How to Spot a Wannabe Landscaping Lighting Business

How to Spot a Wannabe Landscaping Lighting Business

By Mike Gambino

The green industry, or otherwise known as, the outdoor living industry, has significantly grown over the last several years. Homeowners are seeing their outdoor living spaces as part of their homes. They’re investing in development of their outdoor living spaces and spending more time there. As a result, and as everyone in this industry knows, most landscape design and build companies and related industries that work outdoors are offering some form of outdoor landscape lighting design and build to their service line up. Regardless of where you are as a standalone landscape lighting  specialist business, your competition is endlessly growing. And rightfully so. After all, if you’re going to start a business, you want to do it in an industry that’s booming.

deck lightingThis is good and bad news for landscape professionals and consumers looking to have landscape lighting installed on their properties. Increased competition means increased standards. This industry is on the uphill in demand for landscape lighting services especially with the onset of LED lighting. The downside for the pro is losing  bids to the wannabes.

Here are the tell tale signs of a faker. If this is you, it’s time to stop pretending and grow into a real landscape lighting business. And if you’re the consumer who is concerned about hiring one of these read on…..

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  1. Magnetic company logos on company vehicles. If the logo is temporary, so is the company! Your dedication shows in your commitment to your business.
  2. Low paying salaries. “You get what you pay for” – isn’t that the truth? Talent is expensive. And so is dedication, loyalty, hard work. If you can’t attract the right employees to your business it will never grow and prosper.
  3. Lack of goals. How do you know your business is going to be in a good spot if you have no idea how to define your “good spot?” A real business, landscaping or not, has a vision, goals, something that they are striving for.
  4. Not standing by the quality of work. You know how the best quality automobiles come with pretty decent warranties? Well, it’s the same with landscape lighting. How do you prove to your prospects and customers that you take pride in the quality of your work? How do you make them feel and know that they are getting the best? You stand behind your work !
  5. Afraid of pricing what your worth. Time is money. Materials have a cost, and yes there are others who charge less. But being the cheapest around is actually pretty bad. And competing with the cheapest is even worse. The real landscape lighting business owners aren’t afraid of asking for what they need to make a reasonable, happy living for themselves and employees.
  6. No website. Not having a website is like not having a business telephone number. If it’s not online, it doesn’t exist. If a homeowner can’t find a business’s website, then they’re not real, in their eyes. It’s kind of like the equivalent to not having the white pages listing (when people actually looked at it).
  7. No Portfolio with high quality photos of your work. Quality landscape lighting companies take great pride in their work and invest in documenting and photographing their jobs to use for promotional purposes and assist in conveying design ideas to new clients. Only the highest quality photos that truly represent your work will do.
  8. Discounting and offering percentage off incentive advertisements. How good can they be if they cannot sell at full price and must discount and offer free estimates, demo’s etc. These are not signs of a profitable and in demand company.

 

facebook logoThis landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all 20160627_004632146_iOSrights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape 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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