Hanley Wood Marketing Conference

Please join Michael Chusid in attending this marketing conference for building product manufacturers:
 

Hanley Wood Foundations 2011

American Construction and Design Conference 

September 21 and 22 in Chicago

(http://foundationsconference.com)

We know how challenging the past few years have been. The shifting economy, changing consumer attitudes, new forms of media and marketing—they’ve likely all been on your mind. Those are the things we kept in mind when we put together this conference.

When you join us at Foundations 2011, you’ll get information to help increase your marketing efficiency, generate more leads, and deal with changing attitudes. And hopefully put your mind at ease.

Registration is free and by invitation only, so contact your Hanley Wood representative, then reserve your spot today. Register now

AGENDA

Wednesday, Sept. 21

3 p.m. Welcome

3:05 p.m. The New Now: Marketing and Media for Construction

In these changing times, many building-product marketers have taken the opportunity to explore and refine their marketing methods. Hanley Wood CEO Frank Anton reveals the marketing trends and best practices uncovered by a recent proprietary independent-market-research study conducted by Hanley Wood.

4 p.m. State of the Economy: Commercial Building Industry

In late 2010, the commercial-building industry was showing some positive momentum. American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chief Economist Kermit Baker explores the current state and what’s ahead.

4:45 p.m. State of the Economy: Residential Building Industry

As the U.S. economy shows signs of rebounding, will the residential housing market follow suit? Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, discusses events impacting the industry and offers his forecast.

5:30 p.m. Hanley Wood Windy City Happy Hour

Thursday, Sept. 22

8 a.m. Shifting From the Old Model of Media and Marketing to the New

Bob Garfield is a prominent commentator and analyst of advertising and marketing. His new Ad Age column, Listenomics, explores 21st-century marketing and media, and he’ll share insights on making the move to a new marketing model.

9:10 a.m. Housing 360: Insight Into Home Ownership

According to the headlines, consumer attitudes and ideas about home ownership and remodeling have changed dramatically. Discover what 3,000 diverse consumers disclosed about home ownership, renting, and remodeling in this proprietary Hanley Wood survey, presented by Kent Colton, senior fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. 

10:15 a.m. What’s New: Design Trends

What’s the next big thing in design? Ned Cramer, editorial director of the Hanley Wood commercial design group, and Boyce Thompson, editorial director of the residential new construction group at Hanley Wood, present the latest trends popping up in the commercial and residential design arenas, and explain why they’re likely to show staying power.

11:15 a.m. What’s Hot? What’s Not?

Hanley Wood Market Intelligence is the housing industry's leading independent housing research source. Jonathan Smoke, executive director of research, provides an overview of hot (and not-so-hot) housing markets.

12:15 p.m. Closing Comments

12:30 p.m. Lunch and Adjourn

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Facebook and Twitter: Major Impact on Purchase Decisions

New study shows that those who are fans or followers of a brand on Facebook or Twitter, respectively, are significantly more likely to buy products and services or recommend the brand to a friend.

Specifically, the study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that consumers are 67% more likely to buy from the brands they follow on Twitter, and 51% more likely to buy from a brand they follow on Facebook. Moreover, they’re 79% more likely to recommend their Twitter follows to a friend, and 60% more likely to do the same on Facebook:

Of course, those findings might be a bit overstated — many people actively seek out the brands they’re already fans of and follow or fan them on Twitter and Facebook. Moreover, the research was conducted among ordinary consumers, not construction industry specifiers or buyers. But there’s still much to be said for the mindshare that engaging those existing brand enthusiasts on social media sites creates, in turn keeping them active. Plus, the study also found that many consumers across a wide variety of demographics have negative perceptions of brands that aren’t using social media.

Overall, the study is another sign that social media is becoming a competitive advantage for those that are participating, and an increasingly major weakness for those that aren’t.

[via eMarketer]

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A Wall by Any Other Name

Facade of building as seen from the street.

Successful construction depends on clear communications, and this is facilitated by using words with commonly accepted meanings. Language must evolve in response to the changing needs of design and construction, and it is not uncommon for words to take on new meanings. Yet we should resist the urge to redefine a term when an appropriate alternative is already established. 

