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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently conducted an important survey that sought to reveal architects’ greatest wants and needs when it comes to selecting the stuff that goes into their projects — all $97 billion of it. The results made for compelling reading for building-product manufacturers, serving to reaffirm the importance of closing the gap between architects and those who make the materials that go into their buildings.
Above all, three key factors were found to be crucial to architects as they seek out their preferred manufacturers: technical expertise, proactive communication and professional transparency.
Here’s what building-product manufacturers need to know:
1. Expertise Is Everything
Architects go crazy for technical details — and for good reason. Performance-based properties of building-products help them match aesthetic preferences with material functionality, and manufacturers should be ready with that information in order to help architects make informed specifying decisions. “Architects want to talk to manufacturer representatives who know technical information about the product,” explains Matt Tinder of the AIA. “Manufacturers should prepare your sales force to be highly knowledgeable about their products — and arm them with specifications for those products.”
2. Being Proactive Will Reap Rewards
The priority of each manufacturer’s interaction with an architect should be to quickly identify their specific design challenge and help them achieve a solution, rather than simply selling a set range of products in the same manner every time. “Architects see manufacturers as important influence agents in the specification phase of a project,” points out Tinder, but he also emphasizes the importance of urgency on the part of manufacturers at this crucial stage of a project. “Their time is typically very limited, so manufacturers should prepare their sales teams to understand the customer’s pain points first.”
3. Integrity Leads to Loyalty
The AIA’s evidence reinforces the importance of being honest with architects about their options in solving a particular design problem. Even if your particular building-product isn’t the perfect fit this time, the process of relationship-building is hugely valuable. Being genuinely helpful to architects comes back around to reward manufacturers in the long run, as they come to view those companies as a trusted source of knowledge. “The more open a manufacturer can be about the specification for a product, the more loyalty and trust will be fostered with the architect,” explains Tinder. “This will translate to greater market share, as architects start to look at the manufacturer as an extension of their project teams.”
The inbuilt messaging system on Architizer makes it easy to organize leads and keep up to speed with multiple conversations.
These are hardly new revelations to manufacturers, but with the fight to secure repeat business and keep liquidity flowing, it’s easy to let the fundamentals fall by the wayside. Thankfully, Architizer’s growing marketplace for building-products is built to help manufacturers deliver on these three key areas, providing an easy-to-use organizational tool kit that allows them to remain top-of-mind in the country’s top firms.
Architizer’s direct messaging system enables manufacturers to keep track of every conversation they are having with architects in one place, so they can be quick to offer the technical solutions that these time-strapped professionals need. While valuable leads are surfaced in an instant thanks to Architizer’s inbuilt “Opportunities” dashboard, it is easy to dive into the details with the architects themselves and offer the personal touch that remains so crucial in building trust with clients.
The AIA study did well to highlight what architects want when it comes to building-product specifications. Now manufacturers have the perfect platform to provide for those wants — and reap the business benefits in the process.
Gain leads from major firms such as AECOM, HOK and OMA through Architizer’s community marketplace for building-products. Click here to sign up now.
