A lighting business account manager keeps HOAs, office parks, retail centers and cities buying from you, from LED retrofits to holiday displays that renew each year. They write the proposals, watch rebate paperwork and renewal dates, and serve as the client's one contact with your crews.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
As a Business Account Manager in the lighting installation industry, your mission is to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with HOA, corporate, and municipal clients. Your role directly impacts revenue growth and client satisfaction by ensuring seamless communication and service delivery. You will be instrumental in driving sales and expanding the company's market presence through strategic partnerships.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and maintain relationships with key decision-makers in HOA, corporate, and municipal sectors to drive sales growth.
Identify and pursue new business opportunities to expand the client base and market reach.
Collaborate with project managers to ensure client requirements are met, using CRM systems like Salesforce for tracking.
Conduct regular client meetings to assess satisfaction and address any concerns promptly.
Prepare and present proposals and contracts to potential clients, leveraging industry knowledge and competitive offerings.
Monitor market trends to provide insights and recommendations for service improvements and new offerings.
Utilize project management tools to oversee project timelines and deliverables, ensuring client expectations are met.
Maintain detailed records of client interactions and transactions in the CRM system.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily outreach to potential and existing clients through calls, emails, and site visits.
Schedule and attend client meetings to discuss project progress and address any issues.
Prepare and submit weekly sales reports to the Sales Director, highlighting key achievements and challenges.
Coordinate with the installation team to ensure timely project execution and quality assurance.
Review and update client information in the CRM system regularly.
Participate in weekly sales team meetings to share insights and strategies.
Follow up on client feedback and implement necessary improvements to enhance service quality.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Client Acquisition Rate: Secure approximately 3–5 new contracts per month.
Revenue Growth: Achieve a monthly sales target of $50,000–$100,000.
Client Retention Rate: Maintain a retention rate of at least 90%.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Maintain a CSAT score of ≥ 4.7/5.0.
Proposal Conversion Rate: Convert at least 30% of proposals into signed contracts.
Efficiency Metric: Complete all client follow-ups within 48 hours.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations: Reach 50% of sales targets by 30 days, 75% by 60 days, and 100% by 90 days.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
Proven experience in sales or account management, preferably in the lighting or construction industry.
Proficiency in CRM software, such as Salesforce or HubSpot.
Strong negotiation and communication skills.
Ability to analyze market trends and customer needs.
Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working with HOA, corporate, or municipal clients.
Familiarity with lighting installation processes and industry standards.
Previous experience using project management software like Asana or Trello.
Certification in Sales or Account Management.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel frequently for client meetings and site visits.
Capability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.
Comfortable working in various environmental conditions, including outdoor settings.
Compliance with PPE requirements when visiting installation sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, with occasional evening or weekend meetings.
Seasonal demand may require flexibility in scheduling.
Limited on-call duties for urgent client issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive base salary with performance-based commission structure.
Bonuses tied to achieving KPIs, contingent on maintaining quality standards.
Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we are committed to delivering exceptional craftsmanship and customer delight in every project. Our team values accountability, safety, and continuous growth, fostering an environment where innovation and excellence thrive. Join us in illuminating communities and creating lasting partnerships.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Commercial lighting clients buy in cycles: a retrofit when the budget allows, a holiday display every fall. The account manager's job is to show up at the right point in each cycle.
Holiday contracts renew in summer
A shopping center or HOA that wants its lights up before Thanksgiving has to sign long before then. The shop orders product and books crews off the signed list, so start renewal talks early in the summer. Each contract should spell out the install window, the takedown date after the holidays, and whether the client owns the decor or rents yours and pays you to store it.
Boards sign, managers often can't
At many HOAs, the community manager you meet with can't approve a contract alone. The board votes at its meetings and spends from a yearly budget. Ask early who signs and when the board meets. Then get a clean proposal, with a few options at different price levels, to the manager in time for the meeting packet. Miss that date and the decision can slip a month or more.
City work follows bid rules
City parks, streets and buildings buy lighting under public purchasing laws. In Texas, before a city signs a contract that costs more than a dollar limit set in the statute, it must use sealed bids, sealed proposals, a reverse auction or another method the law lists. Online copies of the law can lag, so read the limit on the Legislature's site. The account manager watches each city's bid postings, fills in every form exactly, meets each deadline and sends questions only to the contact the bid names. Source: Texas Local Government Code section 252.021 (Texas Legislature).
Rebate paperwork shapes the retrofit sale
Many retrofit deals only make sense with a utility rebate, and each utility writes its own rules. One example is Traverse City Light & Power's 2026 business lighting program. It may require pre-approval for larger rebates and can disqualify a project without it. It wants the fully paid invoice within 30 calendar days of completion. The customer may sign the check over to the contractor, and repays part of it if the fixtures come out within three years. Lay out those steps before anyone orders fixtures. Source: Traverse City Light & Power: 2026 commercial and industrial lighting rebate application.
Put renewal commission in writing
A holiday account can renew for years with little new selling. So the plan should say what a renewal pays and when it counts as earned. In California, a commission job must be on a written contract that explains how each commission is computed and paid. The employer hands over a signed copy and collects a signed receipt. If it expires and both sides keep working under it, its terms are presumed to stay in force until a new one replaces it or the job ends. Source: California Labor Code section 2751, commission contracts.
