Why do you not like a particular spiff?
Showroom consultants and other professionals do not like SPIFF programs that are complex, have minimal qualified products and low payouts.
Snapshots
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Which product SPIFF programs do you participate in?
Showroom consultants and professionals are typically involved in several SPIFF programs but some brands have higher participation rate than others.
Approximately how many SPIFF’s do you participate in?
The majority of showroom consultants and other types of sales professionals are involved in five or more SPIFF programs.
What do you like best about the SPIFF programs you participate in?
Sales professionals prefer SPIFF programs that are easy use, offer top pay and have multiple products that qualify.
Do you participate in SPIFF/incentive programs?
Approximately half of the sales professionals surveyed participate in one or more SPIFF or sales incentive program.
What type of home are you currently living in?
The majority of consumers surveyed are currently living in a single-family multi-level home. About a third have ranch style homes.
How do you judge the amount of space in your current home?
About half of consumers are happy with the amount of space in their existing homes while the half indicated their current home is either too small or too big.
In your own words, tell us what you really don’t like about your current home and would change
Most consumers indicated there were several things they don’t like about their current home and would change in their dream home.
In your own words, tell us what you like about your current home
The location and the size of a person’s home are most often the thing consumers like most about their home
Tell us how you would find and select a builder to build your dream home
Consumers most often turn to friends and family for recommendations when selecting a builder for their dream homes. They also use online searches and reviews.
If you were to move or build a new home, what type of home would you most likely purchase?
Slightly more than 50% of consumers indicated they would build or purchase a single-family ranch home while 43% preferred a multi-level home.
Please tell us what features you “must have” in your dream home.
The majority of homeowners want a laundry room, garage, two or more bedrooms and more than one bathroom. Most also want energy efficient windows and hardwood floors.
What might be the dollar value you’d be willing to put in for the renovation(s) you plan?
The majority of homeowners plan to spend more than $5,000 on their renovation project(s).
What are the primary reasons you are considering a change in your home over the next 12 months?
The majority of homeowners indicated the reason for considering a change in their home was to “upgrade” for new and increased features.
Over the next 12 months, are you planning on selling, buying or renovating your home?
The majority of homeowners indicated they were not planning on selling, buying or renovating their home over the next 12 months.
How can product manufacturers improve their social media and digital tools to ensure you are getting the product information and support you need for your projects?
Manufacturers need to make sure the information they provide in social media and online is relevant, factual and easy to find.
Over the next 2 years, do you anticipate your use of the following types of social media for business will increase, decrease or stay the same?
Most building professionals indicate they will use social media and other types of online channels the same or more over the next few years.
How much impact has the recent COVID pandemic had on your use of social media and/or online platforms?
The majority of building professionals indicate the COVID pandemic has some impact on their use of social media and online platforms.
Overall, how reliable and useful is the information you find on social media to your job?
The majority of building professionals find the information on social media to be fairly reliable and useful to their job.
For business, how much time do you spend per day on social media or online networking/digital sharing sites?
The majority of building professionals spend approximately an hour a day on social media, online networks and digital sharing sites.
What do you feel are the key advantages and disadvantages of using social media for business?
Building professionals use social media for business because it is easy to use, can reach large audiences and provides a quick way to make others aware of their business.
How often do you currently use the following social media, online networking or image sharing sites for business purposes?
Overall building professionals use LinkedIn and Facebook the most for their business, but the frequency of use differs type of professional.
What is your preferred social media channel?
While building professionals “prefer” a variety of different social media/communication sites, they use Facebook the most for both personal and business purposes.
Do you personally use social media?
The majority of building professionals use social media in both their jobs and for personal purposes.
What is your company’s preferred social media channel?
Facebook followed by Instagram and LinkedIn are the preferred social media channel for companies involved in the building construction industry.
Does your firm or company use social media?
Most firms/companies in the building construction market are using social media.
Please tell us how you personally use social media or online network/digital channels for business or why you don’t use these sites.
Building professionals use social media for a variety of reasons including: networking, building their businesses and finding new products or industry news.
Do you personally use any social media or on-line network/digital sharing websites or channels for your job?
The majority of building professionals use some type of social media or on-line channels for their job.
What are the biggest issues/obstacles you face in your job today?
Due to COVID, building professionals are facing different issues than they were a year ago.
With the growth of the aging population how much more important will ADA requirements be to your product selection and specification over the next few years?
While ADA requirements have always been important to building professionals, many believe they will be “more” important due to the growth in the aging population.
How much impact will the COVID pandemic have on your future selection and specification of products for the facilities you are involved with?
COVID will and is having an impact on building professionals’ product specifications and selections.
