Landscape Lighting Boosts Trust, Sales

By Ramona Marek

When the 2011 American Society of Landscape Architects Residential Trends Survey asked 245 residential landscape architecture professionals about the most preferred outdoor living and landscape features, 96.2 percent of the respondents said outdoor lighting was “somewhat or very popular” to their clients.

Homeowners want aesthetic appeal and energy efficiency in their outdoor lighting. (Courtesy of Aquascape Inc.)

“Given the popularity of landscape lighting, it would be a good market advantage to landscape contractors to provide this service, whether they did it themselves or subcontracted the work,” said Nancy Somerville, executive president and CEO of ASLA in Washington, D.C.

Successful landscape and pond professionals know that building revenue and increasing sales is more difficult in a down economy. For Jason Hobson, owner of Lightening Turtle Landscapes, a landscape and design company in Interlochen, Mich., the basic building block of every project is trust.

“When you show customers that you are looking out for the best use of their money by using aesthetic, energy-efficient lighting products, saving them money on their electricity bills and being environmentally responsible, they value your opinions more,” Hobson said.

A project might start with outdoor lighting, but as customers enjoy more time outside they usually want to add more projects or products, and they will call the person they trust. They might want to add a new patio, redo the existing landscape or put in an outdoor kitchen, he said.

“It’s good for your business and the local economy,” Hobson said. Contractors gain business as well as local retailers when homeowners add outdoor furniture and accessories to fix up their back yards, he said.

Experts, including Scott Stevenson, in outdoor sales at Van Isle Water in Victoria, B.C., Canada, and Scott Zide, president and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands in Richmond, Va., each said the size of the home does not negate an interest in landscape lighting or water features. People of all income levels embrace the outdoor living trend.

Outdoor lighting addresses safety and appearance. (Courtesy of Outdoor Lighting Brands)

“One of the great things about landscape lighting is that it hits a much broader consumer audience than water features because landscape lighting can be implanted in any size lot for safety/security or purely aesthetics, and it requires limited maintenance,” Stevenson said.

According to Hobson, less-affluent homeowners usually enjoy their landscape investments for a longer period of time than affluent homeowners. In this economy more people remain in their homes longer and add improvements, such fire pits as simple as putting a steel ring in the ground with rocks around it, he said.

“[Owners of small homes] can add on in manageable pieces,” Hobson said. “Instead of spending $30,000 to $40,000 on a landscape, they can spend $1,000 to $2,000 on smaller projects.”

Retrofitting or rebuilding fixtures on previous projects represents another way contractors add revenue to their sales, according to experts, including Dave Kelly, vice president of product development at Aquascape Inc. in St. Charles, Ill.

Residential customers frequently ask for updates of older systems to incorporate newer technologies, such as LEDs, for increased energy savings, Zide said, but they also like replacing outdated styles. He said installers should not overlook businesses.

“Most buildings constructed before 1977 are perfect candidates for retrofits with LEDs and Induction Lighting solutions, switching out outdated lamps, ballasts and fixtures,” Zide said. “The energy savings can be very significant, with payback in about 18 to 36 months, depending on the scope of the retrofit solutions.”

On Canada’s West Coast, Stevenson reported seeing contractors replacing existing systems due to failure rather than upgrading to newer technologies. Owners there must deal with salty moist air that compromises aluminum or plastic fixtures.

When installers establish trust with their customers, those clients return in the future for additions. (Courtesy of Outdoor Lighting Brands)

“Most replacements or retrofits have more to do with installing better quality fixtures and transformers that use more robust materials, such as bronze or stainless steel,” Stevenson said.

Rick Bartel, program administrator and primary instructor for Savio Water Feature Institute in Chattanooga, Tenn., said many installers ignore retrofitting and replacement of older systems.

“Projects that have older lighting systems are being left untouched rather than being upgraded to newer energy-efficient versions,” he said. “I see far too many sites that could benefit greatly from a retrofit of newer technology in the lighting world.”

Hobson said approaching prior customers keeps business moving. When installers establish trust with their customers, they return in the future, he said. By installing energy-efficient lighting and showing clients how much money they save on monthly electricity bills, professionals establish a level of comfort and trust with that customer. Client remember that feeling and call you for their next project, he said.

“Trust is extremely crucial in today’s economy,” Hobson said. “You cannot afford any level of distrust to ‘rear its ugly head’ or you lose that customer and potential sales.”

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Landscape Lighting Boosts Trust, Sales

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