Common Questions and Answers

Is outdoor decorative lighting hard to sell?

Absolutely not! Outdoor Christmas lighting is one of the most fun and easy services to sell that you can imagine. Almost everyone dreams of having a happy, brightly lit home during the holidays. Unfortunately, few homeowners have the time or energy nowadays to decorate their homes the way they'd like. Outdoor Decor, Inc. offers you a way to make homeowners and their children happy and excited every time they look at their brightly lit home.
                                                                                                                                                                              

Will this business take away from my current business?

If you currently own or operate an outdoor, home-related business, your business probably experiences a seasonal slow down during the fall and early winter. Outdoor Decor, Inc. offers you an opportunity to utilize your existing infrastructure and key employees to generate welcome revenue during the down time. Over time, it's quite possible that you may grow your lighting business to levels that will require more staff than your spring and summer business.

Do you offer financing?

No,                                                                                                    

Who are the customers?                                                                         

If you are currently in business serving home owners, these very same customers are your prime prospects since they already have expressed the desire to improve and maintain the appearance of their homes. New customers acquired through your Outdoor Decor, Inc. business are then prime prospects for your spring and summer business. We'll show you how to attract additional customers in your initial training as well as through our continuing Dealer support.

What kind of retention rate can I expect?

With proper installation and timely take down of their holiday decorations, your customers will be convinced of the value of dealing with an Outdoor Decor, Inc. Dealer. Once relieved of the burden of exterior decorating, most home owners eagerly sign up for service the next season. You can expect retention rates of 70-90%.

Do I rent or sell the lighting to my customers?                                                                                                    

Although some decorating "franchises" recommend selling the lighting to your customers and reinstalling it for them in following years, we've found that it is much simpler and more appealing to the home owner to rent the lighting and decorations. Since all decorations and lighting remain the property of the Outdoor Decor, Inc. Dealership, the homeowner no longer has the hassle of storing bulky lights and decorations. In addition, the homeowner is no longer locked into one design scheme in following years. Since your crews are working with your inventory, your efficiency is greater than if you were reinstalling the homeowner's own lights.

Do I have a protected territory?

No! We don't restrict our Dealers with territories, rather we encourage them to service the customer base that they already have. Other outdoor decorating "franchises" restrict who you can sell to -- this practice keeps you, the dealer, from serving the people you already have as customers.

How long is the season for outdoor holiday decorating?

The fall holiday decorating season lasts approximately three months including take down time.                    

What are the start up costs?                                                        

Use of your existing business' infrastructure will greatly reduce start up costs. Each working crew will require less than $1,000 in tools and ladders. The starting inventory for each crew will be approximately $25,000 to $30,000.

Will we need to use an electrician?

For the majority of your residential jobs, it will be very unusual to need an electrician. As an Outdoor Decor, Inc. dealer, we'll train you on the best methods of power management. Proper utilization of existing power not only saves the need for an electrician on most jobs, it also increases the reliability of the installation. Fewer service calls means more satisfied customers with significant positive impact on the bottom line.

Will we need any unusual equipment or vehicles?

No, on most residential decorating jobs you won't need anything unusual or out of the ordinary. On those rare residential and commercial jobs, the proper equipment may be rented.

What should we do next?

Print the Prospective Dealer Questionnaire and mail or fax it to Outdoor Decor, Inc. Our fax number is 210-545-1230. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 800-317-4777.

 



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Last Updated Updated February 22, 2006 by Outdoor Decor