The Monday Morning Building Product Advisor
Issue #134

I have a stamp & ink pad in my desk drawer, but these days they sit there collecting dust.

It’s got my name, my license number, and the seal from the state that licensed me. Nowadays, I mostly use the digital version, like most architects and engineers do today.

No matter which version I use, when I put my stamp and signature on a set of drawings, I’m not just saying, “I think this’ll work.” I’m saying this is my responsibility, and if something goes wrong, I’m the one who answers for it.

That stamp is a big reason why architects act in ways that probably confuse product reps.

Let me show you the imbalance here…

If you sell me the wrong product, you might lose a sale or a client. That loss might lead to a tough quarter, but eventually, things move on. But if I specify the wrong product, my name stays on that building or addition for as long as it stands. I can’t just walk away. The general contractor finishes and moves on. The subcontractor might not even be around in a few years. The owner could sell the building.

But my sealed drawings stay on file, ready to be checked if anything ever goes wrong.

If you’re talking with me and wondering why I want a test report instead of a brochure… Or why I ask the same question in three different ways… Or why I focus so much on a fastener… It’s not about trust.

It all comes back to that stamp.

That fear is always there with us.

Clayton Makepeace was one of the highest-paid copywriters ever, and he built his career on a simple idea:

For architects, that dominant emotion is professional risk.

It’s not about price or brand. Everything else you’ve heard from me or anyone else about how we make decisions comes after that.

Here’s how that emotion shapes what we do:

• We need test data. A brochure claim won’t pass a plan review. If it doesn’t hold up, the reviewer can stop the project in its tracks.
• We take our time changing products. Our standard project details are backed by a long track record. Your product, on the other hand, may only have one case study.
• We ask how it performs in year 6 because we’re probably the only group still linked to this building at that point.
• We go quiet when you oversell, because if you exaggerate in a meeting, we can’t trust your data in our documents. That ends up costing us more time than you could ever save.

None of this is about being stubborn. A licensed professional manages risks that can last for decades. And usually for a fee that was too low from the start.

So please, stop selling us abstractions.

For Makepeace, identifying the dominant emotion wasn't a standalone lesson. It was the last step in a 5-part process he taught:

1. Create a comprehensive FEATURES inventory
2. Attach a “Why” to each feature
3. Turn features into benefits
4. Dimensionalize each benefit
5. Connect each dimensionalized benefit with a Dominant Resident Emotion

Most product reps or manufacturers stop at the first step. And they wonder why their message doesn’t connect with architects and specifiers.

He had a name for what they say instead. He called it a Faux Benefit… a product feature pretending to be a real benefit.

Here are some common examples:

• “Reduces installation time…”
• “Improves moisture performance…”
• “Streamlines coordination…”

Clayton also had a test to spot these. It had a kinda funny name, but it’s definitely useful. He called it the “Forehead Slap Test.”

Have you ever woken up, sat up in bed, slapped your forehead, and shouted the thing you’re about to say in that meeting? Or in that product cut sheet?

No one has ever woken up at 2:00 AM yelling, “I need to streamline my coordination workflow!”

But I can tell you what DOES wake up an architect at 2:00 AM… Worrying about a detail we’re not so sure about anymore… Or questioning a submittal we rushed last week… Or wondering if they installed that sill flashing like we drew it.

The gap between what you’re talking about and what we actually experience is the real issue.

Bridging that gap is what Makepeace called…

“Dimensionalizing the benefits”

And it takes three steps to get there:

1. Paint a picture of what the benefit will actually look like in our work.
2. Compare it to what we’re dealing with right now.
3. Add specific details that show its value.

Here’s an example Clayton used for a drill bit:

• Feature: Constructed of carbon steel.
• Why: It never wears out.
• Benefit: The last drill bit you’ll ever buy.
• Dimensionalized: You’ll save up to $75 a year on broken bits, avoid hours of unnecessary trips to the hardware store, and prevent hundreds of dollars in lost income.

Now, let’s try it on a fictional facade panel system.

• Feature: We pre-engineer the panel-to-panel connection, so no field cutting is required.
• Why: The sub can’t get it wrong.
• Benefit: The assembly goes up the way you drew it.
• Dimensionalized: Your GC stops calling late on Fridays asking why their sub can’t figure out the assembly that’s holding up Monday’s inspection. And you reclaim your Friday afternoons for every building you specify it for.

Put those two bottom lines side by side, and you’ll see they’re the same sentence. It’s something concrete the buyer (or specifier) no longer has to lose. In Clayton’s example, it’s broken drill bits and trips to the hardware store. In our panel example, it’s a frustrating phone call on your Friday afternoon.

Every architect you talk to has gotten that call. That’s the difference between a Faux Benefit and a real reason to specify your product.

And then there are the things we never say out loud.

Now for the part my architectural brethren would probably prefer I didn’t share.

Beneath all the professional risk, there’s another layer we never talk about with reps. And that’s that… not always, but sometimes…

• We don’t fully understand a building science topic we’re supposed to know about…
• Or… We know we need to update our standard details, but we never have time to fix them…
• Or… We know our project fee was too low from the start. Now, everything we do is just damage control.

So, be aware that these issues exist. It’ll help you do your job better.

But you should NEVER mention them directly.

If you said to an architect, “A lot of architects find this part confusing, so let me back up,” the meeting would likely end there. The relationship would probably end too. Not because you were wrong, but because you were right. But a stranger saying that to a licensed professional doesn’t feel helpful.

So here’s the simple rule: Understand the fear, work around it, but never say it out loud.

“Great! So, tell me, Neil… How exactly am I supposed to ‘work around it’?”

Well, you bring the third-party test report before I even ask. You tell me where your product isn’t the best choice without waiting for me to ask. Or, you answer the question I actually asked, not just the one you prepared for. You give me something tangible I can hand to a plan reviewer, with my seal already on the drawing.

You can’t make the fear go away… no one can. But you can be one of the few people who help make it smaller, not bigger.

That’s how you become the go-to resource for years to come.

🔔 Resource Alert:

Once again, I’ve put all this into a simple worksheet. Here’s what you’ll get from spending a little time with it…

Next time an architect asks why your product costs more, you’ll have a solid answer based on their real experience. Not just the same line every other rep uses.

And you’ll know which 5 things you should never say, even if you're pretty sure they’re true.

Just reply with the word STAMP, and I’ll send it to you.

Final thoughts:

• If you take one thing from this, stop saying “trust me on this.” We can’t do that. It’s not personal. It’s just that our signature doesn’t accept “trust” as a form of documentation. Give us something we can actually put in our project files.
• When you understand what the stamp means, you handle objections differently. When an architect says, “That seems expensive,” it’s often not really about money. It’s about risk, disguised as a budget concern. The answer isn’t a discount… It’s proof.
• A few issues back, we talked about when to stop pushing. This is why that rule matters. If you push a licensed professional after they’ve seen the issue, you’re adding to a personal risk they already have. That’s why the tone changes so quickly and so permanently.

​
That's it for this week!

Here's to building more than just buildings, and see you next week,

Neil "I’m-not-scared" Sutton
​Architect | Speaker | 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, reply, and let's chat.
• Business owners or Team Leaders: You can book an Architect Connections Training for your team. Reply, and I'll send you the details.
• Speaking: If you would like me to present at an upcoming group meeting, get in touch, and let’s talk!

=======
​If this was forwarded to you, go to → mmbpa-newsletter(dot)carrd(dot)co ← so you don’t miss the next lesson.
​=======