{"id":9855,"date":"2025-07-22T14:30:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T21:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/?p=9855"},"modified":"2025-07-25T10:49:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:49:01","slug":"tales-from-sales-stephanie-sakay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/stories\/tales-from-sales-stephanie-sakay\/","title":{"rendered":"Tales from Sales: Stephanie Sakay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Stephanie Sakay lives in Texas, where the Los Angeles native was interviewed about her work as a Specification Sales Consultant for Alcon Lighting. Stephanie discussed how her previous role in customer service and her literary studies in college inform her approach to lighting consultation, including active listening and clear and assertive communication.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lighting industry professional also recalls the unique advantages of working at the family-owned and operated company based in LA. Stephanie\u2019s story is one of thoughtful growth: from studying Shakespeare at UC Riverside to navigating the curveballs of daily sales with poise. She doesn\u2019t shy away from the unknown\u2014instead, she meets it head-on, finding meaning in the unpredictability of each workday. Whether it\u2019s helping a frantic designer find calm or guiding an electrician through a mid-project pivot, Stephanie listens first, leads with honesty and always stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on her years of service and entrepreneurialism, Stephanie savors the relationship with each customer and Alcon Lighting team member, where she\u2019s spent years building not just business relationships, but bonds rooted in trust and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Stephanie:<\/strong> My favorite part of coming to work every day is just [facing] the uncertainty of the day, knowing I will get through it. Every day at Alcon Lighting, I\u2019m presented with a curveball. Sometimes that\u2019s super challenging. I think what\u2019s most exciting about the day is knowing that the uncertainty can be rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Did you have a challenge like that today?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> No. I\u2019m also grateful for days when there is certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What happened today that either went wrong and you\u2019ll learn from, or that went wrong and you handled well?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> I received a call from a client who was frantic about needing something right away. The customer needed to show [progress to] their contractor, and even though I told her that I might not get her the answer she wants this minute, I told her I was going to see what I can do. I will get her an answer once I find out. This gave her perspective and just brought her down from panic. We\u2019ll see what happens once I get more information and call her. In that moment when I was able to bring down her stress level during that conversation, that was rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How did you do that?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> Mirroring the caller where they\u2019re at. I\u2019m not a robot or a therapist [who] can immediately calm them down. Sometimes their tone makes me want to panic. It\u2019s just a human to human thing; you kind of match the emotions of who you\u2019re talking with, so I told her, \u2018I\u2019m in this situation, too\u2014let me see what I can do.\u2019 When the customer hears that you\u2019re human and you\u2019re on that rollercoaster with them, it gives them empathy for what I\u2019m trying to do for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: You majored in English in college, did studying English make a difference in your approach to your work as a lighting sales consultant?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> Yes. I double majored in English and political science. Majoring in English has helped me a lot in my career, even for [a task] as simple as writing an email. There\u2019s not much precedence for email etiquette in the lighting industry\u2014everyone speaks in shorthand\u2014so I take pride in [the ability to] pause and efficiently articulate or explain something without confusing or leaving out information. I think my background helps me communicate with clients. I loved studying English at the University of California at Riverside. I learned about reading and analyzing [literature], and I was curious about creative writing\u2014so I read Shakespeare and classical literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Did you have a favorite author in college?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> I read Shakespeare and it was so different\u2014I was out of my element\u2014and [his] fiction was exciting\u2014it felt like such a privilege to be studying Shakespeare in college, both tragedies and comedies, though the tragedies are best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you have a favorite?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> Othello<\/em>. Romeo and Juliet<\/em>\u2014Lady Macbeth is my favorite character, well, one of my favorite characters, so also Macbeth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Who\u2019s your favorite author now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie: <\/strong>My favorite author right now is Patrick Radden Keefe, who wrote Empire of Pain<\/em>, about the Sackler family. I\u2019ve been really into investigative journalism and unveiling big things. When I was younger, I read more fiction\u2014back then, it was Haruki Murakami. I just remember loving the magical realism. He puts you in this different world. It\u2019s fun to get lost. As I get older, I realize reality is not that bad, and so now I\u2019m into reading investigative journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Is your favorite genre of literature investigative or detective writing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> Yes. I