A case in point is, "facade." The word derives from Latin for “face” and refers to what can be seen of or experienced on the exterior surface of a building. Here are several definitions: 

• The face or front of any considerable building to a street, court, garden, or other place. Rudimentary dictionary of terms used in architecture, civil, architecture..., John Weale 1850 

• A face of a building, usually the front. Dictionary of Architecture, Henry H. Saylor, Wiley, 1994 

• The main exterior face of a building, particularly one of its main sides, almost always containing an entrance and characterized by an elaboration of stylistic details.” Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture, Ernest Burden, McGraw-Hill 2002 

When architects design facades, we are concerned about the organization of shapes, color, massing, texture, ornament, and fenestration, and the experience of the public seeing the building. 

"Facade" may be acquiring another definition, however. 

I realized this while attending a "Facade Tectonics" conference at University of Southern California. They use the term to mean the materials, systems, and processes that relate to a building's exterior surfaces and appurtenances thereto, including the effect upon the spaces and occupants on both sides of the surfaces. Conference participants delivered papers about the thermodynamics, weather enclosure, and other performance considerations of facades, but scarcely used the word in it established meaning relating to the appearance of a building.

The is no justification for using "facade" in this new way, since there are already preferable terms, including:

• Enclosure: Used in ASTM E1557 - Standard Classification for Building Elements and Related Sitework-UNIFORMAT II, and in the OmniClass international classification system for building elements. 

• Envelope: Used by National Institute of Building Science (NIBS), publishers of Building Envelope Design Guide and co-sponsor, along with AIA, of Building Envelope Council. 

• Wall and curtainwall are readily understood terms. 

There is frequently a connection between a facade and an envelope. Yet the two their meanings are distinct. A structure on Main Street may have the same facade as one on a Hollywood soundstage, but the envelope of one is constructed of hewn limestone while the other is painted plastic foam.

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Productware

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote over 20 years ago. "Productware" is now firmly established, and our attention has turned to identifying new trends that will shape building product marketing in the decades ahead. The future is hard to predict -- this article failed to foresee the internet, for example.

Building product manufacturers must be able to speak the language of the architectural community. With a majority of architectural firms now using computers for everything from code analysis to working drawings, many manufacturers are  rushing to learn the language of automation and its marketing dialect.

To date, the number of manufacturers using computers as a new sales communication medium is still relatively small. But as the computerized customer base reaches a critical density, more manufacturers are  realizing that the medium can be an effective method for reaching targeted markets.

I refer to computerized building product sales tools as "productware." The first productware to be developed has been electronic versions of existing guide specifications and product details. By eliminating the chore of inputting data, manufacturers are hoping their diskettes will find a way into an architect's, library of master specifications and standard details. It is fairly simple to translate a guide specification into the variety of word-processing systems most  commonly used by specifiers. But it remains an expensive proposition for manufacturers to create easy-to-use libraries of CAD details, especially since data cannot be moved directly between some of the most widely used CAD systems.

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Match your sales approach to the project phase

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote almost twenty years ago. It is still applicable today.


My sales manager is urging me to make more architectural sales calls during the design phase. But experienced sales reps tell me I’m wasting my time if I make a call before the construction documents phase. What do they mean by project phases? And which phase is the best time to make sales calls?—J. P., sales trainee

Architects typically provide their services in a series of phases described in American Institute of Architects document B141: Owner-Architect Agreement. The sales assistance an architect needs may differ from one phase to another. Understanding the following seven phases will enable you to adjust your sales style to each.

1. The sales process begins even before a project is identified. The pre-design phase is not just for prospecting, it provides an opportunity to form relationships with architects and their staffs and to position yourself as a valuable resource. Ask about the firm’s experience with and attitude toward your product and have the staff explain their product selection process. These kinds of questions will put you in the role of a consultant and not merely a vendor.

Architects deal with thousands of products in a typical building. The pre-design phase is not the time to overload them with data that has no immediate use. Instead, concentrate on creating positive impressions of your product’s primary benefits. Give the architect enough background to make intelligent product decisions.

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Don't use trade show to evaluate US market.

It is easy to get lost among the other exhibitors
at a trade show unless you know what
you want to achieve and have a plan.

