Podcast: Episode #009

Subtitle: Product Rep University

Post Date: July 25, 2019

Host: Eric D. Lussier

Co-founder of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier returns to the mic to host the first episode since September of 2018. 

Eric eases back into the podcast by reminding the listeners how steeped in the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) that Let's Fix Construction ends up being. Eric attended CONSTRUCT, CSI's National Conference, Annual Meeting and affiliated tradeshow in Philadelphia in 2010. Thanks to the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of CSI, Eric got to attend his first full conference of CONSTRUCT in 2011 in Chicago and then went on to return in Phoenix in 2012, Nashville in 2013, Baltimore in 2014, St. Louis in 2015, Austin in 2016, Providence in 2017 and Long Beach, CA in 2018.

2019 will find CONSTRUCT at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, MD on Wednesday, October 9th through Friday the 11th. The Education Advisory Council, that Eric has been a member of for three years now, had a chance to meet in National Harbor in November of 2018 and preview the host resort and start planning the 2019 conference.

As a building product representative, Eric implored the need to have a dedicated track for product reps. Through original programming and submitted education through the RFP process, Eric helped curate six sessions on Wednesday, October 9th and it is called Product Rep University.

Whether new or heavily experienced, the Product Rep University has been developed to help you learn and do your job better as a construction product representative. 

Session one is hosted by Mitch Miller, and is titled 'Discipline Roles & Project Goals: How Do I Fit In?' The goal is for attendees to define and recognize the primary roles of the project team, which includes the Owner, Architect, Contractor, Consultants and Product Representatives. 

Session two is co-hosted by former President of CSI, Casey Robb, and is called 'Welcome to the “Vendor” Jungle! – Moving from Vendor to Trusted Resource'.  Two of the goals of this session include recognizing the perceptions, limitations and real value clients expect in trusted relationships and how to develop a plan to move from “vendor” to “trusted resource” and gain credibility in the eyes of the client and the industry.

The third session has been touched on both in the podcast and on the Let's Fix Construction blog and is called 'Why You Need to Read Division 01 on Your Projects: The Rules of the Game', presented by Anne Whitacre, Senior Specification Writer at HOK. One of the primary learning objectives is to recognize how the various types of contract documents interlock with each other and how they describe the total scope of work.

The afternoon sessions kick off with Michael Chambers, who is a product rep and specification guru and will be delivering a session called 'Substitutions and Submittals: Not So Dirty Words'. This session will help the attendee define substitutions and identify the reasons why a substitution may or can be submitted on a project. Product reps need to know how to deal with substitutions and how you need to follow the rules in how they are submitted. The latest Let's Fix Construction blog talks more about substitutions and you can read it here. 

'Learn from Real Life Lessons and Stories from the Road' is being delivered by T.J. Gottwalt, the Strategic Architectural Account Manager at Allegion. Draw from the experiences of a "seasoned" product representative to explore what works, and doesn't work, in getting specified. T.J. has been there and done that and learn how to best be a rep.   

The Product Rep University wraps up with a special 90-minute session that is encompassed by four different 15-minute sessions with 5-minute Q&A's called 'Power 90 for Product Reps: Greetings, Meetings & More to Know'.  The Power 90 kicks off with Lauren Anderson called 'Use Your Manners (Do’s and Don’ts of Getting in the Door)' Please. Thank you. Calling ahead. Asking for a meeting. Following up promptly. These are just a few of the best practices of getting in the door at a firm and Lauren will help you with this.

Eric will personally be delivering the next session in the Power 90 called 'Networking and Social Media for Product Reps'.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn are all social channels to use, but CSI meetings are also great places to network and meet with people. Eric is going to do his best to deliver how best to use these channels and outlets to meet people.

An addition spec session is next in the Power 90 with 'Specifications:  How You Can Help as a Product Representative' presented by Senior Associate and Specifications at RATIO in Indianapolis, Ivette Bruns. How do you get your product(s) specified? Ivette will inform you the numerous ways you can go about working your product into a project.

The last session in the Power 90 is 'Why Wasn’t My Product Used?' with Jake LaManna, the Quality Assurance Manager at Walsh Construction Co. Are you asking the wrong questions?  Surprise, the answer is yes.  Learn how to balance the strengths and weaknesses (quality) of the product with the manufacturer’s support of the product honestly, with an eye toward growing relationships, not just growing sales

Product Rep University is just one component of this year’s CONSTRUCT show. Cherise Lakeside will host the fifth annual Emerging Professionals Day (formerly known as Young Professionals) Program on Wednesday, October 9th as well, which is built for those 35 and under to provide the attendees with the training, networking, mentoring, and education that they need to boost their careers to the next level. 

There is still time to save on your registration for CONSTRUCT, including Product Rep University and Emerging Professionals Day by signing up by August 6th at www.CONSTRUCTshow.com 

Check out more on the Product Rep University at www.CONSTRUCTshow.com/PRU. 

Podcast Introduction and Outro by Mel Allen www.therealvoice.com

Podcast Theme: "Let's" is performed by Milton Busker www.miltonbusker.com

Listen on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/5DN-LyXBWzo 

Podcast: Episode #007

Subtitle: LinkedIn Lost, Socially Found

Post Date: July 16, 2018

Hosts: Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside

Show Notes: Co-founders of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside, host the latest episode about social media, concentrating on the LinkedIn platform, which was the topic of the latest LFC blog post.  

