Hiring the right person for a commercial lighting sales or specification role is only half the challenge. How you bring them into the business in the first 90 days will determine how quickly they contribute – and whether they stay.
Here is what good onboarding looks like in the commercial lighting sector, and where businesses commonly get it wrong.
Why onboarding in lighting takes longer than most industries
Commercial lighting is technically complex. A new hire needs to understand product ranges across categories – from architectural downlights and linear systems to controls, emergency lighting and custom solutions – before they can have a credible conversation with a specifier or electrical consultant.
Unlike some product categories where a confident personality can carry an early client meeting, lighting clients ask specific questions. A new hire who cannot speak to beam angles, driver types, DALI controls or energy compliance will lose credibility quickly. Building that knowledge takes time, and businesses that underestimate this set their new hires up to struggle.
Days 1 to 30: product knowledge and internal orientation
The first month should focus on depth rather than client-facing activity. New hires need structured exposure to the full product portfolio, access to technical resources and time with internal teams – project, specification, logistics and customer support – to understand how the business actually operates.
Shadowing experienced consultants during showroom visits and project briefings is particularly valuable at this stage. It builds context that no induction document can replicate.
Days 30 to 60: understanding the project pipeline
By week five or six, attention should shift to the commercial landscape. This means getting across the territory – who the key architects, interior designers and electrical consultants are, which projects are in the pipeline, and where the business has existing relationships versus where it needs to build them.
A clear territory plan at this stage helps new hires prioritise their time and gives both parties a shared view of what good performance looks like in the short term.
Days 60 to 90: building relationships with A&D and electrical consultants
The third month is where client-facing activity ramps up in earnest. New hires should be attending project briefings, hosting showroom tours and developing their own relationships with architects, designers and the electrical consultants who influence lighting specifications.
The goal by the end of day 90 is not a full pipeline – that takes longer. The goal is a professional who knows their product range, understands the project landscape in their territory and has begun building the relationships that will generate results over the following six months.
What businesses get wrong
The most common mistake is moving too fast on client exposure and too slow on product training. Putting a new hire in front of key accounts before they are ready can damage relationships that took years to build.
The second is a lack of structure. When onboarding is informal – “just follow the team and pick it up as you go” – new hires take longer to become productive and are more likely to disengage in the first six months.
How Specify Consulting can help
At Specify Consulting, we recruit across the commercial lighting sector and work closely with businesses on not just finding the right candidate, but setting them up to succeed. We can share what has worked well in onboarding for similar roles and help you identify what your specific hire will need in their first 90 days.
Get in touch with our team or explore our lighting recruitment services.
FAQs
How long does it take for a new commercial lighting sales professional to be fully productive?
Most new hires in commercial lighting need three to six months before they are consistently contributing to the pipeline, depending on their prior industry experience and the quality of onboarding. Our recruitment team can advise on realistic ramp timelines for specific roles.
What product knowledge should a new lighting sales hire have by the end of their first 90 days?
By day 90, a new hire should be confident across the core product portfolio, understand how controls and compliance requirements affect specification decisions, and be able to hold a credible technical conversation with an architect or electrical consultant. Visit our lighting sector page to learn more about the roles we recruit for.
How can lighting recruiters help businesses onboard new hires more effectively?
Specialist lighting recruiters understand the technical complexity of the sector and can help businesses set realistic expectations for both new hires and internal teams. Get in touch to find out how we support our clients beyond the placement.
