Bright Ideas in Selling High-Efficiency Bulbs

Retailers have made changes in their lightbulb inventory—and in the bulbs they use in their own stores—in order to comply with federal regulations as incandescent lightbulbs are phased out and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), LED lamps and halogen bulbs become bigger sellers. Here are a few tips on how to sell them:

Create a Display

Consider setting up a small working display with the different kinds of bulbs, which will allow customers to see the types of light and brightness each produces. Add a small chart comparing wattage and lumens so they can understand what the differences are and how the two compare. Informed customers are more likely to buy products they’re happy with.

Educate Your Employees

Many customers are a little nervous about doing electrical projects around their homes and automatically think each one, no matter how big or small, means they have to hire an electrician—which, of course, costs more money.

While safety should always come first, and there are some projects that will require an electrician, there are plenty of smaller electrical projects homeowners can do on their own.

First, though, it’s important for your employees to understand how these projects work so they can pass that information along to customers.

Lead By Example

Consider replacing all the lights in your store with more efficient lightbulbs. Another way to cut your store’s electric bill is adding light reflectors to the ceiling, which work like mirrors to add more light to the store without adding extra bulbs.