General perception by the general public of the Landscape Lighting design Build Specialist

General perception by the general public of the Landscape Lighting design Build Specialist

By Mike Gambino

I start this article by relaying a recent experience of a fellow design build trade pro:

First, I was at the orange box store looking at indoor LED’s when a client saw me and spoke. In his hand was a bag of 2 MR-16’s. One I used exclusively but have had failure issues with. However, the company is good about warranting and replacing them….and they have also redesigned them. The other lamp and the fixture it is used in are from another well known manufacturer. I’ve only used 5 of these fixtures, only on his project to down light a pergola and now to date, 4 lamps have failed. Their bases crumble under the socket clips’ tension. I don’t worry with replacement warranty. I’ve replace them with the other company’s lamps….so far….at my expense! I have treated it as a “live and learn” situation! I won’t use the fixtures again as 2 of the 5 leak where the wire enters the fixture. I will seal them with silicone. It won’t be seen where mounted.
Anyway, I told him they were under warranty and I would take care of it. He liked that. I made a special trip to his house when I left the store to assess the system and check for any other problems. Good customer service, in my mind!
Here’s the kicker. While there, his wife said she mentioned to a guy pruning her shrubs she wanted the back yard lit. He said he did lighting and would give her a price. I expressed my desire to be “their lighting designer…one and only”. I mean seriously!….after all…I have made them priority on my Sat. out of a sense of importance. She told me what trees she wanted lit…seven…and I could give her a price too. But!, she said, “The front was so expensive….I can’t spend that much this time and will probably go with the cheaper quote!”. I agreed to offer a quote….second quessing.
Later she went inside and I told the man, I am not the cheapest and I don’t want to be…not going to be. I don’t cut corners. My connections are water proof, no wire nuts. I don’t skimp on quality or service and your current issues will be resolved early next week.”. He agreed with my quality and service and thanked me for taking the initiative to stop by. That left me wondering…. If so, why go to a box store to replace lamps with subpar and why entertain a quote from a guy pruning shrubs when you know I have always given you great service when you had a problem?
Sometimes I want to scream!
Anyone have thoughts on how they have handled situations like this?

I want to credit Mark Carlson of Avalon lighting as portions of the content presented below were taken from an unpublished report for the benefit of the trade that he and I wrote several years ago. Unfortunately it is as accurate today as it was when it was originally written.

How does the general buying public perceive the professional landscape lighting design and build specialist?  Sadly in late August of 2018 as I publish this there are still a large percentage of the public that does not even know that such professional stand alone specialized businesses exist neither would they ever consider hiring such a service. There are some consumers out there that have very little regard for what we provide.  These types of people do not expect to pay much for products, and they believe that we are easily replaceable, a commodity.  You have to be able to identify these types before you enter into any business relationship with them because it will be a mistake.  You would do best to run and not walk away from these folks.

These consumers should not form the cornerstone of your business, nor any others business for that matter.  In fact, these people will prove to erode the foundation you have built and wreak all sorts of havoc on your business both financially and emotionally.  Please note that these types are sometimes hard to detect, but once this sentiment rears its ugly head, it’s time to get out!  The best time to do this is as soon as possible hopefully before any money has been exchanged for goods and services.

It is important to note that the quality of your marketing or even the lack thereof can determine the type of clientele that you attract.  This form of perception allows either a good or bad attraction to our business.  If you are attracting the ‘losers’, then you need to make the necessary changes to attract the ‘winners.’

Luckily you do not need the recognition of the general buying public

The types who believe that they can achieve the same results and longevity from a boxed kit at their discount department store will never be part of your target demographic or make for any kind of desirable client. Once you determine how best to attract the ‘winners’, continue with that approach.  There will be those clients that you attract and instantly connect with.  Those are the kind of people who personally care about you and your business.  These clients will appreciate all that you do and how you do it.  They make it their mission to help you become more successful.  You will find that they refer you to friends and family.  There is a true understanding that service providers like you are not common and they appreciate what the value you bring to the marketplace.  In addition, they realize that you are not easily replaced.

