Page 39 - Lighting Magazine October 2018

“No one gives you an instruction manual when you take your business in a new direction. It’s kind of like being a parent. You just gure it out one step at a time. You don’t just open up a store, hang some chandeliers, and expect customers to walk in. We were fortunate that we had the resources of Colo- nial behind us in those early years.”
Courting Designers
Five years ago, Bellwoar hired a marketing consul- tant who advised becoming more involved in the design community by participating in local events to meet designers. Bright Light now dedicates more marketing dollars to hosting special events and CEU courses that would appeal to designers. Bellwoar also volunteers as an o cer with Philadelphia’s ASID chapter.
“We’ve changed the way we greet consumers entering the showroom,” he notes. “Instead of the typical, ‘What brings you in?,’ we now ask, ‘Are you working with an interior designer?’ and then advise them that working with trained professionals can help them save money on their projects.
“We’ve built a portfolio of designer pro les based on their personalities, style, and type of projects and clientele that are their specialty,” Bellwoar explains. “Then when consumers visit the showroom, we gather as much information as we can from them, including their budget. This allows us to con dently recommend designers who would be a good t.”
Bright Light has also adapted its sales philosophy to one that be er supports designers and their clients. In the early years of the showroom, there was more of an emphasis on selling the product that the buyer was bringing in. “Legitimately, a showroom wants to sell product they’re stocking,” Bellwoar admits. “But, we also want to be a valuable resource to clients by o ering them a true showcase. Our sta ’s expertise is honed through weekly training courses by manu- facturers and reps. We do a lot of role-playing and communication exercises. They know the probing questions to ask as they tackle a project wish list one by one. They also know the right sources to go to for each product. All of this supports our designers and their clients on every project they bring us.”
How it works
The Bright Light sales team earns about 70 percent of their total compensation from commissions. “It’s great motivation and gives them each the opportu- nity to manage their own business,” Bellwoar says. “I
provide them the education, tools, and facility they need to be successful but let them form their own relationships with customers, cultivate their style, and ultimately determine what their earnings will be. Our IT programmers keep our computer systems nely tuned, so our sales team has easy access to any information they need. We encourage them to regularly communicate with the designers they’re working with to keep them informed of the order status — especially in the case of any backorders or unexpected changes.”
The showroom works closely with individual designers on the right pricing that will allow both parties a fair pro t. Because of its size, Bright Light can typically place orders right away because it doesn’t need to meet a freight allotment and can get products shipped much more economically than designers who order direct and pay freight charges.
To complement all of those added value variables and further well-position Bright Light in its market, the recent renovation of its King of Prussia agship takes showroom design to a new level.
“Our goal is to present an environment that helps customers visualize how the products will look in their homes,” Bellwoar comments. “We’ve removed the typical clu er, added more vigne es and small kitchen dine es, and le comfortable spacing around each one. We have a small gallery of pendants
David Bellwoar
“We’ve built a portfolio of designer pro les based
on their personalities, style, and type of projects and clientele that are their specialty.”
OctOber 2018 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 35
the Designer-showroom BonD