Light has an interesting effect on the way we use our yards. Gardens and lawns feel inviting during the day, but the setting sun brings wildness and uncertainty—eventually, we retreat indoors as the refuge slips into darkness. While this paradox is easily remedied with outdoor lighting, many homeowners don’t know where to start. This is where retailers and smart home integrators can step in as trusted landscape lighting experts.
According to Grand View Research, 66% of outdoor lighting customers make their purchases in person to see products in action before buying. This is a concrete opportunity for local installers to cater to their community’s unique needs and preferences of their communities. Here are a few things to consider if you want to sell outdoor landscape lighting.
Help customers find their vision
A successful residential landscape lighting strategy balances safety, security and aesthetics. Walking potential customers through each goal will help get them on the same page so you can create realistic expectations. For example, some homeowners focus on the bare essentials for safe walkways, while others want a complex network of lights in an elaborate garden.
When extolling the virtues of smart outdoor lighting, it’s easy to fall into the trap of treating safety like an obligation—customers will pick up on this and lose interest. Instead, you should describe safety as an opportunity to make their property more useful after sunset. Explain how strategically placed path lights and floodlights can improve visibility for outdoor activities and gatherings without blasting the neighbors with harsh light. Simply put, safety isn’t about setting up guardrails—it’s about keeping you from tripping over them.
Unlike safety, the purpose of security is to put up barriers to potential threats. In the case of landscape lighting, that means creating a moat of light around a home that must be crossed by unwelcome guests. Homeowners shouldn’t assume that this is a license to light the yard like a football field. Instead, it’s about lighting entrances in a way that all visitors are clearly visible through windows and security cameras. Sections of a yard that aren’t near walkways are good candidates for automatic motion detection lighting, which is a great deterrent.
Safety and security are relatively easy to master because they address the technical aspects of outdoor lighting. Once you learn the math, you can apply it to every project. But aesthetics are different because you’re shifting from multiple choice to an essay.
The creative side of a landscape lighting project isn’t possible without a complete picture of the client’s property and preferences. You can prepare for this conversation by borrowing a few landscape architecture books on outdoor lighting design from your local library. Consider purchasing copies of the ones you find most helpful. It’s much easier to deliver a customer’s vision if you have one of your own.
Begin every creative consultation by showing customers photos of previous projects and showroom examples. This will help them translate their vision into a tangible guide for your design process. With the foundation in place, it’s time to visit the project site so you can lock in the details and account for any unknown variables. Consider setting up an evening appointment so you can demo a few products.
Showcase diverse lighting solutions
Having a diverse inventory doesn’t necessarily mean selling products from many brands, only that you should be ready to meet the customer’s design needs. An arsenal of bullet lights, downlights, floodlights, garden lights, string lights, strip lights, wash lights and well lights should account for nearly every lighting scenario.
If a customer has reservations about burying low-voltage wiring in their yard, you can provide solar-powered alternatives. The same applies to pricey multicolored LEDs, which can quickly inflate the price of a project—white lights are a great budget alternative.
Making visions into reality
Once the customer knows what they want, it’s time to map out the installation logistics. Take the information you’ve gathered and provide an itemized quote explaining the costs, timeline and work required to make the project a reality. Still, it’s worthwhile to maintain a flexible vision until the client makes a deposit and signs an agreement. Prepare backup plans in case the homeowner expresses concerns about costs, like using alternative products or splitting the project into separate phases.
After a project wraps up, continue to develop your relationship with clients by offering warranty support and other services. These connections build brand loyalty, drive referrals and bring in repeat business.
Becoming an expert can be as simple as learning to install low-voltage outdoor lighting. However, you’ll see the most success when you combine technical, creative and customer service skills to deliver an outstanding experience.
See also: AiSPIRE’s Colorscaping Smart Lighting System Wins HTSA ‘Innovative Product Of The Year’
