The commercial interiors industry is and always will be a relationship-driven industry with a heavy emphasis on sales teams. And this makes sense. It’s a B2B space with a complex specification-to-install process. An unfortunate side effect of this approach, however, is an often overlooked and underfunded marketing discipline. The marketing team plays the role of sales support, forcing them into a reactive state rather than a proactive one.
The specification process is experiencing a fundamental shift. Evolving technologies, generational changes, and lessons from the pandemic have reshaped the dynamics. A&D libraries are increasingly digital, and younger generations of designers are self-serving first and using improved digital tools to get further along the specification process before calling the sales rep.
And this is a good thing. It allows the sales team to focus on the relationship and for marketing to become more proactive and strategic. But in order for organizations to keep pace with this change, they need to evolve their thinking about both marketing as a function and the role of technology and content.
As digital natives enter the workforce, their approach to specification is informed by their comfort with online research and virtual collaboration. Younger specifiers overwhelmingly prefer to gather product information online before initiating contact with a salesperson. This preference means manufacturers must create digital-first experiences that resonate with this audience, including high-resolution product images, easy-to-find information, and a compelling website experience – yet most manufacturers neglect their website (which is usually the sales rep’s number one selling tool).
Digital tools like CET Designer, integrated with extensive product libraries, allow specifiers to refine their choices with minimal interaction with sales representatives. The adoption of these tools is raising expectations for manufacturers to provide robust and up-to-date digital resources, which, in turn, puts pressure on marketing to develop a strategy that doesn’t treat these tools as if they are in silos, but rather as part of a broader digital ecosystem.
For instance, a heavy investment in upgrading your CET symbols should impact the way you leverage social media as well as your website. Metrics shouldn’t be viewed in isolation either. The number of followers you have on Instagram is nice, but what does it mean to your business objectives? Are you trying to grow in certain regions? If so, what can our social media engagement and website traffic tell us about our traction in those regions? And what tactics might we employ as a way to grow?
Ideally, marketing is on the front end of the business. It collaborates with sales to help the organization understand where the market is going, what’s meaningful to the target audience, and how to win. In addition, it manages a marketing pipeline that is connected to but different from the sales pipeline. The pipeline should be aligned with the organization’s target audience, meaning the tactics you use for generating awareness, engagements, and conversions may look different based on whether you are addressing a designer at an architectural firm, a dealer designer, a facility manager, independent rep, dealer sales rep, and so on. While there is overlap between these audiences, their differences are enough to warrant different tactics and content. But if marketing isn’t involved on the front end of the business, the marketing pipeline becomes less targeted and less effective.
As the specification process evolves, manufacturers’ approaches to marketing must also evolve. The brands that will thrive are those that recognize marketing as an indispensable strategic partner, not just a supporting player. By embracing this shift, manufacturers can align their tools, content, and strategies with the needs of today’s specifiers, fostering loyalty and driving long-term growth.
Editor’s Note: This article is by Jake Himmelspach, principal/strategy director at Peopledesign.