Architects are busy professionals with a lot on their plate.
When it comes to sourcing building products for a major project, they will want to make the most of their time. They want to find the exact materials they have in mind after landing on your website.
In general, to do their jobs, architects need to know two basic things:
1. Spec information. Architects need products that follow exact specifications to proceed with a project. This includes gathering the BIM, CAD, and REVIT files that enable them to assure quality and streamline design and development. It also means pulling together all sustainability requirements and other compliance terms, so they can meet industry standards and manage projects successfully.
2. How and where to buy your product. This is the simpler matter of going to the right vendor to obtain the exact specified building products needed for a project.
You can quickly meet an architect’s needs when it comes to the how and where issue with a highly-optimized dealer locator.
A dealer locator that serves architects well will provide seamless, fast functionality with access to as many details as needed for the right purchase.
Here, we’ll explain 3 of the most important features architects will want to see in your dealer locator:
1. A Speedy Process for Finding Local Retailers or Dealers
Architects place a premium on speed. When a large project is looming and many fully-specified materials need to come together to keep things on track, sudden delays are more than an annoyance.
They’re a roadblock that can spell professional disaster.
How can you meet this challenge for architects who want to buy your products? By using a locator page that instantly points them to the closest local retailer or dealer.
To accomplish this, you’ll want to use a leading, enterprise-friendly software like Bullseye Locations.
Bullseye builds state-of-the-art locator pages that point architects to the right dealer in seconds. It does this by leveraging the best practices in web design and optimization to provide a visually useful, clean design and a dynamic, responsive Google Map that quickly loads on any device.
This allows an architect to locate the dealer or retailer nearest to them within just a couple of clicks (or taps) after arriving on your site.
Bullseye can also generate inquiry forms that allow busy professionals to get in touch with dealers via direct written message if they prefer. Another feature is click-to-call functionality for phone numbers, which forges fast conversations between architects and dealers when a big project is on the line.
All of the above means one thing: Bullseye is a best-in-class solution for the busy architect with no time to lose.
2. A Comfortable User Experience
Architects are human, too.
That means to keep them satisfied as customers of your brand — and retain them as visitors to your “digital storefront,” also known as your website — you’ll have to give them a seamless user experience (UX) online.
A good UX design on a website can boost conversion rates up to 400%. It’s all about ensuring that your dealer locator is easy to use and “gets out of the way” of the architect’s quest to purchase your building materials.
In fact, the less it feels like your architect is using a locator at all, the better.
How can you achieve this? One way is with a fast, intuitive map technology like Google Maps. It goes a long way toward clarifying dealer locations and helping users narrow the list down to one or two prospects to visit.
You can also make the experience smoother by implementing geolocation detection. This automatically determines a user’s location, and can point them to the closest dealer in moments.
Click-to-call phone numbers and instant access to an inquiry submission form are other ways you can enhance the user experience for architects.
(Hint: Bullseye employs all of these features.)
By implementing as many of these aspects of good UX design as you can, architects using your locator will find it to be a comfortable, smooth glide path to the procurement of the products they need.
3. Accurate Business Information and Inventory Transparency
Accuracy is a hallmark of an architect’s profession.
Without it, a project can be ruined, and the architect’s credentials can be called into question. This carries over to their professional purchasing habits. Architects need accuracy from your locator solution on two key fronts: local business information and inventory transparency.
As far as business info is concerned, your locator absolutely must stay up-to-date at all times with accurate dealer and retailer addresses, hours of operation, and contact info.
Fortunately, with a top solution like Bullseye, this problem is already solved for you. Bullseye leverages Google Business Profiles, formerly known as Google My Business (GMB), to ensure always-accurate name, address, and phone number data across all locations without the need for manual updates.
You can rest assured that any architect getting in touch with your dealers will be met with “live” contact info that works the first time.
Inventory transparency is another key demand. The average U.S. retailer can only boast an inventory accuracy of 63%, but to serve architects’ needs, your dealers have to do far better than that. Architects must know the right products with the right specs are in stock with a particular retailer.
Bullseye is your partner in accomplishing this. Bullseye supports stock transparency by allowing XML files to be used for automatic updates, whether by your company, or your dealers.
This, plus API integrations with leading inventory management software solutions, means you’ll always be able to present accurate stock counts to architects looking to buy.
To Meet Architects’ Needs, Use an Accurate, Fast Dealer Locator Like Bullseye
Because architects are so discerning when it comes to what, when, and where they buy, a building materials brand hoping to retain their business has to cater to their purchasing patterns.
In the digital age, this means being fast, responsive, and offering a superior experience that outshines your competitors in every respect. The Bullseye Locations platform can help you do that, and retain more architects as satisfied customers as a result.
Bullseye lets you build fast, dynamic locator pages that speed up the process of finding local dealers, furnish a seamless user experience, and always provide up-to-date retailer information and stock availability.
Achieve top scores in all these areas — which is easy to do with Bullseye on your side — and architects will remain faithful to your brand for every project on the books.
If you’re ready to see the promise of Bullseye in meeting architects’ needs, schedule a free assessment of your current locator solution today.
Get Advanced Marketing Resources
Learn how building materials manufacturers can intercept demand and increase market share using their locators. Download our free guide today for advanced practices and insights!
