The question we’ve asked been asked is ‘why should I work with a lighting distributor when I can work with the manufacturer or contractor directly?

It’s easy to understand why going direct would seem like the best option, why get information or products from a third party when you can get it from the source? This is a common question asked by Lighting Consultants, Architects, Interior Designers, Contractors and of course end-users, etc.

While there are many benefits to contacting and working with the Manufacturers directly (which perhaps i’ll cover at a later date?), there are several benefits to working with a lighting distributor:

10 Reasons For Working With a Lighting Distributor

  1. Many lighting manufacturers may not have the resources to have a local support or marketing presence in every major region. Therefore, working with a well-connected distributor can open doors that you may not have been aware existed.
  2. Because of their consistent & constant contact with a large variety of projects and products in the region, Lighting Distributors will be closer to the various Lighting Manufacturers and new technologies than anyone else in the market. In turn, Distributors will have a broader expertise and technical awareness of the innumerable lighting solutions that are available or will be available by the time it is needed for your project.
  3. When the project is ready to move forward, Lighting Distributors can setup a credit or purchase program with the Manufacturers, to ensure budget constraints and timing issues are anticipated and eased in advance.
  4. The Lighting distributor would manage product procurement and supervise implementation from start to finish, troubleshooting any issues, ensuring a smoother project progression.
  5. Having a single project lighting distributor running the procurement means they can enforce/ensure certain project or market specific requirements or expected standards to manufacturers & contractors, keeping a consistent, measurable, project quality standard.
  6. Because of their market experience, local distributors may be able to source products quicker and at reduced shipping cost. Also, if the project is single sourced, the distributor can arrange for the all products to be delivered to site when and as required, saving unnecessary confusions and storage fees.
  7. If you do decide to work direct with a contractor and a manufacturer instead, chances are the contractor may be working with a lighting distributor anyway, either for financing, immediate support, or because many lighting manufacturers, even those who do not have exclusive distribution arrangements, are not completely open to the market.
  8. If you want to know what’s new, what works best in the region, which brands are higher quality and which are cheap but acceptable, the best bet is to work with a lighting distributor.
  9. It is advantageous to work with a lighting distributor so as to not get locked into a manufacturer that might not actually have the best option for your project requirement but may try to convince you that their product would work as required in order to secure the order for themselves.
  10. Free Stuff: While many manufacturers/ clients/ contractors may be willing to foot the bill for samples, mock-ups, factory tours, etc. many smaller companies may not have the financial backing to accept this expense. Lighting Distributors are your local support bases for these sort of expenses, and could be a strong ally in getting you the information and assistance you need for the project.

If you want to know what Khabari can do as lighting distributors, contact us

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