Page 65 - Lighting Magazine October 2019

many companies make petite versions of their statement lighting. Fortunately, I’m never afraid to overscale a light fixture in a small space, which is usually very unexpected.”
DesIGn outsIDe tHe box
Leib has earned a master’s certificate in the practice of feng shui, which helps her to be very attuned to the feel of any space and how people function within it. She works closely with showrooms in her region, sharing new ideas on lighting for a multitude of spaces. As a lighting rep, she often gets involved in building showroom displays that are experiential. She believes that putting products — and new design ideas — right in front of the customer is a huge first step.
“I spend a lot of time face-to-face in showrooms,” Leib says. “To be able to influence and educate them properly, I need to first understand the culture and atmosphere of each showroom — and who their customers are.”
Leib’s goal is to elevate the knowledge of showroom teams and help them be more comfortable when selling products. Many homeowners are relying on the expertise of showroom salespeople to help them determine the right products for their home and to suggest interesting design ideas.
“I want to help them be a resource for customers who are not working with designers,” Leib states, “and so I encourage salespeople to think about sur- prising and interesting ways to use lighting. They need to have confidence in presenting their ideas so homeowners have confidence in their selections — es- pecially when it involves creating a new space. The great thing is that you can’t really make a mistake when choosing lighting for these unique spaces. It’s okay if they’re a different style than what is in the rest of the house because of the unconventional space and use of light,” she reveals.
“People want their homes to reflect their own authentic personalities and lifestyles. For lighting sales, it’s all about understanding the customer more than relying on Google analytics,” Leib states. “That’s especially important for ‘sister spaces’ since they are often a new concept to many homeowners. It’s about learning what works and doesn’t work with each customer, so I encour- age showrooms to ask a lot more questions than they would for traditional spaces. They need to know customers’ ‘must haves’ and ‘must nots.’ There really is something out there for every space — you just have to find it.”
Leib is a believer in the value of social and digital media to connect and generate interest. On her firm’s social media pages, she often shares images of lighting fixtures being used in unexpected ways, as well as photos that il- lustrate how one fixture can fit within multiple design styles.
“I use blogs, social media, newsletters, and email to get in front of people,” Leib says. “Photos themselves are the real selling tools. Social media has made consumers much more open to new ideas. They don’t feel like they have to follow the ‘rules’ nearly as much anymore. A lot of sales are driven by the public who are seeing images online and saying, ‘I want that!’”
Why not share the lifestyle images that lighting manufacturers present in their catalogs and websites on your own site and social media (giving proper credit, of course). “Some of the lines I represent are excellent at producing catalogs and using social media that show their products in a wide range of applications. Those are great tools to share with showrooms as well as for my own digital communications,” Leib comments. “It’s all about generating fresh ideas — especially when it comes to creating unique spaces.”
sMall spaces arE big
october 2019 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 63