{"id":9565,"date":"2024-11-25T15:55:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T22:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/?p=9565"},"modified":"2025-07-23T12:59:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:59:52","slug":"tales-from-sale-andre-kibbe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/stories\/tales-from-sale-andre-kibbe\/","title":{"rendered":"Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amid the calm and charm of the San Fernando Valley lives Andre Kibbe, a dedicated lighting sales consultant at Alcon Lighting. His journey began in Pasadena, where he spent his early years surrounded by family and childhood memories. These roots instilled in him a sense of belonging, and his love for Southern California remains strong today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andre’s journey into sales began nearly ten years ago, on a day that would mark a significant turning point in his career. He stepped into Alcon Lighting on February 9, 2015 to interview for an ecommerce sales position, filled with excitement and anxiety. His first taste of success came within a few months\u2014but it wasn\u2019t the monetary value of the sale that resonated; instead, it was overwhelming relief and a newfound confidence that washed over him. A $30,000 order seemed monumental at the time, a beacon of hope amidst a period of self-doubt. He recalls how that moment transformed his anxiety into motivation and determination. Through each interaction, he learned the importance of building trust, believing that effective salesmanship is rooted in genuine connection. He discovered that being responsive and authentic not only eased his self-doubt but also nurtured trust with his clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andre was recently interviewed near his home in Woodland Hills, where he talked about his childhood and his motivation and drive to excel in the lighting industry.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Question: Where do you call home?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre Kibbe: <\/strong>I live in Woodland Hills, though I\u2019ve lived in Southern California most of my life. The first house where I lived was in Pasadena, and my earliest memories are in Pasadena. Then [my family] moved to Altadena, and I lived there until I moved out at 18. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an adult, I lived in the heart of Pasadena\u2014right off Colorado. <\/strong>My fianc\u00e9e lived in Woodland Hills, and I used to commute. When we got married, I moved back to Woodland Hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you like living in the San Fernando Valley?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Yeah, it\u2019s pleasant. I mainly moved here to join my wife. It\u2019s quiet. It\u2019s calm and there are nice restaurants, theaters\u2014nice amenities. There\u2019s the Village, and there\u2019s Topanga Plaza. We probably go there weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you recall your first lighting sales consultant experience?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>My first sale probably came within a week or two of being here. My first day at Alcon Lighting\u2014if I remember correctly\u2014was on February 9th, 2015. The first big sale was a $30,000 order, which was probably three or four months into the job. That was exciting. <\/strong>Within my first year, I had my biggest single sale ever, which was like $330,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What do you remember about your first sale?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>It was more relief than anything. I was completely new to sales, except for retail jobs where you\u2019re just transacting, not really selling anything. There was a lot of following up with inbound sales calls and anxiety of wondering if this would work. I was unsure of myself. I would get nervous every time I\u2019d pick up the phone. And that took a while to get past\u2014hundreds of hours of constant selling, which requires a mindset you have to cultivate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I got that first sale, I was like, \u201cOh, okay\u2014this can happen. This actually works\u2026\u201d You keep calling and calling and calling, and you\u2019re not getting anything. Then, all of a sudden, it\u2019s like you get a sale, and it feels like all the effort pays off. <\/strong>That felt good. I remember feeling relieved\u2014like, \u201cI can do this\u2014\u201d and also just useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selling lights to people\u2014things that people need\u2014being able to specify something exact\u2014the number of lights, the color temperature, the technical aspects\u2014and being able to provide people with information and follow through with that, that\u2019s satisfying.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you remember details about the $330,000 sale?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>I do. That order was for an engineering firm whose client had townhomes that needed lighting. It would have been a structural engineering company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a sale that came from an inbound call. Most of our leads are inbound. <\/strong>So I do a lot of follow-up. You never know what\u2019s gonna happen when you pick up the phone. Sometimes it\u2019s just an order. Other times, it\u2019s people investigating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Which type of lights did the customer want?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Linear pendant fixtures<\/a>. Those are our most popular lighting products. <\/strong>It was a whole bunch of them. They had to ship them in tranches of like a few hundred at a time and it was like three or four shipments. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Linear
