The Monday Morning Building Product Advisor
​Issue #110

While I was talking with a client last week, I shared this story.

As I explored better ways to solve it, I found a pretty sweet framework to address it. Unfortunately, it’s stuck in my head, and I keep thinking about it, so I thought I oughta’ share it with you, too.

Anyway! Let’s go to the background story…

A rep I know [we’ll say he’s called “John”] lost a specification on a very nicely sized project last year.

And it wasn’t because his product was a bad fit for the project. [It totally was.] It wasn’t because the relationship wasn’t there. [He’s sharp, well-liked, and good at what he does…]

Nope. None of those things. What had happened was…

He lost it to someone who remembered a pain point he’d forgotten.

John had been reaching out to a mid-sized architecture firm for about 3 years.

He was on a first-name basis with the receptionist [i.e., the gatekeeper]. He’d taken the project architect to lunch half a dozen times. He’d done a few CEU Lunch & Learns for the whole team. He even remembered to ask about his main contact’s daughter’s soccer tournament.

By every measure, a good relationship.

Then one Tuesday afternoon, he got an email from a colleague. They were looking at the specs for a K-12 school project across town that just hit the streets. The architect didn’t list his product as the basis of design. Not even as an accepted manufacturer.

Someone else’s is.

John makes a few calls and does some digging. That’s when he finds out…

8 months earlier, over lunch, that project architect had mentioned something offhand. A recurring moisture issue on a particular assembly detail. It had caused a bunch of headaches on 2 previous jobs.

John heard him say it. He probably even nodded along sympathetically.

But he didn’t write it down. And it vanished somewhere between paying for lunch and his drive to the next appointment… [and a gazillion other things going on that afternoon!]

The rep who got specified did NOT forget about it.

She didn’t have a better product. There wasn’t a better, longer relationship in place.

She simply remembered. Because 3 months after a very similar meeting where she heard the same issue, she sent one short email. Nothing about her product… Just:

“Hey, are you still running into that moisture issue with your envelope details? I just came across something that might be helpful. Can I send it over?”

↳ The architect emailed back within the hour.

↳ That email led to a conversation.

↳ Their conversation led to lunch.

↳ Lunch led to a specification.

And John wasn’t even aware he was in a race.

This story’s main lesson, and what you need to remind yourself (over-and-over) should be:

Architects don’t specify products.
We specify solutions to problems we remember having.

You don’t need to be the one with the most CEU credits or the shiniest product brochure. You want to be the one who paid close enough attention to know which pain point to bring back up… and when.

That’s why you need a system.

[ “C’mon, Dude! Another system?!?”]

Yes, another system.

As an architect, I have about 50 different systems in place to make each project successful…

As a copywriter and coach, I have another 242 different systems that help me make that successful as well…

The more plates you’re spinning and balls you’re juggling, the more systems you want to have in place. [Just to keep your sanity!]

And that’s why I keep sharing systems and frameworks with you. Some I find in my own research and share directly. Others, I take, and massage, and reform to fit your business.

And that’s why, next Monday, I’ll show you the 5-Star Prospect framework. It’s a way of thinking about your entire territory as something more than a list of firms to visit.

Instead, you’ll see it as a pipeline of problems waiting to be remembered and reminded. By you to your ideal architect clients.

Once you see it, the way you run your meeting notes will change forever.

Are you already trying to include this kind of territory thinking in your process? And you don’t want to wait, or want my help? If so, reply with “5-STAR,” and I’ll send you some options on how we can work on it together.

That's it for this week!

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

Neil "I’m-a-real-good-rememberer" Sutton
​Architect | Speaker | The Product Rep Coach

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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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