Key takeaways
- Selling tools to a practice and getting a product specified in its buildings are two different sales.
- Architects specify building products; the contractor usually buys them.
- The BIM or design technology lead tests software, a director signs for it.
- Submission and tender deadlines are the worst moments to ask for time.
Who specifies and who purchases in a practice
In a practice, architects specify and directors purchase, and for building products the purchaser is often outside the practice altogether. An architect writes your cladding or flooring into the specification; the contractor buys it later and may propose an equivalent unless the specification rules that out.
Software and services for the practice itself follow a different path: the BIM or design technology lead tests them, the practice manager checks how they fit the office, and a director approves the spend. Decide which sale you are making before you build the list.
How practice size changes the sale
Practice size changes who you talk to and how long it takes. In a small practice the director chooses everything, often between projects; a mid-sized practice has a practice manager and a BIM lead; a large one has a design technology team, IT, procurement and studios in several cities.
Filter by headcount, region and the sectors each practice designs for, such as housing, education, healthcare or workplace, and read its project pages. A practice whose recent work matches your product is a better lead than a larger one that does not.
How to sell software to architects
Sell software to architects by letting the BIM or design technology lead try it on a live project, with clear answers on how it works with their modelling tools and their information management standards, such as ISO 19650. Training time counts as cost, because every hour learning is an hour not billed.
Licence renewals are natural decision points, so learn when each practice renews its main design tools. For building products, the established route is continuing professional development: a useful, low-sales seminar earns time with a whole studio and keeps your product in mind when specifying.
What triggers make architecture practice prospects buy
Architecture practice prospects buy when work changes: a big project win that needs new capability, a new studio, a hiring push or a renewal coming up. New duties for designers under building regulations in England have also led practices to review how they record design decisions.
Time your outreach around the project calendar. Planning submissions and tender packages swallow whole teams for weeks, so ask what is due before you ask for a meeting.
How to find and approach architecture firm leads
Decide first whether you sell to the practice or through its specifications.
- Decide whether you are selling to the practice itself or getting a product specified in its projects.
- Filter practices by headcount, region and the sectors they design for.
- Name the director, practice manager and BIM or design technology lead, or the specifying architects for products.
- Find triggers such as project wins, new studios, hiring and software renewal dates.
- Offer something that fits the project calendar, such as a short professional development session or a trial on a live project.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsName up to ten practices with roles such as practice manager or BIM manager and a city; leads land as CRM contacts in a segment, with work emails where found and a confidence score.
- CapabilityOutreach contentDraft a version for the director and one for the design technology lead, up to seven touches each; LinkedIn messages are drafted for you to send.
Common questions
What does a BIM manager do in a software purchase?
The BIM or design technology manager usually tests tools, sets the standards for how they are used and recommends the purchase; a director signs off the spend.
Do architects buy building products?
Usually not directly. They specify products in drawings and specifications, and the contractor buys them, sometimes proposing an equivalent unless the specification prevents it.
Is a CPD seminar a good way to reach architects?
For product manufacturers it is a well-used route: a useful, low-sales session earns time with a practice and keeps your product in mind when specifying.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
