas concurs that having an educated, conf- We have had some successes over the past two
dent staf is critical. Its best if you have CLCs or years by having a part-time salesperson at every
LC staf certifed by the NCQLP (National Council branch. When we promote someone, the part-
on Qualifcations for Lighting Professions). You timer is typically ready to go full-time.
need to have architectural-grade merchandise on It takes a team efort to be successful, and per-
sonnel must be willing to be educated and learn
every day, Craf adds. No two projects are ever
the same.
TIP AL THOMAS, NORTH COAST ELECTRIC/ These showrooms prefer to promote from within
NORTH COAST LIGHTING to fll specifcation sales positions. We administer
a personality profle test during the employee
Make sure your designs are professionally application process, Bellwoar remarks. Specifca-
presented. The days of redlining a blueprint are tion sales require creativity, patience, and a high
level of technical expertise. When we fnd that
behind us. For example, I teach a class How to combination, coupled with a friendly extrovert, we
produce professional lighting design documen- hire them!
Recruiting is always an option, Thomas adds,
tation. Establish relationships with other but providing an opportunity to have key staf
professionals such as someone in your market grow into that position also pays dividends.
who does outstanding wine cellars and network If your business has eager, outgoing staf that
them into a project. is willing to learn, specifcation sales may become
a solid avenue for revenue and standing in the
community.

56 enLIGHTenment Magazine | July 2013 www.enlightenmentmag.com