7 minute read
Collaborating for Design Success
Partnering with Designers Through Empathy and Understanding
By Whitley Montaque, Moxie Lighting
Empathy is an energy-consuming process that demands genuine effort and is pivotal for fostering strong relationships. Lighting agencies that prioritize empathizing with designers can significantly enhance the creative process and deliver superior outcomes.
Flexibility and responsiveness are key components of empathy. Agents should be adaptable to changes made within the project scope and be ready to provide quick solutions to issues that arise. By being dependable and understanding the pressures designers face to meet deadlines, agencies can alleviate stress and contribute to a smoother project flow.
Agents should position themselves as a partner rather than a salesperson. Foster a relationship by being approachable, reliable, and responsive.
Genuinely empathizing with designers includes supporting inexperienced designers without judgment, especially regarding their level of industry knowledge, which can create a positive and productive partnership. Recognize that not all designers have in-depth knowledge of lighting and its intricacies.
Offer to bridge the gap by providing accessible information about the products and technologies relevant to their projects. Most of the time designers don’t know what they don’t know. Providing challenges and scenarios commonly found on job sites during specification calls or continuing education courses demonstrates your commitment to the designer’s success.
And their success is our success. Share resources such as product guides, webinars, or industry articles to help the designer make informed decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
MARKETING WITHOUT BEING PUSHY
In today’s ever-evolving marketplace, staying relevant is crucial for any lighting agency aiming to capture attention without resorting to aggressive sales tactics, lest you want potential specifiers to steer clear of your presence and ignore your calls. The key lies in understanding and adapting to trends while maintaining authenticity and value in your approach.
Rather than focusing on pushing products, shift the strategy towards offering valuable insights and solutions to appropriate audiences. Inform specifiers on emerging lighting technologies and design trends during specifier calls, blog posts/newsletters, and social media updates. This positions you as a trusted advisor, guiding the end user to make informed decisions rather than simply making a sale.
STAYING AHEAD
While a sale is the bottom line for a lighting agency, an informative sales approach will likely guarantee a return or recommendation to other specifiers. Engage with your design audience by participating in industry events, offering continued education courses, and orchestrating events to draw an audience.
Actively participating in discussions and offering helpful advice establishes credibility and builds relationships that can lead to future opportunities.
LIGHTING SOLUTIONS WITH INSIGHTS
Understanding the unique needs and preferences of lighting designers, architects, and engineers can significantly increase the ability to recommend the correct products. Drawing from personal experience and knowledge of the industry creates an experienced sales representative who can anticipate what designers are looking for, almost as if they’re reading their minds. Having experience as a designer before transferring to sales gives a unique insight into the structure of the design office and grants a growing sales rep the ability to identify with a designer.
Designers often seek innovative solutions that blend functionality with aesthetic appeal and cost-effectiveness. They look for products that can adapt to various design concepts while meeting technical specifications such as energy efficiency, durability, and ease of installation. By tapping into firsthand experience, one can predict these requirements and proactively suggest products that align with the designer’s vision.
As a designer, it is important to create as detailed a message as possible to convey design intent; as a salesperson, it is important to discern a message that is lacking the context needed to minimize clutter in either party’s inbox. With product and project knowledge you can create reasonable estimates based on typical design intent for projects of the same category.
LEVERAGING LIGHTING AGENCIES FOR EFFICIENCY
Streamlining the specification process is vital. For designers, the task of writing a three-name specification can be a daunting and time-consuming part of the project development process. To alleviate this burden and streamline their workflow, designers can benefit significantly from partnering with reliable lighting agencies. This process often requires extensive research to ensure the selected fixtures and their equal counterparts meet the project’s technical and aesthetic requirements. Designers can delegate this responsibility to trusted representatives who are well-versed in their line card’s product knowledge and industry standards.
A skilled representative possesses an understanding of the latest products, technologies, and compliance requirements. With this understanding, they are able to provide numerous matches to the original fixture specifications that align with the designer’s vision and project goals. Entrusting an agency allows designers to focus on their core strengths – conceptualizing and developing innovative design solutions.
COLLABORATING FOR SUCCESS
While most of the rep’s time is concerned with designers, it is fundamental that agents build a strong relationship with the manufacturers represented in their line card. In the highly competitive lighting industry, collaboration between lighting agencies and manufacturers is essential for staying ahead. By working together to develop user-friendly websites with intuitive product navigation, comprehensive cut sheets, innovative products, and fair pricing, they can enhance their market position and meet the evolving needs of designers and consumers.
A website that provides little to no product descriptions, difficult-to-find cut sheets, or low-quality images will have difficulty standing out against those that perfectly curate their websites through well-organized categories and well-designed search functionalities. Cut sheets that include all necessary performance metrics and certifications as well as the use of diagrams, charts, product, and installation photos will make it highly possible to land notable jobs.
Involve designers and end-users in the product development process to ensure new products address real-world challenges and preferences. Maintain open communication about pricing structures and consider fair pricing strategies that ensure profitability without overcharging specifiers.
FACTORY TRIPS FOR IMPROVED COMMUNICATION
Factory trips provide a bridge between design concepts and manufacturing realities. Observing how products are made helps designers gain a deeper understanding of manufacturing capabilities and constraints. This exposure often leads to more creative and efficient design solutions.
Moreover, direct communication helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures both parties are aligned in their goals. Meeting in person establishes trust and rapport – crucial elements for successful partnerships. As earlier stated, this relationship provides manufacturers with immediate feedback on prototypes and production samples. Designers who understand the manufacturing process are better equipped to create innovative and manufacturable designs. These visits contribute to higher quality products, more innovative designs, and a stronger competitive position in the market.
EVENTS FOR DIVERSE PREFERENCES
Typically, designers become familiar with reps through industry events, and, often, they feature food and especially alcohol. In today’s diverse workplace, it’s essential to create engagement opportunities that cater to all designers, including those who prefer not to participate in after-work events centered around alcohol. Activities that appeal to the creative interests of designers better suit the industry, can foster a sense of community, and provide a healthy alternative to traditional social gatherings. Alternatively, to further push the health narrative, outdoor exercise allows designers to take a refreshing break from their sedentary work environment. Offering a variety of events not only improves designer engagement but also fosters a supportive and inclusive industry culture where everyone can participate fully.
