Building Product Reps face numerous obstacles in getting their products specified by design professionals. According to spec writer Craig K. Haney, FCSI, CCS, “many product reps then shoot themselves in the foot by making terrible product presentations. You are not selling shoes; you are trying to convince a highly-educated design professional to specify your product over the myriad of similar, or non-similar but competing, products that are available for their consideration.” Here are Craig’s ten things to avoid.

No Presentation Objectives

When you walk into a design professional’s office, what is your objective? Product presentations can take several different forms, from an initial introduction to you and your company, to an interest-generating presentation, to a project-specific meeting to discuss how your building product fits into the design professional’s project requirements. Presentations for each need to be unique, focusing on different aspects.

Mediocre First Impression

Why would any design professional want to meet with a building product manufacturer when they are yawning the entire time, constantly looking at their watch, or just uninformed about their product? Design professionals are looking for experts to assist them in making sure that their project is a success. Make yourself the first one they think of when a need for your building product type arises by being upbeat, informed, and above all, helpful.

Lack of Preparation

Why leave those test results in your car downstairs when a design professional might ask for them at any time? You might lug them around for months before anybody asks, but that is far better than admitting that you do not have them.

Poor Visual Aids

I have had building product manufacturers pull samples out of their cases only to have pieces fall off them, and they apparently think that I will use that product on my project. I have seen AIA continuing education presentations that contained graphics that were illegible and charts so small that you needed to read the contents from the front row. Do yourself a favor; spend some time on your visual aids, then present them to a friend or colleague before you ever present them to a design professional.

Lack of Enthusiasm

If you are not excited about your building product, why would I get excited? You may be selling concrete aggregate, but as far as you are concerned it is the world’s best concrete aggregate, and the design professional would be doing his client a great service by specifying it!

Weak Eye Contact

Everybody wants to feel like they are a part of the proceedings, even if they are not. Making eye contact with every person in the room says that they have been acknowledged as a part of the team and that their presence is appreciated. Hint: When talking to large groups, scan the room just above the last row of chairs; everyone in the room will think that you are looking directly at them!

No Audience Involvement

Everybody wants to be able to offer their opinion or ask questions, so let them. Leave time in your AIA presentation for them to do exactly that, even if they wander off course. You may never get back to your original presentation, but don’t worry; they are testing you to see if you will be a good resource.

Lack of Facial Expressions

This goes hand-in-hand with Lack of Enthusiasm. Get excited!

Sticky Floor Syndrome

If you are talking to a larger group or giving an AIA lunch-and-learn, move around! Not only does it keep people from falling asleep, it also has the added benefit of keeping people from texting!

Ineffective Closing

What should be the last thing you say at the end of a presentation be? No not “do you have any questions” or “what projects are you working on”, but “can I be included in your specifications?” Why go to all the trouble of making a presentation if you leave out the killer closing statement?

We will be looking at other ways to relate better to design professionals in future posts, so come back often! How does your company avoid the mistakes that we have discussed? What strategies does your company use to get building products specified?