TOP 10 Tips in Construction: #2 of 10

"How fast can you roll out across the whole company?"

Typically this question will have most sales people look like the young guy to the right, but it should make you pause a moment, if you are very early in the relationship with your customer.

Welcome to TIP#2: "START SMALL!"

As I wrote 2 weeks ago in my "Top 10 Tips implementing digital platforms in Construction" I am going to pick one Tip each Monday for further explanation - today as introduced above, tip # 2 is

"Start Small -> Learn -> Correct -> Expand"

To summarize - the 10 TIPS where:

So why the hesitation towards a customer, who has clearly seen the magic in your product and is waiting to revolutionize the construction industry alongside you? Well, typically - if you are early in the relationship - because one or more of these points are true:

Enough articles, blogs and books are written on how to succesfully implement platforms across a company, so I will focus mainly on what you are facing, when implementing towards the construction industry - or, if you are working within a client, GC, sub-contractor etc.

CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES AND IT INVESTMENTS

Forget the urban legend that the construction industry is massively special. Forget that we build something unique every time, and therefore cannot harvest the same benefits from collaboration & communication, that all other industries have gained over the last 2 decades. This simply isn't true. But respect that some conditions do exist:

The construction industry is the least digitized of all, so organisations do not have the same lvl of experience on how to implement platforms, as other industries

Workforce is often scattered and very different in their IT skills, usage and conditions in which your software must function

The industry operates with very small margins (most of it) and as mentioned in number 1, do not have much experience with significant IT investments

The people who have seen the future benefits of the platforms/systems are often not the same people who will be the most heavy users

Last, but not least, Construction is not - when it comes to IT - fact-driven yet. Many companies will want to see proof within their own organisation, even though you have a ton of customer cases.

So, when you - as we at GenieBelt often do - find yourself talking to some in a company where you are convinced that your solution will make a significant positive impact, curb your desire to say YES to the instant roll out, and remember the above 4 conditions.

Think Big - Start Small - Learn Fast

Kick off this future life-long customer relationship with baby-steps, and with the "Think Big, Start Small, Learn Fast" mantra alongside you.

Find out how experienced the customer is, in company wide roll-outs.

Prove the gains within the company, even though you have proved it countless times outside.

Do you agree on my 5 base assumptions? Are we as an industry still resistant to major IT investments? Do we still cling to the "Not invented here!" attitude? And do the low margins kill the willingness to invest in IT?

Let me know.

Sincerely

Ulrik Branner, CEO