Electrical Business

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Redesigned NAILD LS II program focuses on solutions, not sales

May 24, 2017 | By Anthony Capkun


May 24, 2017 – Lighting professionals can now focus their expertise on specific market segments—including retail, industrial, office and educational—through NAILD’s redesigned Lighting Specialist (LS II) program.

“You don’t want someone to just sell you updated lamps,” said Robin Watt, president of the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors.

“The LS II program is about how to talk with customers, uncover what they need, what they value and then look at what motivates them to take action,” said program creator Paul Hafner.

The online LS II program includes five modules, followed by a choice of market specialty. A participant may choose to complete all four market segments and receive an LS II certificate or complete a single market specialty to earn either an LS R, LS IL, LS O or LS E certification.

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The course includes workbook exercises, practical activities, field trips, quizzes and a final exam, and participants are encouraged to work closely with a coach. The market-specific portion includes creating a proposal for a client, with topics such as evaluation, schematic design and development, financial analysis and contract and bidding.

“People in our industry are mostly in the product business,” Hafner said. “They’re focused on reducing the electrical spend. That’s not what we’re trying to teach people with LS II. We’re trying to help people understand what lighting does and how it can help businesses reach institutional goals and boost profits.”

NAILD says Hafner developed the program several years ago and has been field-testing it to make necessary adjustments. It currently includes updates from the 10th Edition of the IES Lighting Reference Handbook and ASHRAE 90.1-2010.


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