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“Do you know what Daddy does for work?”
“Yes!”
“You do? You know what I do when I leave to go to my job?”
“Yes! You cut grass!”
That was my daughter 20 years ago when she was 4 years old.
And honestly? She wasn’t entirely wrong. Every Saturday, she saw me mowing the lawn. Naturally, she assumed that’s what “Daddy’s job” must be.
She just didn’t see the other 95% of what I do.
And you know what? Most reps are making the same mistake with architects.
You’re seeing the lawnmower, not the architect
Last Tuesday, I counted my morning emails. Between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, I got 13 messages from product reps.
I opened 3.
Responded to none.
[“Well, that’s just you, Neil!”]
Fair enough… So let me clarify: I don’t claim to speak for all architects.
Today, I work remotely from home for a small firm. For 8 years, I worked in an office at a mid-sized firm. For 17 years before that, I worked at a large firm. I specialize in healthcare projects. I’ve been doing this for 28 years.
Your ideal architects might be completely different.
But here’s what I bet we have in common: We’re all busiest when you think we’re most available.
Here’s what that Tuesday morning actually looked like
7:45 AM: Inbox triage:
- A new RFI is stalling the project until I answer
- Client wants to “quickly discuss” scope changes
- Three submittals marked URGENT
8:15 AM: Coordination call chaos: The structural engineer found a beam conflict. Mechanical needs to reroute ductwork. Everyone’s looking at me for the solution.
9:30 AM: Try to focus: I open Revit and the online code to work on the code review.
The phone rings. It’s the contractor: “Do you have a minute?” [It’s never a minute.] He says another submittal deadline has moved up to today due to a supply chain kerfuffle.
10:45 AM: I check email again…
- 11 new messages. 8 are from product reps with subject lines like “Following up” and “Quick question.” Delete, delete, delete.
See the pattern?
Now, maybe your ideal architects start at 6 AM and have completely different schedules. They may work for tiny firms and never have coordination calls. Maybe they’re night owls who do their best thinking at 10 PM.
But I’ll bet money that somewhere in their day, they have a “crisis mode” and a “consideration mode.”
And I’ll bet you’re hitting crisis mode more often than you think.
The 2:17 PM test case (sample size: 1)
Here’s what happened later that same Tuesday:
2:17 PM: I’d finished my submittal review, grabbed fresh coffee, and sat back down.
My brain shifted from “emergency mode” to “what’s next mode.”
I checked my email & saw this subject line: “Acoustic solution for your hospital project – 2 min read”
I opened it. Read it. And replied 12 minutes later.
Now, was it the timing? The subject line? The fact that I actually needed acoustic solutions?
Probably all three.
But here’s the thing: That same email at 8:30 AM would have been deleted without opening.
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The rep who figured this out (or got lucky)
I know a rep who was getting 2% response rates on his morning email blasts.
Then he tried something different:
- Stopped sending at 8:00 AM. Started sending at 2:00 PM.
- Mentioned specific projects in the subject lines
- Kept messages under 75 words
His response rate jumped to 28%.
Now, I can’t prove it was the timing change. Maybe his subject lines got better. Or his product became more relevant. Or he just got lucky with market timing.
But 28% is better than 2%, regardless of why.
Your real assignment (it’s not what you think)
Don’t just copy my timing. That’s lazy.
Instead, figure out your architects’ patterns:
Week 1: Track when you get responses
- What time did they reply? What day of the week?
- What were they working on when they responded?
Week 2: Test different send times
- Try morning vs. afternoon with similar emails
- Track open rates and response rates
- Note any patterns
Week 3: Look at the project cycle
- Are they more responsive during design phases?
- Do they ignore you during construction deadlines?
- When do they actually make product decisions?
Week 4: Adjust & repeat
The bigger picture (beyond email timing)
This isn’t really about whether to email at 8 AM or 2 PM.
It’s about understanding that architects live in project cycles, not daily schedules.
We think in phases: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents.
Your product matters at specific moments in that cycle… not all the time.
The timing conversation is just the beginning.
Next Week: When specs actually get written
I’ll walk you through the project phases where product decisions actually happen.
Because understanding when I check email is useful.
Understanding when I choose your product over your competitor’s? That’s where you start winning projects.
But I’ll be honest about what I know and what I’m guessing. And I’ll give you ways to test whether my experience matches your market.
That’s it for this week!
Cheers to building more than just buildings, and see you next week,
Neil “I-don’t-mow-lawns” Sutton
Architect + The Product Rep Coach
P.S. Do you really want inside an architect’s head?
When you’re ready, there are 3 ways you can start working with me:
- Product reps: If you want to be better at connecting with architects, hit reply, and let’s chat.
- Business owners or Team Leaders: You can book an Architect Connections Training for your team. Hit reply, and I’ll send you the details.
- Speaking: If you’d like me to present at an upcoming group meeting, reach out, and let’s talk!
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