Foreign manufacturers sometimes exhibit at North American tradeshows, "to see what are our prospects in the US?" This is seldom an effective type of market research.

There is a classic parable about two sales reps sent to a distant country to peddle shoes. After a day, one sent a message to company headquarters, "Coming home on next boat; no one wears shoes here." The other cabled, "Send lots of shoes; no one wears shoes here." But neither would have a valid impression of the true market if they formed their opinions while visiting the beach.

A company from the Netherlands, for example, exhibited at a recent World of Concrete. Not only is their brand unfamiliar in the US, their product category and technology are also foreign to US contractors without international experience.  The staff working the booth were unable to address technology transfer issues such as US building codes. Even their booth and sales skills reflected a European aesthetic and approach to business that does not communicate effectively to North Americans. Yet they were trying to judge the attitudes of American customers.

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Videos

This article was published in the late 1980's, but may still provide some insight to the present day.

Although still relatively new tools in the architectural office, videotape presentations are nevertheless changing the way design teams explore and evaluate building products. To be sure, the number of VCRs in architectural offices has not yet approached the 70 percent penetration some experts estimate the video medium has achieved among America's households Yet, when viewed in the context of today's electronic office, videotape is making significant gains.

A recent study of design industry professionals showed that more than 30 percent of the design and construction office  surveyed used a VCR in day-to-day office operations, Respondents also indicated that they viewed some three videotapes each month as part of their regular office duties. Perhaps most significant is the fact that nearly 99 percent of these same designers said that over the next half decade, they fully expect to substantially increase their reliance on new automation and communication technology, including VCRs.

Building product manufacturers and trade organizations have long recognized the one two punch packed by a sight-and sound medium like videotape Accordingly, 34 percent of all product videos that architects' and their associates reported viewing over the past year were screened at trade shows and  industry meetings for design professionals.

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Post Occupancy Evaluation

A seminal work on POE.

Sometimes, the key measurements of a building product can be assessed by physical properties. But many products must also be measured by human factors and how well they meet the emotional, physiological, and psychological needs of a building owner, tenant, or user. For example, lighting can measured in lux or watts per square meter. But it can also be measured by its effect on sales revenue and workplace productivity.

Sometimes these factors can be studied in a laboratory. But in other instances, the only meaningful way to study them is to go into a building to measure the behavior of people using the facility and collect feedback. Consider, for example, a hospital, where design can actually influence patient outcomes, as measured by the amount of pain medication the average patient requires. This type of research is sometimes referred to as post-occupancy evaluation.

One of our clients seles a pre-engineered building system for schoolhouse construction. His customers have been very happy and have written nice testimonials for him. But testimonials, no matter how effusive, can go only so far to establish credibility. My client wanted a more effective tool for convincing school boards to look favorably upon his unique solution.

We proposed to conduct a post-occupancy evaluation comparing two facilities, one built with conventional construction and the other with the pre-engineered system, to understand how the buildings effect the performance of students and faculty. Armed with findings based upon student test scores, faculty turnover, absenteeism, community satisfaction, and other criteria, our client hopes to be able to offer solid evidence that will convince architects and school districts to take a closer look at his system

Sandra Goodman, Ph.D., an associate of Chusid Associates, is a psychologist cross trained in building design and is available to discuss post occupancy evaluation with you. She has conducted post-occupancy evaluations for a major architectural firm, helping to identify lessons that could be applied to other projects, and her skills can also help a building product manufacturer design better products and assess the impact products have on building users.

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Changed formulations in building products

An article in January 2011 issue of Consumers Report pointed out the unintended consequences of reformulating a product. According to tests conducted by the magazine, glass baking dishes made in the US have been reformulated. While the new products look the same as the old and generally perform as well under normal use, the reformulated products can shatter and cause injury. This got me thinking about how reformulations effect building product marketing.

Is this old or new Pyrex? New product packaging has safety warnings and handling instructions, but there is no warning on the product itself.

I have always had Pyrex brand glass baking in my kitchen, as did my parents before me. Over the decades, the brand earned a place of trust in my kitchen due to the product's ability to withstood the ordinary wear and tear of household use.

