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.
Lighting in a constellation pattern; Foreland Event Space, Catskill, NY Photo credit: Justin Seconi
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designing lighting
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