9 Things a landscape lighting design builder should Know Before Presenting Solutions

9 Things a landscape lighting design builder should Know Before Presenting Solutions

By: Mike Gambino

Too many times a landscape lighting design build sales or service person goes into a presentation of their services without knowing some of the essential things that will make it easier for them to create a WOW customer service experience. Knowing this essential information will not only be more meaningful to the client they are serving but will also be a better use of the service provider’s time as well. In that respect I have put together a list of 9 things a service provider should know before presenting solutions and also the reasons why we should know these things before giving our potential client information about ourselves.

 

  1. Why? –What is the REAL reason people want to consider a purchase? Insincere reasons are reasons that are generated by industry marketing. Things like more efficiency, “time for a new one” or I don’t like the look of my current lights. Who would suffer or be negatively impacted if we kept the status quo and decided to do nothing right now? That is the REAL reason. If nobody will suffer in anyway by not taking action, then the opportunity is gone before we ever got started. It is important to get to the emotional core reason why it is so important to take action.
  1. Why Now? –What changed that inspired to move now? What inspired them to look into doing this now? If the problem existed last year then why is now the time that things must change?  Finding the “why now” can be very useful later on if the buyer loses their enthusiasm for doing the project or repair. They can simply be reminded of the what has changed or what happened in the first place that made them want to fix or replace the system.
  1. Who? –Discovering all the people who will be using the solutions we provide. Also find the people who need to be present in order to make a decision on buying our solution. Everyone must have equal access to the information we give so that our clients can make an informed decision. Refuse to sell our services short by letting one client present our solutions to another client.
  1. Who Else? –The cast of characters not in the immediate picture but who are influential in providing information or advice to the client. Competitors, family members, neighbors & friends are all possibilities. A friend, family member, neighbor or competitor can interfere with the relationship we try to build. Find if the client already has someone they are happy with and disqualify ourselves if there is no chance for us to get the job.
  1. When? –What’s the reason people chose to wait to purchase or alternately feel compelled to move rapidly? Long time-frames can be changed if our ability to connect is better. By building respect, honor and trust in our relationship then we can emerge as the “right” solution. “If I put together some solutions for you today, what would happen then?” Position ourselves to make a presentation after our client has enough information from everyone they need to have it from.
  1. What? –This is the thing that people think they need given the limited info they have about our service. Find what they know about the solution they want then begin to think about the things they have missed. Making sure that the main reason the client called us and the “real” reason is being solved in our presentation first before showing any other things to the client when presenting.
  1. What Else? – These are the things that the buyer didn’t know when making their request. What else is 90% of what a successful sales professional provides to differentiate their solutions. This is the area that will differentiate our service because we have thought of other things that most sales people have either not observed or were too uninformed to realize they would benefit your client.
  1. How?– How does the prospect normally purchase things? Uncover the process that the buyer will use and also how long they intend to take before making such a purchase. Timing is everything in life. Waiting to make a presentation to buyers until the time they are ready to move forward toward a solution will have more of a chance of success because not only will our solution be more relevant but so will the timing. The best presentations we ever made are the ones we held off on making until our client was ready to purchase.
  1. Where?– One thing we can finally do is to make sure we know where all people who are involved in making a decision will be when we make our presentation. If one of the decision makers cannot be present at the time we present our solutions it would be very wise to reschedule a time when everyone would be available to see our solutions. It is great customer service to make sure that we are present to answer any questions as well so our client doesn’t have to “interpret” our solutions.

If we find the answers to the above question then we can make a presentation of our service and solutions that are relevant to the client.

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 27 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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