Linear pendant lights provide uplighting and downlighting in the H&M Trucking<\/a> offices in Omaha, Nebraska.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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As soon as they mentioned the volume, I knew it would <\/strong>be a high-ticket order. <\/strong>I had a good feeling about it from the beginning. There are certain cues where I can tell what phase the person\u2019s project is in\u2014whether it\u2019s an informational call or someone who has an intent to buy. I don\u2019t remember the exact details. I just knew that this was something imminent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a pending sale right now that I think is like $380,000 from a pretty big company\u2014a satellite dish company\u2014which probably will order in the next few months. I stay centered, answer one question at a time and hope for the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What do you think sealed the deal in terms of your effort on that call?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Credibility flows both ways. When you pick up and talk to a prospective customer, you can sense whether they\u2019re serious. And I think the opposite is true\u2014they have a sense of whether I\u2019m being serious by my demeanor, by how rapidly I get back to them\u2014how seriously you take the call. So if a person has an intuition that I am a responsible person, and I\u2019m responsive, and I\u2019m not blowing smoke, then people will [be more amenable]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I try to maintain that level of professionalism with every call because I do take these things seriously. <\/strong>That influences how I speak. I can always tell when someone\u2019s serious. You can tell when someone\u2019s reading a script versus being authentic. People pick up on authenticity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, to me, is professionalism. <\/strong>Not someone\u2019s ability to read a script. It\u2019s actually listening\u2014it\u2019s breaking through that shell of prepared talking points and getting to what the person actually wants\u2014really getting into the meat of the conversation as quickly as possible.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Question: How do you deal with a situation where a customer is frustrated or wants to vent?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>I ask for details because, especially in this industry, people can\u2019t always articulate the problem. They\u2019ll [tend to] say [things] like, \u201cOh, this light doesn\u2019t work.\u201d But they can\u2019t always tell you, for instance, whether it\u2019s flickering. Is the light not coming on when you hit the switch? Or people will use brightness as a proxy for color temperature. Things like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s my responsibility as a lighting professional to unpack that. <\/strong>And guide them into going back and forth\u2014like the term \u201clooping for understanding\u201d to get a more precise version of the cause of the initial frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How much of your success as a salesperson comes from training and resources you received and how much just you?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>There are two aspects of it. One is the technical aspect. The other is the human element. When I\u2019m talking to people\u2014just doing sales calls\u2014it\u2019s like there\u2019s no getting around putting your reps in the gym. I have to keep talking to people. And eventually, I became less self-conscious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You start building a mental map of different questions someone can ask, and then you know the array of answers. You have the knowledge, and it\u2019s relatively natural. Whereas, before, when you\u2019re first starting, someone asks a question, and you\u2019re at a loss, which puts you on the defensive and it spirals into anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a tipping point where you just feel more confident. To this day, I\u2019m stumped by questions. But they\u2019re fewer than ever. I know how to buy time to get the answers I need so I can get back to the person in a quick manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How did you learn about Alcon Lighting?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>An advertisement on Craigslist. I actually thought it was going to be an e-commerce job. I thought it would be maintaining the website or something like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within a few days, I realized, <\/strong>\u201cOh, this is an e-commerce sales job.\u201d <\/strong>I thought about not continuing. <\/strong>But then I thought maybe learning how to sell would be character-building because it could generalize a good life skill\u2014the art of persuasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: As you near your 10th anniversary, what\u2019s the most consistent customer compliment you\u2019ve received?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>That I\u2019m thorough, professional and responsive. That I get back to people in a timely manner and take people\u2019s inquiries seriously. I do my best to clarify issues, address reservations. I think it\u2019s addressing people\u2019s reservations rather than in overcoming objections, which, to me, sounds like railroading\u2014or steamrolling\u2014over people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019m sensitive to people\u2019s frustrations are, and try to unpack those, then answer in a straightforward way, I can earn respect. Customers end up saying: \u201cThank you for being so thorough\u2014so professional, so dedicated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What\u2019s the nicest compliment you\u2019ve had?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>One customer who keeps coming back is very complimentary. I can\u2019t think of any specific thing that she said. I always err on the side of giving too much information rather than not enough because I know I dislike it when I ask someone a question and get 70 percent of an answer\u2014then I have follow-up. So, I try to make sure that when someone asks me something, I provide a complete answer. I practice the golden rule and try to do unto others as I would want to have them do unto me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What makes Alcon Lighting different, as a company, from the competition?