By Andrew P. McCoy and Fred Sargent
Published On December 15, 2021

Many electrical contractors believe that having a competitive advantage means always having the lowest bid.

However, business experts and academicians believe there’s more to it than pricing. They rate differentiation of products and services as the leading factor in most competitive situations.

In electrical service and maintenance, developing a specialty is a tried-and-true way of differentiating your company and gaining competitive advantage. Developing a niche in lighting controls offers a shining example of this principle.

We connected with Linda Backo, senior manager for training and services at Lutron Electronics, Coopersburg, Pa., who sat down with us for a virtual coffee break to talk about the role of training in establishing expertise in lighting controls.

We tell our readers that electrical contractors can create a competitive advantage by acquiring special skills such as expertise in lighting controls. We’ve come to you to reconfirm that proposition.

You’ve come to the right place! The Lutron Lighting Control Institute (LCI Online) is home to over 300 courses about lighting controls for a wide variety of audiences. Most of these courses are available immediately for self-paced, anytime learning. We believe that easy access to clear, targeted, accessible information is important. It fits squarely with our company’s first principle: “Take care of the customer.”