10-01-04 | News

Maximize Your Customer Referrals

Keep Your Customer’s Lighting Systems Working Optimally
and Increase Satisfaction, Loyalty and Referrals

By Jodie Carter, regional editor

 

Make sure to use transformers that are UL 1838 rated for outdoor use. Check the replacement policy before you buy?EUR??,,????'??+transformer warranties range from one year to lifetime.

Today lighting installers can purchase virtually maintenance free components made from materials like stainless steel, brass and copper. However, the day will never come when a landscape lighting system will require no maintenance at all.

As long as there are gardeners, cables may get cut, fixtures will get knocked out of adjustment, plant material will grow over fixtures, glass lenses will need cleaning, and lamps will burn out and need replacement. Not to mention re-adjustment of control systems (timers) as the seasons change. In the infrequent cases (we hope) when a component fails or needs repair or replacement, contractors must be ready to service the system to keep it performing at it’s very best.

Standard wire nuts won’t last long underground or exposed to weather where they will corrode from water exposure. Use properly installed waterproof silicone or Teflon filled wire nuts and your connections will last for years.

I truly believe that the best way to sustain a successful landscape lighting business is by focusing on the long-term satisfaction of your client. In order to do this you must develop a way of keeping in contact with them. What better way than a newsletter to remind them that they need to set up a regular schedule for you to come out and service their system. Out of sight is out of mind. Clients who haven’t heard from you for along time can develop the feeling that you’ve stopped caring about them, and when they’re ready for more work, they may contact a competitor. It’s in your best interest to maintain all of the lighting systems you’ve installed so you can send prospects by to see how well one of your systems is still performing in two, four or six years or longer after installation. These well-maintained existing systems are a great marketing tool to sell more systems. Your ultimate goal should be to get the majority of your lighting work from satisfied client referrals.

Floodlights made of ferrous metals can rust, corrode or get knocked over by lawnmowers.

Today I received a call from a distant neighbor of a client whose lighting I designed and installed. While walking his gated community after dark this prospect told me he thought my system looked the best out of all of those he’d seen. This man was motivated enough to knock on my client’s door (during the day) to request my contact information. Not bad for a system that is almost six years old. I doubt this highly motivated prospect would have come to me had this system been left without proper care. At least 50 percent of my new projects happen as a direct or indirect result of providing maintenance service–and that’s a conservative estimate. Closing a landscape lighting sale is not closure. It should be the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship for both client and contractor.

Michael Gambino is president of Gambino Landscape Lighting Inc. an award-winning low voltage landscape lighting company based in Simi Valley, Calif. Mike is responsible for the design and installation of 35 to 40 new projects per year for upscale clients. He also provides ongoing maintenance for hundreds of systems he’s installed since 1990. Find out at www.gambinolighting.com.

Top Ten Maintenance Issues

1. Use of light duty non-professional equipment
2. Use of non-weather-proof wire splices (wire nuts)
3. Improper placement of fixture in lawns
4. Water damage to socket/lamp
5. Foliage baffling light output
6. Equipment made of ferrous metals that rust and corrode
7. Fixtures knocked out of aim
8. Cut power cables
9. Tree-mounted fixtures out of adjustment
10. Well lights full of leaves, mulch or water