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>It\u2019s a family business with pride in the culture they\u2019ve built, not just an empty shell, not just an assembly line. It is values-driven. We all look out for each other, and everyone wants everyone else to be the best version of themselves. We\u2019re personally invested in each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Is there a type of lighting that you think is underestimated?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Indirect lighting of all kinds. <\/strong>Indirect lighting is any light that bounces off of a surface rather than beaming at the subject directly. For example, a linear pendant fixture casts light up to the ceiling, and then the light in the room is the ambient light that bounces off the ceiling. And that reduces a lot of glare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Linear pendant lights at Elmington<\/a> property management offices cast light up at the ceiling and down over a meeting table.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fifty years ago, when offices didn\u2019t have a lot of computers, it wasn\u2019t an issue. But now, everyone has screens at their desk. Everyone wants to reduce glare. And indirect lighting is the best way to do that. In my opinion, it looks better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Can you be specific?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>There\u2019s cove lighting<\/a>\u2014you\u2019ll see this in more and more restaurants and lobbies, where the perimeter is illuminated, but you don\u2019t see the light source\u2014that\u2019s cove lighting. Like where the wall intersects with the ceiling, recessed in the wall is a cove light that shines light up toward the ceiling. So you\u2019re seeing the soft glow around the perimeter of the room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fixed length cove lighting provides light for residents with a refined aesthetic at Wilton Court Apartments<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And then also, indirect linear lighting is lighting\u2014where a linear pendant light can either be cast downward, where it\u2019s called downlight, or it can go up and down, which is known as direct-indirect lighting. Or it can go straight up, which is indirect lighting. That\u2019s the least popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t get a lot of demand for it but I think that it\u2019s an underutilized resource. I think that a lot of offices would experience either more productivity or have a better work experience if they switched primarily to indirect lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Did your mom\u2019s vocation contribute to the skills that propelled your career advancement?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Yes, though she worked as a graphic artist for Getty Oil, so her job was also artistic. She\u2019d bring me into certain rooms where I could play with the equipment\u2014there were computers and all this machinery and stuff like that\u2014but I think my only interest in lighting was from being a movie buff and paying attention to cinematography and lighting. I was aware of how things were lit in movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What did your dad do?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>He was an automotive mechanic. <\/strong>My dad\u2019s technical. I think the main thing that I took from his work, without being explicitly taught it, is that I can fix my own stuff. I don\u2019t need to necessarily look to someone else to fix a problem I have. I can think through it myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he moved to Texas after I left the nest, I would diagnose everything from mundane things to oil changes\u2014or if there was an electrical problem\u2014by myself. I was able to self-service. My dad was like the equivalent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance<\/em>, the idea that the things you own, you should learn to master\u2014not fear. It\u2019s a good life lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Did any early work experience shape your approach to your work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>I did have a tech support job for a company that made mind-mapping software. A mind map is something where people used to do it by hand with a pencil\u2014pen and paper\u2014but you\u2019re brainstorming, you draw a bubble, then you do outward things. So most people now do them by computer. There\u2019s this piece of software called TheBrain\u2014I worked at this software company called TheBrain\u2014and it would be one tech support challenge after another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every call was a challenge. I would be thrown into the deep and had to figure out. What I learned from that is that whether I know something or not, I can think through anything. I don\u2019t have to already have answers at my fingertips when I\u2019m being challenged with a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What\u2019s your favorite part of coming to work every day?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Andre: <\/strong>Being able to finalize sales. It\u2019s not about the financial reward, necessarily. It\u2019s a matter of lighting up someone\u2019s work or home. It\u2019s satisfying to have people with abstract problems, which I\u2019m able to break down into concrete solutions and have them act on it. So, it\u2019s very satisfying to finalize a sale\u2014not just talk about it, not hash back and forth about it, but to actually come to a conclusion. Because, to me, the only way I know if the information I\u2019m giving is of value is if someone buys the light.<\/p>\n\n\n

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More Tales From Sales<\/span><\/div>\n
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Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n