like seeing big companies get taken down. The last book I read is called The Radium Girls,<\/em> and it\u2019s about this company using radium to paint the dials of watches for the war\u2014that\u2019s when they didn’t know Radium was so bad\u2014and all these girls start getting sick in Ottawa, Illinois. It unraveled this huge scandal, so I think it\u2019s the taking down of these big companies that make a profit from the suffering of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What\u2019s your favorite type of lighting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> Ring or circular chandeliers\u2014or pendant lighting. If you think about a ring chandelier or a ring pendant, it\u2019s a simple, circular design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But when you put it over a meeting room table\u2014or when you put [a chandelier] in a foyer or a reception room, it does so much for the space. I like doing so little\u2014it\u2019s minimal and still very dramatic without being ostentatious, so you get more than what you ask for\u2014in the best way\u2014from a ring chandelier<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Question: What makes working at Alcon Lighting different?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> This is a family-owned company. We\u2019re not huge. It\u2019s close-knit. I know everyone. I talk to them every day, though I work remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How does Alcon Lighting maintain that for its remote workers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> I think we avoid that by having [regular] dialogues and company gatherings. Our company culture was kept alive by [social] gathering. Then, came holiday parties which were super fun. Because our team is more spread out [across America], sometimes it\u2019s harder to get everyone in the same time zone on the same night but there\u2019s a lot of fun in our company\u2014through our unique personalities. Also, since it\u2019s a family-owned business, we\u2019re closer. For example, for a Christmas party [at a bowling alley], one of our colleagues brought their mom because they were an amazing bowler and we had our Christmas party bowling league\u2014how cool is that?\u2014so we get to know a deeper part of people we work with for hours of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What is the most consistent customer compliment you get?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> People thank me for being frank. Maybe an order didn\u2019t ship on time, or something went wrong with production that caused a delay. I strive for conversation to be honest, though I know it might not be something the customer wants to hear. Like I said before, when the customer knows we\u2019re on the same team tackling the problem\u2014and that [the situation is sometimes] out of my [control]\u2014they know I\u2019m trying to do the best I can with what I have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alcon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Question: Are you direct with your customers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>: That\u2019s right. That\u2019s what happened on a call today. Sometimes, people have charged emotions, and so sometimes I\u2019ll just tell them \u2018this is what\u2019s happening and these are the options we have.\u2019 I won\u2019t just drag them along when I know like what\u2019s real and what\u2019s going to happen\u2014versus what they wanna hear\u2014so I think it might be in every salesperson just to know how to lay the [facts out]. After so many years of doing this, you also build a [reserve]. There are absolutely sometimes when people just need to vent or something\u2019s wrong and just listening to them helps. People are people, and sometimes they need to vent and I happen to be on the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What’s your favorite customer compliment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> The last one I had was for customer service\u2014the customer said he hadn\u2019t had that quality of service in the industry in a while. That was refreshing and kind\u2014very rewarding for someone to say thanks for just being reliable. Good customer service is rare, which is so sad\u2014a little bittersweet\u2014because it\u2019s like, wait, no, you should get this everywhere from everyone. So hearing that was great. This is a customer in San Luis Obispo\u2014he\u2019s an electrician who, at first, was looking for surface-mounted cylinders that would fit the project, so he ordered the lights. Later, he wanted to change [the order] to pendant lights. It was a smooth order from start to finish. He was excited to do business with Alcon Lighting because he felt that my service was great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you know why the mounting requirement changed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>: I think his customer wanted to match other pendant lights in the room or something along those lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Question: So you were able to show him that the pivot could be relatively streamlined and simple, and wouldn’t be a hassle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>:<\/strong> Yes. I was also able to provide accessories for a field adjustment. It worked out. I had checked with production to see if the newly ordered lights are capable of being field-adjusted. The production team explained that we could send pendant lighting kits the customer needed to [conduct] the field installation\u2014it was no big deal. We sent the lights within 24 hours. I think the combination of being able to accommodate that, in addition to shipping right away, helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How long have you worked for Alcon Lighting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> I started work here on March 9, 2018. I didn\u2019t have a lighting background. I tried to learn from the back-and-forth customer service support inquiries with our warranty or