New entries are continuing to arrive daily for the 2014 Best Construction Blog competition, and I expect many more nominations before the January 31 closing date. This means I have an increasing backlog of reviews to complete and so, for the next few weeks, virtually every posting will be a blog review.
The Competitive Advantage: Construction Sales and Marketing blog reflects a refreshing UK perspective on AEC marketing. When you read through Chris Ashworth’s postings, you’ll appreciate that many aspects of the AEC business are similar between North America and the UK. Of course, the English writing is better — this is the home country for the language, of course.
This year the Construction Sales and Marketing blog by Competitive Advantage has delivered a number of interviews by thought leaders in the UK Construction Sector. They have interviewed: David Philps, head of BIM?implementation, Cabinet Office; Rebecca De Cicco prominent member of the UK BIM community; John Tebbit, industry affairs director, Construction Products Association; Noble Francis, economics director at The Construction Products Association; Tom Fitzpatrick, news editor of Construction News to name a few. This has provided some insightful articles on topics of interest such as BIM, Forecasting and Communicating with Specifiers. This is in addition to their blogs providing valuable and educational content on matters of interest to the construction sales and marketing professional.
His most recent posting: Managing your specifications strategy: What do architects want, shows the blog’s depth and utility. See his conclusion
Conclusion
The decision to specify a product is based on many factors, some of them conflicting. The overriding concern is that it is fit for purpose, performing its role effectively and throughout the design life of the building.?Products are selected because of more than their performance or price.?Government drives product selection with initiatives, building regulations and planning.?Sustainability is a key factor in product selection, BIM is also bringing about changes in the DMU, changing the dynamics of influence on product specification.
Architects are often ?small businesses? so are time poor and consequently hard to get hold of. Think carefully about?how to communicate with the Architect, choosing your channels of communication carefully and presenting the appropriate product information in an easy to access format.
Incorporating BIM into your specification sales strategy?is important, providing BIM objects for the design team means the design team has a greater understanding of the product and how it works in the design overall.?All of this makes the architects life easier, as well as saving time.
Reviewing your specification strategy?on a regular basis is essential, to ensure you provide the right information at the right time and continue to get your product specified.?And in the new year we are delivering a number of resources to help you do this. I hope you can join us.
This type of information is invaluable and reflects the long-range and multi-stage marketing challenges within the AEC community. If you have a product, technology or service you want introduced into the marketplace, you’ll generally need to “win the sale” through a successful specification-related initiative long before the project happens and the shovels start digging. (It is why for my own business I’ve always given top priority to support/participation in Construction Specifications Canada activities, including my present status as Ottawa chapter chair and co-ordinator of the Feb. 19 Connections Cafe event.)
Construction Sales and Marketing, undoubtedly, should be bookmarked for a combination of international insight and transferable best practices. As well, of course, if you are in the UK, the blog will provide resources and training/learning opportunities to help you in your own market.
