Landscape Lighting is primarily a service business

Landscape Lighting is primarily a service business

By Mike Gambino 

Sometimes landscape lighting companies put all of their efforts into building the end product. However, to be successful in the landscape lighting industry, the focus should be on offering top-quality service to our customers.

When you are engaged in the landscape lighting business, you have entered a service industry that depends on referrals and repeat business. The amount of business, and the loyalty that you’ll generate, will greatly depend on the way you treat your customers. Building loyalty and generating repeat and referral business is the primary purpose of customer service. It pays to treat clients as though they are long-term assets to our company—because they are!

Spanish style homeWhy good service is important

Today’s clients are demanding better service from the companies they patronize. Unfortunately, very few company owners realize just how important it is to provide good customer service. Tom Peters, coauthor of In Search of Excellence, puts it this way: “In general, service in America stinks.”

Because this is such a neglected part of any industry, delivering high-quality service is an opportunity with huge payoffs for those who are willing to invest the necessary time, money, and effort. Here are some of the benefits that a landscape lighting company will gain with a top-quality customer service program:

  • Increased customer loyalty
  • Increased referral leads
  • A competitive edge
  • Higher profits

Increasing customer loyalty and referrals

Believe it or not, most homeowners expect the worst in terms of service from landscape lighting companies. And, unfortunately, that’s what most companies deliver. Creating a dissatisfied customer through poor treatment can hurt a company for years. On average, a typical dissatisfied customer will tell 8-10 people about the problem.

It generally takes 12 positive service incidents to make up for one negative incident. Few landscape lighting companies have the opportunity to overcome that type of bad publicity.

On the other hand, superior service will produce happy customers, because they have received better treatment than they expected. Quality service is often called the “extra-mile” ingredient. This simply means that in all aspects of business, we’ll go an extra step beyond what clients expect. These clients will then become our company’s best salespeople—singing our praises to all who will listen.

The average landscape lighting business spends six times more to attract new clients than it does to keep old ones. Yet, over time, client loyalty is in most cases worth ten times the profits from a landscape lighting project.

Pool Mirro image-20Beating the competition

If two landscape lighting companies were identical, except for the level of service they offered, most people would choose to work with the company that is more client focused. In fact, a study conducted showed that 40% of consumers would switch to a competitor just for better service.

back yard patio viewImproving the bottom line

A company’s service efforts will be rewarded by loyal clients and new prospects who are willing to pay a little more to work with someone who understands their concerns. By following up and providing good customer service, our company stands out from the majority of our competitors.

In all industries, there is a tremendous market for those companies that offer outstanding service. Studies show that consumers will pay an average of 10% more for a high-quality product or service.

In addition, clients who are unhappy with service will begin looking for problems on the job. Even if none are found, these people rarely pay their final bill on time. This costs the company heavily—in dollars and goodwill.

By providing good service, you end up with an improved profit margin along with happy clients, who will be the source of our best leads.

To be the best landscape lighting company possible, all systems—both internally and externally—must be developed around what will make our company work most effectively for our clients.

If a service strategy is woven into the fiber of our company, it can be the key to improved competitiveness and growth. It gives us a long-term edge when it comes to distinguishing our company from our competitors.

facebook logoThis landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional 20160627_004632146_iOSlandscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 26 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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

 

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