Audience Expertise

Understanding and engaging a complex combination of audiences

The sales funnel is a great way to envision how individuals move through the customer journey. But in the home and building products industry, with issues like specification, value engineering and contractor substitution at play, there are always multiple audiences to consider.

As experts in the specification process and channels involved, Stoner Bunting specialized in connecting manufacturers with all of their audiences. We know what it takes to engage these audiences at any stage of the funnel, resulting in more effective movement along the customer journey.

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Designers

We all refer to “the A&D community,” but it’s one thing to take a verbal shortcut and another to assume architects and interior designers are the same. Designers are every bit as passionate as architects, and even more visually driven. They live in a world of inspiration, ideas and information – and knowing when, where and how to deliver each is essential.

Builders

Builders are business people. For the giants of the industry, it’s by design. For the small, custom firms, it’s by necessity. To gain their trust, you must prove your value to their business. That might mean helping them work more efficiently, cutting callbacks and costs. It might mean helping them attract buyers by differentiating themselves in their market. It will never mean just pushing products.

Distributors & Dealers

One step or two step, lumber yard or luxury showroom, the key to engaging dealers and distributors is to treat them as real partners, not order takers or middle-men. Collaborate on project tracking. Visit contractors together. Co-host on-site customer events. The more you listen and act as their advocate, the more they will act as yours. Which means you both succeed.

Contractors & Installers

Labor shortages. Tighter timelines, budgets, and margins. For GCs and subcontractors alike, the only thing that isn’t shrinking is customer expectations. How can you make their life easier? It may be through product innovations that save labor and build their margins. It may be through training and certification programs that reduce their chance of callbacks. It may be giving them customer insights they simply don’t have time to seek out on their own. Rise above the commodity mindset and show them real value.

Facility Managers

As standardization continues to grow in popularity among large healthcare networks, colleges and universities, and multi-city corporate offices, the end user becomes a bigger part of the equation. Facility managers are the voice of practicality for the owner group, with simplicity, durability and reliability at the top of their selection criteria across the board. Prove your mettle with a demo install that meets their performance expectations, and you may earn a powerful advocate.

Consumers

In the age of HGTV and the celebrity designer, consumers have become passionate about home improvement. Whether they are simply choosing the materials and contracting out labor or are full-on do-it-yourselfers, homeowners are assuming more control of home projects than ever before. But a steady diet of 48-hour makeovers on $5,000 budgets has created unrealistic expectations in a group already predisposed to emotion-based decision-making. For the right products and brands, engaging the passionate homeowner can be a powerful part of their marketing plan, but it must be done armed with the right insight and support throughout the channel.