How is your company reaching the key decision makers to get your products specified? What strategies are you using to educate design professionals about your products? What metrics does the American Institute of Architects (AIA) use to show that continuing education has the most impact on specifiers? Let’s find out.

In September 2020, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a major study entitled Sustainability in the Architect’s Journey to Specification 2020. The 50+ page specification report offers building product manufacturers a wealth of insight into the decision-making processes of specifiers and how to reach decision makers. Today we will review some of the most significant findings and how manufacturers can implement these strategies.

Why Should Manufacturers Care About Sustainability?

The metrics tell a compelling story and offer insights in how building product manufacturers can get their products specified. Architects consider 50% of the materials they specify as sustainable. 79% of the architects surveyed wanted to specify more sustainable materials than they do today. 1 in 3 architects feel that they hold responsibility for sustainability in the built environment along with product manufacturers.

If we look at the metrics and follow the money, we can see that sustainable design and green building rating systems such as LEED v4 are gaining traction and market share every year. New commercial construction is the biggest driver of green building in 2021 with retrofits of existing buildings being a significant part as well due to COVID-19. The most significant benefit of a green building project identified by owners, architects, engineers, and other AEC professionals is lower operating costs. Occupant health comes in second.

The 2020 AIA report identified two critical components for projects: Product Life Cycle and Project Cycle. Sustainability information resonates the most when it concerns the impact during installation and installed life. 81% of architects surveyed are concerned with installation which includes performance and longevity. The AIA recommends that manufacturers seeking short to medium-term impact should focus communication on this aspect of sustainability.  Product information on a manufacturer’s website and rep support should emphasize this.

During the project cycle, architects most often consider sustainability when selecting products during specification. The AIA emphasizes that manufacturer continuing education is very effective and popular for educating design professionals about a product’s sustainable attributes. Continuing education is critical as we shall see in later metrics.

What Has The Greatest Impact on Product Specification?

The 2020 AIA report identified two significant insights for building product manufacturers: where do architects go to find product information and what source is the most impactful. The study ranked a manufacturer’s website as the #1 resource for specifiers to find product information, followed by basic internet research, continuing education, online databases, and product libraries.

However, when architects were asked what information source had the greatest impact on their specification choices, continuing education ranked number one. Online courses and webinars are powerful tools for manufacturers to reach the decision makers. According to the AIA, CE presents an opportunity to engage with architects and introduce sustainable products. Ranked #2 are online material databases. Ranked last are product libraries such as Masterspec. The AIA noted that architects rarely use these sources to assess sustainability.

Continuing Education Strategies For Product Specification

Out of sight is out of mind. If an architect, specifier, or other design professional doesn’t know that your product can contribute to LEED, then how will they consider it for specification? Education equals specification. Manufacturers that develop and implement comprehensive AIA courses and LEED education and webinars have a higher chance of getting specified.

By integrating HPDs, EPDs, VOC testing, and certifications into your education course, you set your apart from your competition. Nearly every product manufacturer has a lunch and learn or online anytime course. However, most manufacturers only deliver an AIA HSW presentation. This is a significant marketing blunder if your product has any sustainable attributes. Over 100,000 LEED APs need mandatory continuing education to maintain their credential. By upgrading your course to meet the GBCI requirements, you tap into this market and expand your specification opportunities. GBCI courses have higher participation rates and generate more leads.

Another important specification strategy is to train your product reps, sales and marketing staff, and even admin people about LEED v4. They don’t need to become LEED APs, but your product reps should be able to intelligently discuss your products LEED contributions with architects and specifiers. There are free LEED education videos and courses for product reps that are widely available. GreenCE.com offers free LEED education for product reps. Finally, some manufacturers are still using LEED v3 product information on their websites. Manufacturers would be wise to update their product information to the most current version of LEED v4 or LEED v4.1.

Does your company have the best education resources to reach decision makers? How do your product reps stay educated about LEED?