Professional certifications aren’t about bragging rights. They’re about gaining superior technical knowledge, applied skills, and “street cred” with your customers.
I’ve put in the time and effort to get some of the most difficult certifications in the lighting and energy industry because the process simply makes me better at my job. Certifications make me more valuable to the company I work for, help me serve my customers better, and differentiate my skills and experience from the competition.
Have you (or a member of your team) ever shown up to perform a lighting audit of a building, and as you were signing in at the guardhouse or reception desk, noticed some of your competitors had been there to do the exact same thing just a day or two before?
It’s not unusual for an organization to welcome multiple auditors into their facilities as they search for a lighting retrofitter. As a retrofitter, you’re constantly up against stiff competition. The challenge is to differentiate yourself.
Retrofit certifications can help.
There is no shortage of work for lighting retrofitters. Labor, however, is another matter.
The demand for retrofits – whether individual lighting projects or as part of broader energy conservation initiatives – is growing by 9 percent annually as LED technology becomes more efficient and cost-effective. And yet, 91% of contractors, construction managers, builders, and trade contractors struggle to find skilled workers – and half expect the problem to get worse.
A lighting retrofit isn’t just about trading outdated bulbs for efficient LEDs. Nor is it just about saving energy.
A lighting retrofit is a perfect opportunity to optimize environments.
The global market for lighting retrofits is growing at a staggering annual rate of over 9%. Analysts predict it will reach a value close to $5 billion by 2026.
It’s easy to understand why. LED technology is only getting more efficient and longer lasting. Companies, hospitals, schools, and other large organizations see lighting as a key to a complete energy transformation that will save electricity and money sooner, rather than later.
The value of strong client relationships is immeasurable for any business, but particularly in the retrofit industry. Most of our clients have limited budgets to spend each year on retrofit projects, and so our business thrives when we’re asked back year after year.
How do we get invited back? By making our client champions look good.
Every successful retrofit project begins with a great audit. But great audits don’t just happen by accident! A lot of work goes into the audit process.
After spending the last two years at StreamLinx in multiple roles – including quality assurance, customer success, and onboarding and training – I’ve had the benefit of working with some amazing auditors. I’d love to share with you some of the audit best practices I’ve learned along the way.
Given the quantity of inefficient lighting still in use in this country, it’s easy to envision a multi-billion-dollar lighting retrofit industry thriving for many years to come. That said, the retrofitters who will be most successful at tapping into this enormous opportunity will be those who adopt a smarter approach to selling – one that replaces conventional phrases like “save energy, save money” with messaging that really captures executive attention and supports proactive decision-making.
The lighting retrofit industry isn’t just about illumination, or even saving energy. Ultimately, retrofitting is about optimization, helping your clients make the most of their spaces, reducing waste and maximizing resources. That’s why the emerging field of the internet of things (IoT) is such a natural fit for the retrofit industry.
As a lighting retrofitter, how do you define a win?
Successful lighting retrofit businesses are not built simply by conducting a great audit or delivering a compelling proposal. A job isn’t really a win until the work is completed, the revenue is booked, and the client is satisfied – ecstatic, even.