Obviously, these are the types of clients that you want to attract and to build your business with.  They will make your life easier, and they will make your work more enjoyable, too.  Besides, this form of encouragement will entice you to want to give them extra and to go the extra mile, because you know they deserve it.  Ultimately, this is a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship. It is the holy grail of business and what you should strive for.

You are on your own-It’s up to you

If you are waiting for help from industry associations in changing perceptions of the buying public you can forget about that happening probably not in our lifetime. Their funding comes mostly from larger industry players namely the product manufacturers and distributors. And neither of them have your best interests primarily in their sights.

There was a time (which seems like a long time ago) that our product suppliers (distributor) of our brand of choice ( manufacturer) had a vested interest in our success. Current trends have changed all that as manufacturers and distributors look to gain market share and seemingly sell at any cost even when it undercuts their primary purchaser which is or once was the professional design and build contractor .  This is the cold hard truth about their position in this industry, and they will use all necessary means to gain these increases in revenue.  This is very unfortunate, and it is a conflict of interest to the relationships we all once shared.

The contractor has to establish a position of strength and control or they will succumb to this frenzied attack.  Most contractors allow the manufacturer and distributor to do whatever they want even if it impacts our business.  In previous decades, this ability didn’t seem to cause much concern, but that is not the case anymore.  I am talking specifically about the new ability and opportunities for the consumer to directly purchase products.

As a professional landscape lighter, you have to be able to maintain control over the consumer in this aspect.  If you intend to operate and be financially successful in this work, then you cannot allow your customer to control this aspect of the job.  This access and ability diminishes the value of your service, and it opens the door to a slew of problems.  Realistically, most that are experienced in this trade will not be affected by this ability of the consumer, but the masses of inexperienced or start-up guys will crumble to these actions.  This will cause many financial hardships for these businesses, and the chances for future success will be greatly diminished.

Here is the reality of what the manufacturer and distributor are doing by allowing these actions by the consumer.  They are basically doing two things to you:  1) they are taking money directly out of your pocket that should be utilized to address overhead recovery, and 2) they are taking away your ability to have full control of the installation of the project.  Both of these opportunities are a direct attack on the contractor!  This behavior only serves the best interest of the manufacturer and the consumer in the short-term.

Should you choose to allow this to occur for you and your business, then I can guarantee you that this will put you in the back seat of your operations and at the mercy of the consumer.  Believe me, you do not want to go down this path, as it’s a ‘lose-lose’ situation.  This allowance will create more management problems with the job, and it will guarantee that you make less profit overall. In some instances you will be held accountable for product failures, even when you had no involvement in their specification or purchase, which will taint your reputation and word spreads fast in the day of online social media.

Our perception and image as true professionals does not work in this distribution model.  The moment you go down this path, you are basically saying that you are subservient to all parties.  You will be treated as nothing more than a manual laborer.  This entire opportunity was derived by those desperate for either saving money or for those desperate to make a quick sale.  The problem is that it never is enough, and these two will find themselves in ruins before too long.  Don’t be fooled into this act.

Those of us who perform at a professional level need to be respected for what we can offer.  Part of this respect is in our ability to earn a good living.  It’s just that simple; there is no way around this.  It is better to walk away from these activities than to submit to them.  We have to set the expectations for the consumer, for the trade, and for the industry to follow.

Every contractor and small business owner has the right to charge for what is fair in order to pay for their materials, labor, overhead, and to make a decent profit when all is said and done.  The customer, manufacturer, and distributor must truly understand this reality.  Again, without the contractor, the cycle and practice cannot effectively operate.  Don’t sell yourself short; take some pride in your abilities.  If you are not standing your ground to cover your costs, then you should not be in business!

This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 28 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

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