How much lighting business account managers make
The closest BLS group for lighting business account managers is sales representatives of services. Sales representatives of services who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $33.95 an hour ($70,620 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $69,990 median for sales representatives of services in all industries. About 13,580 of the 1,256,010 sales representatives of services in that survey work for electrical contractors.
A base salary plus sales commission, with KPI bonuses that the template pays only while quality standards hold. Write down how renewals are paid before the first holiday season, since they can make up much of this book.
Electrical contractors
$70,620$70,620 median Middle half $52,820–$102,330 10th–90th $42,440–$135,200
All industries
$69,990$69,990 median Middle half $47,670–$100,480 10th–90th $37,980–$148,840
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Electrical contractors
$42,440
$52,820
$70,620
$102,330
$135,200
All industries
$37,980
$47,670
$69,990
$100,480
$148,840
BLS doesn’t publish pay for lighting installers on their own. These figures cover electrical contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has managed a book of commercial or HOA accounts and grown renewals
Builds proposals with options a board can vote on
Logs every client touch, renewal date and promise in the CRM
Holds firm on price by trading scope, not discounts
Sends clear written follow-ups after site walks and meetings
Teach these on the job
Holiday install, takedown and storage steps
LED retrofit basics and how rebates are figured
Your local utility programs' forms and timelines
Reading a site plan and a property's display photo log
Where your area's cities post bids, and their forms
For the CRM, the template lists Salesforce or HubSpot, with Asana or Trello to track projects. E-signature for proposals and a photo log of each property's displays help too. Tell candidates how many accounts the new hire takes over and how many holiday renewals are already signed.
Lighting business account manager interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Selling to HOA boards
An HOA board wants holiday lighting at its entrance and common areas, but members are split on budget. How would you approach the next board meeting?
A strong answer: Learns each member's concern beforehand, brings tiered options with photos and references, offers a multi-year agreement and follows the board's decision process.
Behavioral · Saving unhappy accounts
Tell me about a time an important account was unhappy with an install or service visit, such as holiday lights failing before an event.
A strong answer: Met them quickly, listened, got operations to fix it and followed up until the client was satisfied.
Base targets on your own account list, last year's renewals and how much work your crews can take.
Client Acquisition Rate
Count signed contracts each month from clients new to the company, using the CRM. A renewal or an added site for an existing client counts under retention instead.
Revenue Growth
Signed contract value each month by service line: holiday, retrofit and outdoor lighting. Look at the past year as a whole too, since holiday renewals bunch up in summer.
Client Retention Rate
Clients active last year who signed again this year, divided by all clients active last year. Review every lost account and write down why it left.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
Survey each account after install and again after takedown. Ask the person who signs the contract, not only the on-site contact, since they decide the renewal.
Proposal Conversion Rate
Divide signed contracts by proposals sent, split by client type. Track city bids apart from the rest, since they follow different rules and timelines.
Efficiency Metric
Time from a client's message or meeting to your written follow-up, logged in the CRM. Spot-check a few accounts each month to make sure the log matches the inbox.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations
Base the first month on learning the accounts and meeting every board and facility contact. Tie later goals to the sales target, and hire before renewal season so the ramp is fair.
How is a business account manager different from a lighting sales representative?
Think about who calls back next year. A homeowner who buys path lights from a sales representative may not need you again for years. An HOA, an office park, a retail center or a city comes back every season. The account manager's work is keeping those clients: the yearly renewal, a retrofit rolled out across several sites, and service problems fixed before a rival's bid shows up.
How much does a lighting business account manager make?
Sales representatives of services who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $33.95 an hour ($70,620 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $52,820 and $102,330 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should a commercial holiday lighting contract cover?
The scope by area (trees, rooflines, entries, wreaths), the install and takedown windows, who owns the decor and where it's stored, and how fast outages get fixed during the season. Add power sources and who pays for new outlets, proof of insurance, deposits and payment dates, and how renewal works. A business lawyer in your state should check the master version, and any change becomes a new dated version.
How much lighting know-how should an account manager have?
Enough to avoid selling what crews can't build. The template lists familiarity with install work and industry standards as a plus, and much of that can be taught: LED versus older fixtures, why rebates matter, what a takedown crew does and how timers work. Selling to boards and facility managers is harder to teach, so hire for that and train the product.
The template says to be comfortable outdoors. What goes in the ad?
Being comfortable is a feeling. The ad should name the work: walking an HOA's grounds or a retail center's parking lot in fall weather, visiting crews on site in the same safety gear they wear, and carrying sample fixtures or display pieces of up to 25 pounds, as the template says. EEOC guidance lets an employer ask whether applicants can perform those job functions, with an accommodation or without one. Questions likely to reveal a disability wait until after an offer.
How do I test a business account manager candidate?
Describe an HOA that has bought holiday lights from you for three years and just got a lower bid. Add its history: two outage calls last season, a late takedown and a board meeting next week. Ask what they would do before that meeting and what they would bring to it. Listen for questions about the board and the service record, not only price cuts.