Recently, and without public fanfare, Pyrex brand products were reformulated. Instead of being made with borosilicate glass, they are now made with a less costly soda ash glass. The new products look the same as, and usually perform like. the older models. But I have had newer pieces of Pyrex break during ordinary handling while my older Pyrex products keep on working unless I drop them on the floor.

This reminds me about a story my father-in-law, a dentist, told me about a batch of anesthesia that produced unusual side effects. While the manufacturer insisted the drug was made according to all quality assurance standards, my father-in-law discarded the rest of the batch.  Years later, he learned the manufacturer had finally identified the culprit; the company that made the gasket that sealed each vial had changed its supplier for a lubricant used in the gasket manufacturing process. While the new lubricant met the written performance standards of the previous product, it left a trace contamination that interacted with the chemicals used in the drug.

Continuous process improvement is often touted as a virtue. However, it can become a liability if your customers are not informed about changes. Failure to notify customers can lead to increased product failures when someone assumes the new formulation will work just the same as the old one. Equally insidious is damage to your brand's reputation. My father-in-law found a new vendor and stayed with it for the rest of his career. And even if Pyrex resumes manufacturing of borosilicate products, I will probably remain skeptical, preferring to buy the old stuff in second hand stores than take a risk with an unknown product.

In construction
Product reformulations occur frequently in the construction industry, and usually without the knowledge of the specifiers or builders using the product. Indeed, reformulations often result in superior and more affordable products. But not always.

New products will always lack something that older products offer: the test of time. An old-fashioned built-up asphalt roof might fail in 10 to 20 years, but we reliably knew they would fail in that time period. When a new roofing system comes along, we can look at lots of material tests and even accelerated aging tests. But nothing tests a roof like 20 years of actual exposure. Lab tests usually measure one variable at a time; everything happens at once in nature.

It is generally best to tell customers when changes have been made to trusted brands. Then, work closely with them while they get used to the feel of the new product and learn to use it correctly.

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Product Rep Blogs Done Well: I Dig Hardware

The I Dig Hardware blog wastes no time letting you know what it's about. The top of the first page proudly proclaims:

Following the tone set by the title, the blog's style is very informal. The layout is simple, using a pre-made template with minimal customization; this keeps focus on the blog's content, instead of high-tech bells and whistles. The language is very personal, like a conversation with a colleague rather than the business or textbook style adopted by many corporate blogs.

Which makes sense because this is not a corporate blog; it's personal.

Lori Greene, AHC/CDC, CCPR started the blog when she was basically the New England product rep for Ingersoll Rand. But it was not a company project; she started it on her own as an evening hobby with three stated goals:

1. Keep her name in front of New England architects
2. Gather all the building code information she had collected over the years in a single site
3. Make learning about hardware less painful

A fourth goal has since emerged, increasing awareness of new fire door codes. 

The blog has developed a very active community of commentators, and high daily readership. Lori reports that some people have even set it as the home page on their web browsers, and is picked up as a monthly column in Doors & Hardware magazine. 

Not bad for a night time hobby.

Why this works

The first key to Lori's success is that she started with clearly stated goals in mind. As the blog has grown, reoccurring topics have emerged (such as "Wordless Wednesday" where pictures of interesting doors speak for themselves...mostly). In the early days of a blog, deciding what to post can be very intimidating, so having goals helps you identify good topics and give structure to the blog.

The informal, personal style is also a major strength. Developing relationships with architects is still the best way to get specified, and the conversational tone does more to foster a relationship. If the blog felt like a constant sales pitch, or used very dry "professional" communication, it would not make that same personal connection. Especially for this topic. The original title of the blog was "I Hate Hardware", a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement that many architects do not understand, are scared of, and get intimidated by hardware. The informality defuses the subject, making it more accessible.

Which is not to say all blogs need to be this informal; many great blogs benefit from creating an "expert" or "consultant" tone. The key is to decide what tone will resonate most with your audience, and what you will be most comfortable writing. 

The blog is also very multimedia. Almost every post has a picture or video; given that many architects are visual learners and thinkers, relying solely on text would be a mistake. Especially given the perceived complexity of the subject. It also makes the page more visually interesting, and provides other avenues for readers to find your site by following links from YouTube or photo-sharing sites.

