Spec Shaman

Spec Shaman: Getting Specified

Building product manufacturers who want to get specified by architects can find strategies and suggestions in our weekly blog posts. Building product specification is crucial for manufacturers and our team offers the best resources available. Blog post topics include: 3 part CSI guide specifications, AIA continuing education, and building product rep training. Building product manufacturers who want to get their products specified can check our platform every week for valuable information about the AEC industry. Guest bloggers are always welcome. Please contact us for submission information and requirements.

On: Aug 3, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Building Product Manufacturers Most Important Resources
“Irrespective of ad claims and slogans on trucks, people are not an organization’s most important asset. Having good people is a strategy for creating, acquiring, and building assets,” says Jeffrey Fox in his book How to Be A Fierce Competitor. Employees that work for building product manufacturers quit, are terminated, retire, work hard, etc. Fox argues that profitable customers are a company’s single most important asset.
On: Jul 26, 2017 By: Craig Haney
Building Product Manufacturer Meltdown: How to Avoid Presentation Mistakes
No one wants to be embarrassed or humiliated when visiting an architecture firm. It is crucial that building product manufacturer representatives are fully trained about their product’s benefits, applications, warranty, installation, and maintenance issues. Spec writer Craig K. Haney, FCSI, CCS, recounts a story from his early days that illustrates the pitfalls of not being educated fully about your building product. Let’s hear what he has to say about it-
On: Jul 13, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Don't Let Your Building Products Become Obsolete
“Someone, somewhere, is making a product that will make your product obsolete,” said venture capitalist Georges Doriot. Never stop improving your building product, never stop adapting, never stop innovating, and never give up. Fear can be a powerful motivator for building product manufacturers. What can building product manufacturers do to ensure that their products never become obsolete?
On: Jun 21, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Sustainable Trends for Building Product Manufacturers to Consider in 2017
“It’s hard to imagine a time more hopeful and horrifying for sustainable business. On the one hand are great achievements and milestones. The Paris Agreement on climate change was ratified last year, faster than any United Nations pact in history, a powerful confirmation of the importance the nations of the world attach to combating climate change.
On: Jun 15, 2017 By: Brad Blank
A Building Product Manufacturer's Guide to Fighting the Resistance
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the un-lived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance,” says author Steven Pressfield in his book “The War of Art.” How can building product manufacturers be the best at what they do? How can product reps overcome obstacles in their professional lives? To engage the challenge of specifications effectively requires learning about the process itself. Resistance is what distracts us and prevents us from succeeding.
On: Jun 7, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Where Should Building Product Manufacturers Invest Their Budget Dollars
“Good companies are thoughtful and discriminating as to how they allocate time, people, and money,” says author Jeffery Fox in his book How to Be A Fierce Competitor. Fox advocates that companies should invest their money where they get the highest return. Invest your budget dollars in projects that generate a good return. Invest your time with people who are winners. How much money should you allocate to marketing? And how can you spend it wisely?
On: May 18, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Grand Slam: Increasing Building Product Specifications
Companies that reward users by solving a problem reinforce their motivation for the action taken. In his national bestseller How Build Habit Forming Products, researcher Nir Eyal states “ultimately all businesses help users achieve an objective.
On: May 12, 2017 By: Brad Blank
How Do Architects Become Hooked on Your Building Products?
“User habits are hard to break and confer powerful competitive advantages to any company fortunate enough to successfully create them,” said researcher Nir Eyal in his national bestseller How Build Habit Forming Products.
On: May 5, 2017 By: Brad Blank
Essential Qualities of Successful Building Product Manufacturers
Building product manufacturers need to be fierce to succeed. In Jeffrey Fox’s book How To Be A Fierce Competitor, he states that companies must never stop selling, reaching out, and communicating to their markets.
On: Apr 26, 2017 By: Brad Blank
3 Reasons Why Your AIA Education Course is a Waste Of Money
Building product manufacturers need to invest their marketing dollars wisely. Manufacturers with limited budgets and a small staff need to ensure that they get the best return on their investment. Developing an AIA education course can be an expensive endeavor for a manufacturer. Avoiding certain pitfalls and maximizing investment is crucial. There are three critical mistakes that building product manufacturers need to avoid to not waste their money.

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