Starting a business in any industry can be tough.
But in the professional lighting industry, a dependable outdoor lighting supplier – one that provides top-notch products, reliable service, and ongoing support – can be your ticket to standing out from the competition.
It’s not just the brand name on the products you install. Supplier selection impacts virtually every aspect of your business, from your supply chain to your profit margin.
A dependable landscape lighting supplier can:
- Enjoy a higher profit margin on each and every job you do.
- Take half the time to pick out fixtures for a lighting design and see much more satisfying results.
- Ensure that you always have the professional landscape lighting supplies you need, when you need them.
Improve your knowledge and skills of landscape lighting so you can get more clients, charge more for your work, and take your business to new heights.
Now, finding a supplier isn’t difficult. In fact, the big LED outdoor lighting suppliers are so eager to get you to buy from them that they offer loads of loyalty programs and rewards.
But when you consider these factors, you'll soon realize what a difference a landscape lighting supplier can make to your business over the long run – and why it pays to choose wisely.
1. Strengthen Your Supply Chain
As a professional landscape lighting installer, you need to make sure that your materials and equipment are delivered on time.
The cost of delayed or incorrect deliveries can be high. Every time a job needs to be pushed back a few days because you’re short on products, it takes up time you could've used for more work.
Moreover, your customer doesn’t blame your supplier when the job gets delayed because the fixtures aren’t ready on time. They blame you.
When lighting services are in high demand, but supply is hard to find – like, say, during a pandemic – a strong relationship with your supplier is a huge competitive advantage!
Having a reliable and on-time supplier is crucial to your reputation as an installer. Knowing your supplier well and establishing a strong working relationship will help seal the deal.
2. Simplify Fixture Selection
Choosing fixtures is one of the most important steps in planning a landscape lighting design.
In some cases, customers already have an idea of what they want, but it takes time and expertise to source the right fixtures to make the customer's vision a reality. Selecting the best fixtures for the job will ensure your project runs smoothly.
A good supplier can help you with this. They know what works best for their products, as well as what's popular in the world of landscape lighting design today. This saves you a lot of time on keeping up with the latest trends.
You save time, and your clients are happier!
3. Boost Your Profit Margin
A crucial question to ask when choosing an LED outdoor lighting supplier is whether the supplier can offer a competitive price.
However, it’s important to note that a competitive price is not the same as the least expensive.
You are looking for fixtures, tools, and other supplies at the lowest cost while maintaining a high standard of quality, not just the lowest cost around.
It's important to consider all the factors that affect the installation cost. The initial price of the fixture or lighting system is just one of those factors.
When you're constantly doing repairs and warranty work on site because you installed shoddy fixtures, you drastically reduce your profit margin per customer.
Another important factor to take into account when calculating profit margins is installation time. A faster and more efficient installation will result in a higher profit margin for you, as well as a more satisfied customer!
Lastly, keeping a strong relationship with your supplier could lead to discounts on fixtures and tools. Having a loyalty program is a good start, but you can often reap even greater savings by doing business with the same supplier over a longer period of time.
4. Learn and Grow Your Skills
What happens if your installation meets a snag, and you need help?
A good supplier will provide the necessary ongoing support needed to ensure customer satisfaction and peace of mind for you and your employees on the job.
The cost of delaying the job while you wait for support can be high for a beginner business. Being able to rely on a supplier who's always there for you means so much when it comes to solving problems and maintaining positive customer relationships.
Here at in-sider, we also offer free educational resources and programs to train our installer partners on our products to ensure they are confident with installation and business management. Sharing the supplier’s best practices and adopting them into your own work will also enable you to grow your knowledge base and expand your service offerings to customers!
In every single way, your choice of supplier impacts your business and customer satisfaction success! Take a long-term approach to supplier relationships. Be committed to mutual growth and prosperity.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help!
