A recent survey of electrical and lighting contractors demonstrates their importance in the specification and recommendation of LED lighting products for building projects.

According to survey respondents, contractors are involved in
recommending LED lighting more than 70% of the time, yet a majority of
respondents said they would be interested in receiving more training on
product installation, benefits and layout. This shows that, despite
their involvement in the industry, many contractors still desire LED
education.

Contractors also indicated that they could sell more effectively were
LED lighting manufacturers to provide samples, sales brochures, ROI
calculations, product application guides for indoor/outdoor usage,
comparative pricing, and information regarding tax incentives and
rebates.

Conducted by Energy Smart Marketers, the survey demonstrates the value
of LED manufacturers reaching out to electrical contractors through
marketing efforts.

“Contractor responses show they are interested in more LED product
training,” said David Gordon, principal, Channel Marketing Group. (a
consulting firm for manufacturers, distributors, distribution
technology providers and industry associations). “The survey indicated
that the top three reasons they recommend LEDs are energy savings,
longevity and maintenance savings. This demonstrates that LED
manufacturers can influence contractors’ lighting and product
recommendations through better education and outreach to this group.”

The survey also showed that contractors prefer to purchase through
electrical distributors where they already have a relationship,
continued Gordon, indicating that LED manufacturers need to consider a
channel strategy in concert with their end-user outreach initiatives.

The survey was conducted with 2100 people from 1900 different electrical and lighting contractor companies.