4 steps to be the first choice for architects

You apply for a new project. You formulated your arguments in convincing sentences and designed your application witty and stunningly attractive. You invested time and effort. In the end, your competitor won the bid. The construction industry indeed is highly competitive. Besides the architects and builders, you also have to connect with planners and installers, too. To get them to choose you and your product, follow our tips below. You will be their first choice.

1. Prepare your Sales Team
2. Don't sell to architects
3. Optimize your online presence
4. Keep your existing customers happy

1. Prepare your Sales Team!

Several parties typically influence the sales process: Architects, property owners, contractors, installers. Understand with whom your sales team is working. Your sales representative may be the only person in your company that the contact person will ever speak to.

Know the organizational structure!

Make sure that your sales representative knows about the organizational structure of the office. They should know if there is a commissioned person who is looking for new cooperation partners, or if it is the responsibility of the respective project manager. Use the homepage of the architect or sales tools to find out more about the office.

Use the right channels!

The majority of architects walking a trade show are not actively looking for your product. The architect tells you he will keep you in mind. The problem you will fall into oblivion fast. That is the reason why Trade Show contacts are not as strong leads as they first appear. Use the Building Radar Platform instead to learn about current projects of architects. You will save much time and present your solution exactly when it is needed.

Know what information to provide, and when!

Your sales teams should know the different phases of building projects. Only if they have enough background information, they know the appropriate time to contact the architect.

2. Don't sell to architects!

Architects are looking to learn how to design and build better buildings. However, first of all, they have problems that they want to solve. Architects must decide what is best for the project and the owner. It is almost impossible for an architect to know every detail of all the products. They are generalists but carry complex responsibilities. Architects are the design creators who need trusted product information. Architects need someone they can rely on to provide objective answers and help them to determine the right product for their project. An effective strategy is not to center on selling. Instead, focus on influencing architects to use your products. Let's get prepared:

Provide a general product guide

Provide a brochure or highlighting catalog that explains the usage and application of your products. You want to educate objectively, so limit this guide to the features and benefits of the product and company history. Include some pictures of finished projects using your product. Tell them about the project, who was involved, what the application was, and if there were any problems.

Prepare a non-biased educational program

Demonstrate your product and industry knowledge. By establishing yourself as an expert, you say a lot about your products, your company and your commitment to the architectural community. Architects cannot be well versed on every topic. That is where you can get into play! Architects seek after product details and solutions to technical problems!

3. Optimize your online presence!

Architects do not have much time. This means they prefer doing the searching for building-products online over going to trade shows, attending lunch or going through catalogs. By a study of AIA, there is 85 percent of architects using the internet as the most important source to get information about products and materials.

Use visualisation

Research has shown that visual information is 60,000 times faster processed than text. Also, visual information is way easier to remember. Additionally, architects place great significance on aesthetics. Obviously, that visual content plays a crucial role.

Offer downloads

The information about your products should be available as a formatted download for construction software such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) or CAD (Computer-aided Design). Anything that maximizes convenience and saves an architect time is worth considering.

Increase visibility

Most research starts with a Google search... However, finding your Website with Google search is only possible if you increase your visibility. Your company homepage becomes visible through search engine optimization (SEO). To optimize your website, you must create relevant content, identify your keywords and search terms, and improve the structure of the site. An SEO strategy considers how and what your prospects are searching.

4. Keep your existing customers happy!

The most effective way to get new clients is to keep your existing clients happy because word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing tool. Happy clients share their experience with others. Doing an excellent job with your existing projects is the best way to market yourself. The most credible and effective recommendation you can get is through a satisfied client.

Proactive customer service

Instead of waiting for problems to occur, a company that implements anticipatory service can eliminate problems before they happen. Take a proactive approach to what could become a negative experience.

Monitoring customer relationships

An excellent customer database is a basis for establishing long-term partnerships. With hundreds of customers, organized and structured work is often challenging. CRM software helps to arrange customer data.

Visit our construction industry blog to get more information about the usage of CRM systems