If you’re a professional holiday light installer, you probably know that commercial and municipal clients charge high-ticket items. You can easily make six figures with a single installation.
But most professional installers will go their entire careers without branching away from residential installations. Why?
They underestimate themselves. Maybe they assume they can’t attract commercial clients or they think they need to have an “in” at City Hall.
In this article, we’ll shut down those myths and show you how you already have the skills and experience to land huge deals with commercial clients.
In this article:
Table of Contents:
- Identify High-Value Targets
- Approach the Client
- Get Emotional
- Create Winning Proposals
- Go Viral and Land More Commercial Clients
Identify High-Value Targets
If you’re new to professional holiday light installation, we recommend you start with residential installations to build a foundation in sales, quoting, hiring, and performing the actual installation. Here’s an extensive resource you can check out here:
👉 10 Lessons Learned from Growing a 2M Christmas Light Installation Service Company
Where can you find your first client?
Chances are you already have strong leads from your personal network. If you’ve ever collected business cards at a networking event, start reaching out to them. Commercial prospects include shopping plazas, malls, hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and car dealerships.
Are you still trying to figure out who will fork over $100,000 for an installation? Look through LinkedIn to find decision-makers. Look up “Marketing Manager”, “Property Manager”, or “Facility Manager” to fast track you to the right person. If you want to target municipalities, sign up for their RFQ/RFP lists. bidscanada.com is a popular site for Canadian holiday light installers.
👉 Hot Tip: Having trouble finding a decision maker’s email addresses? Look up their emails on Rocket Reach, or try one of these common email formats:
- janedoe@[company].com
- jdoe@[company].com
- jane.doe@[company].com
Approach the Client
As an experienced holiday light installer, you’re no stranger to sales. But many installers automatically assume that approaching commercial clients requires brand new sales tricks they need to learn.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Commercial clients are just like homeowners. They crave professionalism, clear communication, and a proven track record. Build strong references and emphasize your ability to deliver aesthetically pleasing results.
High-quality marketing materials will help you sell to commercial clients. Consider building up your portfolio with the following:
- Digital photos of your previous projects
- Print brochures highlighting your services
- A Display Kit to show off what your lights look like in person
👉 Hot Tip: Big Star Lights sells Display Kits that features all the lights you need to promote yourself and stand above your competition.
Commercial clients have varying budgets, but they’ll shell out cash if they like you. And if you make the process as simple as possible.
Why does “simple” sell? You might think that talking in fancy jargon will make you sound smarter, but the opposite is true. If you talk in layman’s terms, you’ll gain the customer’s trust and, eventually, their business.
Get a Little Emotional
You don’t just sell lights.
You sell the look, the convenience, and the incredible feeling that the lights will provide your client’s customers. Remember, Christmas is an emotional time of year. It sparks more joy than any other holiday. Talk about the impact that your lights will create.
Business owners deal with monotonous transactions every day, like utility bills, credit card payments, and rent. Your customer service should spark excitement and joy.
Imagine this:
- “Kids will stare out the window when driving down Main Street. Every tree will be lit with dazzling red-white-and-green Mini Lights.”
- “[Grinchville] only invests in lighting a small block. Meanwhile, you’ll be known across the metropolitan area as the city that knows how to celebrate the holidays.”
- “Many people look forward to shopping during the holidays more than any other time of year. That’s because your stunning holiday display will get everyone into the holiday spirit!”
Get the picture?
Create Winning Proposals
Clearly outline what's included (installation, removal, storage). Identify who owns the lights and decor. Canadian installers tend to sell their lights, whereas American installers tend to lease. Leasing your lights means you also need to consider where to store them after you take them down.
When you close the deal, you’ll need to present your client an itemized quote into simple, itemized budget lines. Avoid detailed breakdown items because that’ll invite your clients to negotiate price.
Here’s a simple quote:
|
Quantity |
Unit Price |
Total |
|
|
Mini-Lights |
1500 |
$39.60 |
$59,400 |
|
Labour |
1 |
$34,400 |
$34,400 |
|
Equipment |
1 |
$8,500 |
$8,500 |
|
TOTAL |
$102,300 |
Go Viral and Land More Commercial Clients
Word of mouth is the single greatest way to attract more commercial clients. Just like everyone else, business owners are attracted to high-ticket installs that look fantastic.
That’s why installing one unique holiday light display will land you more clients than any other type of light. Imagine this: You’re shopping at the mall and notice dozens more patrons than usual. That’s because the mall installed an Illuminated Sculpture in the shopping plaza. Countless new visitors are taking selfies with a giant lit moose (or bear or Christmas ornament).
If you were a property manager in the same city, would you want a fun attraction drawing in business? Or would you be okay with missing out?
This is what we see every holiday season. Selling one illuminated sculpture will snowball into more high-ticket inbound requests from local businesses.
Big Star Lights sells illuminated sculptures, made with durable aluminum structures. We offer pre-made designs as well as custom sculptures with tailored colour options to fit your vision.
👉 Hot Tip: Experience Illuminated Sculptures with Augmented Reality. Check it out: AR Feature
Interested in learning more about how illuminated sculptures can glow-up your future designs? Schedule a time to talk with our dedicated Custom Sculpture Expert 👇