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.
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.