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Trade Show Booth Visibility

Most people design tradeshow displays as though the prospect is standing directly in front of the booth. In reality, this front and center perspective may be the least important vantage point. An attendee's decision to stop in front of your booth is usually made as he or she approaches the booth. This means your exhibit material and signage have to communicate when seen from a diagonal. 

Here is a case in point. While the exhibitor had various graphic on their backwall, they were relying on three mock-ups to demonstrate and sell their product. The free-standing displays and accompanying signage were lined-up, parallel to the "front" of their booth.

However, a quick analysis of their 10'x20' "half-island" booth revealed that it was near the back corner of the exhibition hall, and that there was almost no traffic walking the aisle directly in front of the booth or along the back aisle. (See percentages in sketch above.) By turning the free-standing displays 45 degrees, they became visible by over 70 percent of traffic around the booth.

Sometimes, this sort of traffic analysis can be done before the show by studying the floor plan. But shows constantly offer surprises. So after you set up your trade show booth, take a few minutes to inspect it from a variety of positions around the exhibition hall. Sometimes small adjustments can make a big difference.

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Howard Jancy Joins Chusid Associates

Howard Jancy, CSI, CDT of Chicago, Illinois is now putting his 27 years of experience in the building product industry to work for Chusid Associates. He will lead Chusid Associates' business development in the Midwest, identifying opportunities where the firm's marketing and technical consulting expertise can be put to work for building product manufacturers.

Howard is principal of Jancy Associates, an independent sales agency. He has also worked as a sales representative and architectural consultant for leading building product brands, with responsibilities for sales, training, technical service, architectural promotion, specifications, technical writing, and business development.

Jancy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois. He was a founding board member of the Decorative Concrete Council and has been an affiliate or member of Construction Specification Institute (CSI), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA), and American Concrete Institute (ACI). He has also written numerous articles for construction publications and been a presenter at industry seminars.

With his strong background in sales and a successful track record  in the building industry, Howard is a welcomed addition to the Chusid Associates team.

To speak with Howard or schedule an appointment, call +1 312-286-1813 or email howard@jancyassociates.com. 

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Underestimating our Future

Michael Chusid will be a keynote speaker at the CSI West Region Conference to be held in Spring 2012. His presentation will be during a Vendor Appreciation Luncheon. With both design professionals and sales reps in attendance, any guess who picks up the bar bill?

Here is the write-up on announcing the event:

Underestimating our Future

It's been said, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten." (Bill Gates) With that in mind, Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS, ACI, CWA, SCIP, EIEIO*, fearlessly prognosticates a decade into the future to help us reimagine the next few years. He interprets auguries about building design and construction, material science and product trends, and whether sales reps and specifiers will, at last, find true love and commitment with each other.

Michael is author or ghost writer of over two hundred published articles about architecture, building products and marketing, and publisher of BuildingProductMarketing.com. As president of Chusid Associates (chusid.com), the leading marketing and technical consultant to the building product industry, he has seen untold numbers of innovations crash and burn, yet is adamant that his predictions will be just as wrong as those of anyone else. 

While the tone is lighthearted, the topic is crucial for construction industry professionals in a changing market.

* For those uninitiated, the author is parodying the CSI practice of making liberal use of professional credentials following names. EIEIO is a group for individuals with more than five sets of initials after their name.

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Box Lunch Strategies

CSI Webinar - Thursday, August 4, 2011

What do presenters do right or wrong during box lunch presentations? Hear it from an Architect that has sat through many presentations and a product representative that has provided thousands of programs. Learn the important steps to make your lunch and learn educational session more productive, effective and beneficial to your architectural audience. Discover new ways to stimulate interest in your product, methods to improve retention for adult learners, and techniques to make you their first call for product or system consulting.

Learning Objectives

1. Find ways to become the first choice resource for your architects.
2. Make your Box Lunch productive and rewarding for both you and your architects.
3. Increasing the power of your presentation.
4. Discover how adults “learn” and retain.
5. Understand CES program requirements.

Speaker: Jim F. Whitfield, FCSI, CCPR, CTC, LEED AP
Credit: 1.5 AIA LUs, 1.5 PDHs
When:  Thursday, August 4, 2011 from 2:00PM to 3:30PM

To Register, Click Here

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