When a manufacturer introduces a new product, service or material, what product information is most important to you?
Building professionals need a variety of information on products/materials and the type of information needed can vary based on their job function.
How likely are you to use the following types of communications to learn about new products/materials?
Building professionals are likely to use email or free online webinars or CEUs to get product information during COVID.
What, if any, restrictions does your company have in place for visitors?
The majority of facilities and building professionals’ firms require visitors to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and make appointments.
When do you anticipate you will be allowed to schedule rep visits or CEU lunch and learn meetings?
The majority of building professionals do not know when their companies will allow rep visits or lunch and learn meetings.
Are you or your company currently allowing manufacturer’s reps to visit or present a lunch and learn or other group meeting?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of companies or firms are not allowing product manufacturers to visit or present a CEU lunch and learn.
What are your company’s plans for working in the office over the next 6 months?
The majority of building professionals anticipate returning to part office/part remote within the next 6 months, but many still plan to work remote or are uncertain about the future.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the time you spend in the office verses working remotely?
While the majority of building professionals worked remotely during the peak of the pandemic, many do not anticipate returning to spending 100% of their time in the office post-COVID.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, what was your preferred method for manufacturers to introduce new products or building materials and what is it today?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, building professionals are using more online resources, phone calls and email to get product information.
In the era of COVID-19 and social distancing, have you changed the way you get new product information from manufacturers?
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way building professionals get product information from manufacturers.
In your opinion, who has the best website for your purposes?
Although many architects and designers cannot just pick one “top” website, most do have a particular site they feel is better than most.
How often have you been frustrated with a product manufacturer’s website that it caused you to leave their site without the information you need/want?
Architects and interiors designers are often frustrated with manufacturers’ websites. They don’t find the detailed information they need or they can’t find information quickly enough.
What can or should product manufacturers do to make their websites better for you?
Building professionals have several suggestions for how manufacturers can improve their websites. Overall they want websites easier to navigate, search and get key information they need including product/tech documents, rep/contact and detailed product information.
Overall, how satisfied are you with product manufacturers’ websites in the following areas?
Building professionals are most satisfied with the up-to-date information and content found on manufacturers’ websites; but, websites could improve on the overall flow and ability for professionals to find information they need quickly.
How often do you use the following sources to get detailed product information?
Building professionals use manufacturers’ websites most often as a source for detailed product information.
Should trade magazines eliminate the printed versions and only offer digital?
The majority of building professionals use the printed version of trade magazines and do not want publishers to eliminate print magazines.
How often do you use the following PRINTED materials?
Most professionals involved with building construction/management still use printed materials often.
Should product manufacturers eliminate all printed materials in favor of digital?
Building professionals do not want manufacturers to eliminate printed materials.
What sources do you use to keep informed on a product’s sustainability, impact on the environment or health issues?
Building professionals most often use manufacturers and professional associations for information on a product’s sustainability and environmental/health-related features.
What technologies/automation do you use regularly for tracking, managing or evaluating your projects?
Most building professionals use simple spreadsheets and some type of project management software to manage, track and evaluate projects.
What are the biggest issues or obstacles you face today?
Building professionals have issues with balancing budgets while still meeting clients’ needs, maximizing design, maintaining quality and trying new products.
How often do you specify/use new products today?
Most building professionals like to try new products, but are concerned about the durability, long-term track record and performance.
How much impact do the following trends have on your product selections?
New, contemporary and cutting-edge design with enviro-friendly features have the most impact on designer’s product selection.
What is your preferred method for manufacturers to introduce you to a new product or building material?
Most often, professionals in the building construction market would prefer to have a face-to-face connection with a manufacturer’s rep for new product information.
How often does the contractor request approval for a product that is NOT in your final specifications?
Often times, contractors will request the approval for a brand of product that is not in the specification.
How often do you modify your standard specifications to meet specific project objectives versus copying an existing specification?
Overall, the majority of architects and designers will try to customize their specs to meet project and client objectives.
How often do you include the “brand with no substitutions” language when specifying a particular brand of product?
Most designers do not list a specific brand with no substitution in their specifications. The majority use “no substitutions” on less than a quarter of their projects.
How often do you include the “brand or equal” language when specifying a particular brand of product?
The majority of designers will use “brand or equal” in over 50% of their projects.
How often do you include the “basis of design” language when specifying a particular brand of product?
Approximately half of architects’/designers’ specifications include “basis of design” language when specifying commercial products.
Do you or your firm have standard specifications you use for your projects and how often are they reviewed?
The majority of architects and designers have standard specs that they review and update at least annually.
What methods or formats do you most prefer for getting the information you need on building materials/products?
Building professionals rely on manufacturers to get information they need on building products and materials.