order status\u2014looking at invoices to see what people ordered, but it was minimal. I knew I wanted to stay at Alcon Lighting and I knew I\u2019ve always had an inkling or appetite for learning. I\u2019m a very curious person, so when I was given the opportunity to go into sales, I took it and I remember the first thing [co-owner and sales director] Jake [Hakimi] said was \u2018we\u2019re going to train you,\u2019 so my sales work started from there. I picked up a good amount in customer service, but other than that, it was a lot of training. I signed up for a course from the Illuminated Engineering Society (IES) on the fundamentals of lighting. That helped. That and being in the office around other salespeople. I attended class in a showroom near Helms Bakery in Los Angeles every Tuesday from 6PM to 9PM for a few months. I thought it was cool that the company wants to invest in me\u2014that they could see value in me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: You also attended what\u2019s known inside the company as Jake University, the company\u2019s lighting education sessions. Have you graduated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think anyone graduates from Jake University, but I think you can become an honorary alumni. Jake [Hakimi]  has a wealth of knowledge. When I started to learn, learning more about lighting, learning more about the industry, I remember going into his office with a notebook and not knowing if and when I could go out for lunch because he would just keep going and going and I remember filling pages of my notebook and I was like, \u2018OK, when is training over today?\u2019 Those days where I was learning from him or walking around the office with him, explaining such a complex subject to me in layman\u2019s terms, I probably learned the most about lighting\u2014more than I did in that lighting course. Jake has a way of simplifying things we see in everyday life\u2014Jake\u2019s training was so valuable. I think he saw that I had the drive and passion to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What did you do to retain the information? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie: During the first week, I was [enlisted] in sales boot camp. Jake said\u2014this is one of the things he told me during my first year\u2014to go home and read all the articles on Alcon Lighting\u2019s blog, so I did that. Also, at the end of every work day, I would rewrite my messy, scribbled notes because it was hard to transcribe during Jake\u2019s lessons. I would re-write my notes to review what I\u2019d learned\u2014to keep fresh for the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you remember details of your first sale?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie<\/strong>: <\/strong>I think my first sale was $8,000. They were for linear pendant lights for a distributor. I was so excited that someone bought something from me that I entered the wrong billing name into our system. What was most memorable was not even the sale\u2014just my excitement, like: I can do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Do you recall your first lighting sales experience after you made the switch from customer service?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> On my first day on the job, I remember being nervous. I wondered who\u2019s going to call? What are they going to ask for? What if I don\u2019t know the answer? Looking back at it now, there was excitement and anxiety, especially being surrounded by other salespeople taking calls, making deals left and right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: What was your background before you were hired at Alcon Lighting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> I worked in wholesale fashion and merchandising\u2014everything but lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: You found the job through Craigslist in 2018?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie: <\/strong>Yes. The ad described this family-owned company on Robertson Boulevard. I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever apply to a job in the lighting industry. I was curious enough to try. I responded and heard from Jake. Then, I came in for an interview, which was about an hour and, when I didn\u2019t hear back, I followed up. I think my follow-up is what got me the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: How do you think your customer service experience helped form your transition to sales?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie:<\/strong> I owe a lot of what I know to my customer service position. I had initially applied for the customer service job because my belief was that you would only know a company working up from the bottom. And customer service is the foundation of a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You get to know the customers, the [problems] they\u2019re having, everything from front to back. So I purposely wanted to get into customer service because if I was going to succeed in this company, I wanted to know everything about it and customer service is where to start. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Though I came from wholesale fashion and merchandising, where I wasn\u2019t doing customer service, I felt like this was the right place to begin. I learned the [elements] of the lighting industry and Alcon Lighting, and it helped me prepare for a sales role, which is more intense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stephanie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Stephanie Sakay, now based in Austin, Texas, remains a steady and reliable force at Alcon Lighting. Her thoughtful approach, clear communication and commitment to doing the right thing continue to earn the trust of customers and coworkers alike. This conversation highlights not just her adaptability, but the practical strengths she brings to every project\u2014proof that great work doesn\u2019t depend on where you are, but how you show up.<\/p>\n\n\n

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