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B2B, Professional Services

Are you being specified? A briefing for manufacturers to become a mandated choice.

Helena Phillips

6 Jan 2025

  Being specified by a consultant positions a manufacturer’s products as preferred solutions within projects, effectively endorsing the product’s quality, compliance, and suitability. Increasingly, greener products with less environmental impact are also being specified.  This endorsement can provide significant leverage, as the consultant’s recommendations often influence other decision-makers, such as project managers and architects, throughout the purchasing cycle. It often makes the product a mandated purchase, or at least one that is not questioned.  This creates repeat business for manufacturers as their product becomes the standard against which alternatives are measured, making it harder to displace. For manufacturers, this brings stability and a greater likelihood of long-term relationships with buyers and contractors.  Being specified also strengthens a brand’s reputation for compliance and reliability, leading to an increased market share as other specifiers and consultants take note of the product’s validated performance and specify it. The rule of double jeopardy takes full effect.  Additionally, when a product is specified, it provides opportunities for manufacturers to engage more directly with project teams. This opens doors for communication around technical support, product training, and post-sales support, all of which can further solidify the manufacturer’s role as a trusted partner within the project lifecycle.  In summary, the benefits of being specified are: 
  • Secures a position as the preferred solution, reducing the risk of replacement by competitors. 
  • Encourages repeat business and long-term relationships with project stakeholders. 
  • Enhances the brand’s reputation for compliance and reliability. 
  • Increases market visibility and credibility among industry professionals. 
  • Creates opportunities for direct engagement and support with project teams, reinforcing trust and expertise.
  Types of specification  Specified by a company as their preference – This is particularly common in sectors like retail where each shop is very similar.  Specified as the answer to regulatory compliance. This is especially common in these sectors: 
  • Fire Safety Systems – Ensuring robust and compliant fire protection solutions. 
  • Electrical and Lighting Systems – Specifying systems that meet safety, efficiency, and regulatory standards. 
  • Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) – Recommending systems that ensure comfort, energy efficiency, and air quality. 
  • Building Automation and Control Systems – Implementing systems that improve operational efficiency and safety in buildings. 
  • Plumbing and Water Management – Selecting systems that maintain sanitation and adhere to environmental standards. 
  • Security and Surveillance Systems – Ensuring effective and compliant safety measures for building security. 
  • Energy Management Systems – Advocating for solutions that support sustainability and energy efficiency.
  How to influence specifiers  Specifying consultants maintain direct relationships with manufacturers, but they do not make purchasing decisions themselves. Instead, their primary responsibility is to outline essential product and installation requirements for systems and solutions.  They may be commissioned for a specific business (where they specify items for a company-specific policy) or for a process to ensure compliance with specific standards or regulations.  Driven both emotionally and rationally, specifying consultants prioritise minimising risks and ensuring that building occupants are safeguarded by robust, compliant solutions. Strong brands built on trust that has been proven over the years perform well. This reputation is invaluable.  They seek timely approvals on their designs and prefer solutions that align with environmental standards. Having pre-existing, provable accreditation is wise, and making this official accreditation downloadable from your site is recommended.  Their decisions are heavily influenced by a commitment to compliance, reliability, and customer needs. They often consult colleagues, manufacturer CPD materials, industry publications, and associations for information to stay informed in their roles. They welcome updates, which is why they’re often at industry shows and are open to face-to-face meetings, email, and your content.  Be aware that they have limited interest in after-handover support, though they do rely on technical support, literature, product training, and datasheets from providers to aid in their decision-making process. Known as influencers in the buying cycle, they hold significant sway, especially as any specification changes require their sign-off.  This persona reflects a results-driven, ambitious, and proactive professional, determined to recommend only solutions that meet stringent standards and performance requirements.  Eye-catching, creative marketing that clearly explains a value proposition which is new, different, and better than what has come before is vital to getting a specifier’s attention.  

Helena Phillips

Marketing Director

Holding senior roles at B2B marketing agencies for most of her career, including over a decade of experience in B2B financial services marketing – particularly insurance – HP leads Velo’s strategic marketing projects.

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