#018 – Building Better Architect Connections – Step #9: You Have The Architect’s Ear For Product Suggestions – Use It!

Welcome to the 18th issue of the Monday Morning Building Product Advisor! The newsletter to help you get better at connecting with architects. 🏛

In today’s issue I’ll cover:

• Telling the architect about your other products & services
• Working closely with your manufacturers
• Looking for partnering opps
• Your next steps

Estimated read time: 5 minutes

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You’ve made it to Step #9… Congratulations!

Just stack these 9 steps together & you have an outline to cultivate new relationships with architects.

[I’ve rounded up the links to the previous 8 steps at the end of this email.]

You have their ear for product suggestions – Use it!

This is the finish line. Stop & celebrate…

But just for a minute. As you know, there’s no “finish line” to a successful sales or marketing strategy in our industry. Once you’ve built a trusting relationship with your ideal architect client, you need to keep cultivating it.

You don’t want it to grow cold after all that hard work.

Here’s what to do next…

Make sure they’re aware of your other products & services

Let them know about new options or updates you’ve added to your products.

Keep your eyes peeled for new uses for your other product lines—anything that could help your ideal architects succeed. You’ve done the work in Steps 1 – 8 to understand your ideal architect client, so you’ll know what to suggest.

Whatever you do, don’t keep your other products a “secret.”

Marketing legend Dan Kennedy tells the story of a printer who skipped this step:

One day, a long-time customer came into the print shop. He’d been having his stationery & envelopes printed here for years.

Today, he’d proudly brought in his new full-color product catalog to show the printer. The printer said, “It looks great… But why didn’t you have me print it for you?”

The customer said, “I thought you only did copies & stationery.”

Because the printer hadn’t learned more about his customer’s business, he missed out on hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ouch!

Here are a few quick tips to boost the value of your client relationships:

Mention your other products in every chat:

• Briefly discuss a different product or service at each meeting to gradually build awareness.
• Share quick, relevant examples of how an architect used different products in similar projects.

Start (or improve) a newsletter:

• Send newsletters on a consistent basis (e.g., monthly or quarterly)
• Include case studies showing how other architects used your products
• Introduce new products and highlight improvements to existing ones

Get feedback:

• Use short, periodic surveys on client satisfaction & product performance
• Regular review meetings to find what’s working and what to improve
• Use the feedback: Show you value their input by sharing any changes they inspired

Bring in an external innovator:

• Someone from a completely different industry
• Could inspire new uses for your products
• Can offer fresh perspectives & challenge conventional thinking
• This could improve the dialogue between you and the architect

Work closely with your product manufacturers

Ask the manufacturers you rep what their other successful product reps & suppliers are doing. Are they pairing a product with other products you already sell (or could sell)?

Do they hold a national sales meeting? If so, pay close attention to what the other reps are sharing. What’s working? What’s not?

But don’t count on the manufacturers to figure it out for you. Do the legwork & then ask them for the tools you need to create the connections. Or create those tools yourself.

Always with an eye to creating something that makes your ideal architect client’s job easier.

Then, suggest or package their products with other manufacturers you represent.

If you’re the manufacturer, take the lead yourself. Create those tools and get them in your reps’ hands to help them do their job even better. You both win!

Look for partnering opportunities

Reps often overlook the potential of forming alliances, missing out on opportunities to expand their market reach. Solo efforts can limit your exposure and sales potential; alliances can exponentially increase both.

Do a thorough analysis of your product line. Find gaps and opportunities for complementary products that can create a complete solution for your ideal architects.

Think of timing. Think through the process leading to using each of your products. Is there something before, during, or after you come into the picture that’s a good match?

Go to other manufacturers or reps you could partner with. Attend industry events and network to meet potential partners. Look for non-competing firms that share your client base.

Once you find these products & services and the businesses associated with them, partner with them.

• Share intelligence & each other’s audience
• Collaborate on marketing campaigns to pool resources & extend reach
• Co-host seminars or workshops to educate clients & show product pairings

Together, you could expand your reach exponentially.

Take the time to find these connections. It’s worth it. [Or reply to this email & I can help.]

Use the power of OCC

Using “OCC (Other Companies’ Customers)” is a potent marketing strategy.

A lot companies partner with established companies to break into new markets or grow their share in an existing market.

You already have successful projects under your belt with architects and contractors. By partnering with them, you could promote your products and services to their customers and get their endorsement.

How about with other complementary product manufacturers within your product category?

Other considerations:

• Joint presentations at tradeshows or in AIA slideshows.
• Write and co-produce whitepapers, case studies, and articles for trade journals.

Then, you can cross-promote to each of your lists.

Here’s a great exercise for co-branding with product partnerships (hat tip to Roland Frasier):

Keep the plates spinning

You’ve developed all this invaluable knowledge about your Optimal Architect Avatar (OAA).

And you’ve positioned yourself as a trusted resource. Now make the most of it. Coordinate all your marketing materials, presentations & website content. Make sure it continues educating & speaking directly to your ideal architect client’s needs & concerns.

And once you’ve got all that in place, turn your focus to your next OAA. Maybe it’s a different type of architect for a different product you carry. Or a different type of client you need to include in your target marketing efforts.

(Contractors? Developers? Homeowners? Do-it-yourselfers? Facility managers?)

They each have their own unique set of concerns & goals. Go through this process again for the next OAA & the next.

You’ll still be spinning plates, but with a system to follow, they’ll all be spinning in better harmony.

Don’t forget…

Always balance all of this with your personal life. I’m just throwing out these ideas to help you get “there” faster, wherever your “there” is.

Trying to tackle it all along with your usual workload is a LOT. So, focus on one step at a time. Give yourself a reasonable timeframe to work through each one.

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Quick reminder: This is the last step of a process you can use to make better architect connections.

If you missed Steps 1-8, here they are:

1-3 were about getting to know your Optimal Architect Avatar (OAA):

• Step #1: The secret power of identifying your “optimal architect avatar”
• Step #2: How to research your Optimal Architect Avatar (OAA) to understand their wants & needs
• Step #3: Submerge yourself in what the architect reads & where they go

4-6 were about positioning yourself with your ideal architect clients:

• Step #4: Be where the architect is & elevate your expertise
• Step #5: Follow-up & Educate Your Ideal Architect Like Nobody Else Can
• Step #6: 80/20 your way to being the architect’s trusted expert

7-9 were about cultivating your architect connections:

• Step #7: Always be searching for ways to reconnect with the architect
• Step #8: Find & tackle all the architect’s questions & concerns
• Step #9: (you’re reading it right now)

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That wraps up this series. Next Monday, I’ll be back with something new for you.

⭐ One last thing…

I’ve sprinkled a few “To Do” lists in with a few of these steps. If it would be worthwhile, and there’s enough interest, I can assemble some checklists you can print out for each step.

So, if you’d actually use something like that, HIT REPLY right now and let me know. If there are enough responses, I’ll whup some up for ya’. 📃

Cheers to building more than just buildings, and see you next week.

Neil Sutton
Connect with me on Linkedin
to catch all my posts

P.S. Want to really get inside an architect’s head?

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help:

• JOIN the wait list for my short course “Tradeshow Booth to Partner Shortcut“
• Product reps: If you’re serious about getting better at connecting with architects faster — Book a 1-on-1 call with me.
• Business owners or Sales Team Leaders: Book an Architect Connections Training Call for you and your team

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