A different type of lighting agency? And LightFair input

LightFair is over. The awards have been given and many are talking about the plethora of lighting suppliers and throngs of people at The Show. While we didn’t attend, those distributors whom we spoke to that did attend said it was a worthwhile expenditure of time and came back convinced that lighting represents more of an opportunity than ever before. The challenges become:

• “What is the definition of a ‘quality’ company?”
• “There are many opportunities in the lighting space (inclusive of controls).”
• “While new construction is an opportunity, albeit frequently controlled by lighting agents, retrofit opportunities abound and are feasible for ‘us’ (the distributor) to pursue.”

And all said that they need to send more people to LightFair in the future (it also says something about the benefit of a true product show.)

Which gets to the lighting opportunity.

For a full-line distributor lighting can represent 20-25%+ of sales. A significant percentage of this is typically “controlled” by lighting agents who typically have a very specific “reputation” in the industry. This is even more prominent for new construction projects.

So, when a lighting agent recently posted some of their “business updates” on LinkedIn it was a refreshing to see that they were trying to be more “approachable” and supportive of their client base.

The firm is United Lighting Sales in Florida. (they have a new website coming)

Here’s some of their LinkedIn comments from Steve Barnette, the owner, the beginning of April:

Se Hable Espanol. We not have a staff of bilingual sales and marketing personnel to service our new Miami location. we are also offering statewide sales/marketing and product distribution/placement logistics with a staff that touches 1000+ electrical/lighting distributor contacts each and every …

Lighting Representatives Role Today? Is your rep still quoting and taking orders or are they proactively marketing and selling. Not sure? Ask them what their sales process is? It takes 7 to 11 times to touch a contact before you reach them and unless you have a process you will never …

We are launching our CRM system on Monday which allows us to provide product launches, systematic follow-up, call maintenance records, and maintain all of our 1000 plus electrical distributor contacts across the state …

The key for us is on-hand inventory. Manufacturers willing to consign inventory will in return get proactive sales/marketing services and unparalleled logistic services across the state of Florida.

And, in talking about his new location “our new location in Miami was driven by the necessity to add value in local markets; a presence if you will and on hand inventory.”

There may be other lighting reps who proactively market to the end-user as well as to their distributors and also stock lighting material and delivery to their distributors.

While distributors have typically been frustrated with lighting agents but have learned how to co-exist so that they can benefit from large projects and “get the right price” (without having to ‘pay’ too much on overage charges), what do you think about these types of services from a lighting agency? Would they benefit you as a distributor? Could it be a reason to support certain lighting lines? Would these services be a valued-added for you in considering whether to support the agency?

And … your thoughts on most effectively working with agents to grow your lighting business … especially the retrofit business?

Or, if you attended LightFair, what were your observations?