CRM for lighting distributors

A lighting distributor sells luminaires, lamps, drivers, controls and emergency lighting to electrical contractors, wholesalers, designers and facilities teams. The big sales are specified. A lighting designer or consultant puts your product on a schedule long before anyone places an order, and the contractor who buys it may never have chosen it. A CRM for this trade has to follow the project from the specification to the last delivery, and remember who specified what.

In PromptLab, a lighting schedule becomes a quote built from your products and a price list, a luminaire sent for approval is a sample on the deal, and each call-off is a sales order on the account. The wider view is on the distributors page.

How does lighting distribution actually sell?

Two sales run side by side.

Specified projects. An architect, designer or consultant writes a lighting schedule, naming products or an equivalent. The distributor gets the schedule from the contractor, prices it, and often has to prove that a product is equal to what was specified. The sale is long, value-heavy and decided by approval.

Stock and contractor sales. An electrical contractor needs fittings for a refit this week, and buys from whoever has them. This is a speed and price sale, close to a trade counter.

The two need different handling, and a common mistake is to chase specified projects as if they were counter sales. The specifier is a different person from the buyer, and both belong in the CRM.

What do buyers ask before they order?

• A schedule priced line by line. The contractor sends a schedule of types, with a quantity for each. Quote it as it arrives, using the type references as they appear in the schedule.
• Equivalents. The product is named but the contractor wants a cheaper match. This is value engineering, and it needs the specifier to approve. Track the requested substitution and its status on the deal.
• Samples. A luminaire goes to the designer or the client for approval, often with a sample of the lamp or finish. It can sit at the specifier's office for a month.
• Technical data. Photometric files, datasheets and installation instructions. Attach the versions you sent to the account's Files tab.
• Controls and drivers. Dimming type and driver compatibility affect whether the fitting works. Check it with your technical team, and record the answer.
• Delivery in phases. A building site takes lighting in stages, in step with the electrician's programme. The sales order has a planned delivery date, and a large job needs several orders.

Who are the people in a specified sale?

Track them as contacts on separate accounts, with a deal field for the role:

• the designer or consultant who specified
• the contractor who buys
• the client or facilities manager who approves samples
• your own wholesaler or branch, if you sell through one

When the contractor's order lands, a rep should be able to see who specified the product and at which practice. Over time, the specifiers who name your range most often are your best accounts, even though they never place an order. How to manage key accounts covers how to treat them.

What pipeline stages fit a lighting distributor?

PromptLab has one deal pipeline per workspace, with stages you choose. Use a field for specified project, contractor supply or stock order, and a saved view for each.

What must the CRM track?

• The project, with its address, contractor, specifier and an expected close date as a custom date field.
• Product fields for type reference, light output, colour temperature and driver or control type.
• Samples with their status and the date they went out.
• Substitutions as a deal field or a note, so approval is not lost in an email thread.
• Price lists for each contractor and wholesaler, kept separate from project pricing.
• Quotes with line discounts and named additional costs such as delivery.
• Documents on the account's Files tab.
• Messages from email, WhatsApp and Telegram. Site contacts send photos of the ceiling and a quick "is it in stock?".

How do you set this up in PromptLab?

1. 1

   Import accounts and products

   Bring in accounts, contacts and products from CSV or Excel, and add the product fields for type and control. Add a deal field for the project type and a role field for the specifier.

2. 2

   Create price lists

   One list per contractor and wholesaler, and a project list where a special price was agreed. Enter prices in the app, and use a new list when prices change.

3. 3

   Quote the schedule

   Pick the products and the list on each quote. Write the lead time for long-lead lines in the Notes field, which prints on the PDF, and share the quote as a PDF or a public link.

4. 4

   Track samples to approval

   Log a sample on the deal when a luminaire goes out. A workflow can create a task for the owner when a sample changes status. How to track product samples has the routine.

5. 5

   Raise the orders

   When the contractor orders, create the sales order on the account with the trade terms and planned delivery date. For phased jobs, make one order per drop. Approving a quote does not create an order for you.

6. 6

   Report on specifiers

   Use Ask AI to list the deals tied to a given specifier, and see which practices turn specifications into orders.

How does PromptLab compare for lighting distributors?

Swipe the table sideways to see every CRM →

HubSpot is a polished all-in-one suite with a Starter plan from $7 a seat a month, billed annually. Quoting sits in the separate Revenue Hub, and sales orders, price lists and sample tracking are not there. Professional and Enterprise add a $1,500 to $3,500 onboarding fee.

Pipedrive is easy to learn, at $14 to $79 a seat a month billed annually, with quotes on Premium at $59 and no sample tracking. Dynamics 365 Sales is natural for a Microsoft company: quotes, price lists and orders are built in from Professional at $65 a user a month, billed annually, and it has no sample tracking. For a side-by-side look at one of them, see Dynamics 365 vs PromptLab.

Frequently asked questions

What should a CRM for a lighting distributor include?

It should track specified projects, the specifier and the contractor, samples sent for approval, price lists, quotes and sales orders. PromptLab has these on every plan from $11.99 per user per month.

How do I track a luminaire sample sent to a designer?

Log it as a sample on the deal with its status and send date, and set a follow-up date. A workflow can create a task when its status changes.

Can the CRM show who specified a product?

Add a role field on the deal for the specifier and link their contact. Ask AI can then list deals by specifier.

How should I handle phased deliveries?

Create a sales order on the account for each delivery, each with its own planned delivery date, and keep the project on one deal.

Is there a free trial?

Basic and Professional come with a 14-day free trial, with no card needed. There is no free plan.