SnapCount Insights

You’ve carefully assessed your potential client’s needs and have spent hours putting together a comprehensive proposal that, if agreed-upon, will be the first step on the path of transforming that client’s lighting efficiency.

It should be an easy win. But right now, even the most well-thought-out and desperately needed projects are met with, “Well…not right now, but maybe we can look at this next year.”

Cash flow is on everybody’s mind. And if your clients are worried about their cash flow, your proposals may get shelved or even turned down completely.

Energy efficiency is typically embraced by organizations with foresight—people who think long-term and understand the wisdom of investing in sustainability.

Lately, long-term thinking is difficult, as we deal with the immediacy of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many organizations are still very interested in having conversations about implementing energy efficiency measures, there are also a lot of questions. 

Think about a successful project.

The clients are on board, everything is delivered when it is supposed to be, communication is smooth, and progress is tracked. There are no surprises, and the job is completed on time and within budget.

That’s the dream.

But that doesn’t always happen. Projects can go awry, with materials, labor, costs and the client relationship flying out of control. Fortunately, one of the best ways to prevent a project from going off the rails is by practicing great project management.

We all have blind spots when it comes to running our businesses. Those spots might be big or small. It might sting a little to hear about them.

And it’s easy enough to dismiss them.

“This is just how we do business,” you might tell yourself. “And we’re doing all right.”

But are you really? And honestly, did you get into the energy-efficient lighting retrofit business to just “do all right”?

Did you know that some building owners may be eligible for retroactive tax advantages because of a recent change in federal energy policy?

In December 2019, the federal government reinstated The Energy Policy Act of 2005. The law, commonly known as EPAct, reauthorizes the Department of Energy grants program designed to improve energy efficiency in public buildings and facilities.

Concise communication is vital to virtually any winning sales process. For this reason, you need to make a thoughtfully drafted one-page proposal a no-exceptions best practice. That one-pager needs to focus on the “why” more than the “what,” “how,” “how much,” or “when.” It’s the document that gets your prospect motivated to move forward.

The old Boy Scout saying is “Be Prepared”? What does it mean to “be prepared” and what exactly are you preparing for?

It really depends on where you are going, who you are, and what you are doing. But to the lighting auditor, it often means making sure you have the right tools with you to gather the most accurate facility and fixture information in the shortest amount of time.

Utility rebates can make a big difference in the ultimate ROI your customers get from any retrofit project. But utility rebate programs can get complicated quickly, and your ability to help your customers capture these savings depends on your ability to navigate the rebate landscape with skill and expertise.

Given that there are nearly 3,000 different programs offered across the country by various state/local governments and utility boards, building expertise with rebates is no small feat!

Most people have heard about the “internet of things” (IoT). It’s a term that refers to interconnected everyday objects – essentially, machines talking to each other. Fewer people have heard of the “internet of everything” (IoE), but I believe it’s a concept that’s far more relevant.

IoE casts a wider net by adding in people, processes, and data. It’s about exploring ways we can use the data and connectivity of IoT to improve our work, our lives, and our world.