Eric's social media history stretches back 10 years, starting on LinkedIn and Facebook and just about as long on Twitter. Cherise has about six years of experience and she was introduced to the benefits of social from Joy Davis, former Marketing and Communications Manager for the Construction Specifications Institute, after attending one of her presentations. Cherise states that social media is "one of the single biggest benefits to her career and her network in the last six years that she could have ever dreamed was possible"

Eric's pointer before anyone dips their toes into the water on a social platform they don't use is to listen first and interact second. A 101 level of instruction for even the most common social media platforms is needed, even in 2018, and that is what LFC offers with our 'Social Media & AEC' presentation, that alike the Specs 101 (on architectural specifications) workshop that we offer, is needed in the AEC community, and tends to be much more than a traditional 101 class. 

Cherise talks about how she sees Facebook (NOT for business), how she views Twitter for relationships, and how she first started with LinkedIn, including sending out "about 6,000 connection requests" right off the bat.  Going into LinkedIn jail for 3 months, barring her from sending out new requests, demonstrated to her how to properly listen in and engage with those connections that were accepted. 

Eric gives his biggest LinkedIn tip and that is personalizing your connection request. Make sure you have a profile picture and then be sure to add a personal note. So few people set themselves apart by customizing their LinkedIn invitation. 

After being downsized in August of 2017, Cherise had a first-hand experience about the power of LinkedIn and how just updating your headline and then an official post about a job loss can lead to hundreds of messages and tens of thousands of views. These messages and views led to job offers and the realization that even when you think people aren't watching or listening, that is certainly not the case.

Eric discusses the importance of being found when you're in sales. Utilize your profile to detail product lines that you represent, including your contact information and more.  Ultimately, you want to be found when your business is in sales. And if you want to be found, then LinkedIn is your friend, because Google LOVES LinkedIn, yet not all professionals are using LinkedIn properly, and some not AT ALL.

Cherise was recently at a conference in Maine that involved a number of construction product representatives and 30-50% of the attendees she could not find on LinkedIn.  As a construction specifier, LinkedIn is the number one location Cherise uses to find a contact. 

Cherise relays a story about how she needed to make a last-minute specification design change for a window and she couldn't get the spec online without registering on the manufacturer’s website, which took days for approval, nor could she find a proper contact on the company website. This company lost millions of dollars in business because they chose to be hidden rather than be found.

Eric discusses how websites by nature are very static and not typically kept up-to-date, unlike social media channels, especially Twitter. Eric relates how he found out about a new product line from a manufacturer that was posted on Twitter, yet the company website had nothing listed at all. Twitter is a great search engine for instantaneous results, but YouTube is better for indexed results. YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world and is owned by Google. 

Eric relays the importance to know that if you are relying on Facebook for your social media usage, that only a very small percentage of your likes see your posts. So, be diverse in your usage and engage!

One of the final thoughts from Cherise is that you can make a real impact in just five minutes a day on social media, should you so choose.

Podcast Introduction and Outro: By Mel Allen www.therealvoice.com

Podcast Theme: "Let's" is performed by Milton Busker www.miltonbusker.com 

YouTube: Stream or listen on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Pr2QV64u4fg

Soundcloud: Stream or listen on Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/fix-construction/episode-007

Podcast: Episode #006

Subtitle: Playing Catch Up

Post Date: June 30, 2018

Hosts: Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside

Show Notes: Co-founders of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside, host the first podcast in five months! Where does the time go?  2018 is half done and we've had the opportunity to speak at numerous locations. This episode looks back at the past five months and the live workshops that Eric and Cherise have hosted since the last episode went live.  

It started with the 'Communication & Ramifications of Specifications (Part 1) at the FCICA Annual Convention in Biloxi, MI, on March 20th at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, which was the 'Specs 101' workshop renamed. Delivered to flooring contractors, distributors, manufacturers and installers, this presentation was extremely well received. The Specs 101 is needed as architectural specifications are not being introduced to design professionals in architecture school and are certainly not being given or even discussed to industry professionals.  More information on Specs 101 can be found at www.letsfixconstruction.com/specs101.html 

After Biloxi, Eric and Cherise visited the CSI South Central Region Conference in Frisco, TX on April 6 and delivered 3 presentations, including the Let's Fix Construction Workshop, ​Social Media & the AEC Industry and a brand new workshop, Protectors of the Future: Empowering and Engaging Tomorrow's Leaders.  Cherise revisits how she was introduced to the industry as a young professional and how she feels the need to give back. We felt the need to put together this new presentation to get the people to understand that the information they're reading & hearing has existed about every generation before them. 

The 'Social Media & the AEC Industry' may in essence be a 101 course, but from experience, we know that this information is still needed, especially for those that only dip their toes in social.  LinkedIn is the most important professional network, and it is a MUST to be found as Google loves LinkedIn. It is not just for job seekers.

Quickly following Frisco, we were back on a plane for the CSI Southwest Region Conference in Las Vegas from April 19 - 21, 2018. Our friend, Robin Snyder of Spectra Consulting put together an outstanding conference and had us host FOUR programs, including an impromptu Empowering Young Professionals roundtable discussion, as well as the pre-planned Specs 101, She’s a Specifier, He’s a Product Rep: Different Roles, Same Goals Workshop and our flagship Let's Fix Construction Workshop.

Eric and Cherise had a chance to go international when they presented to the CSC Conference (Construction Specifications Canada (www.csc-dcc.ca) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on May 24th.  This workshop was followed by a special PROSOCO Round Table Discussion at the IA Conference 2018 in New York, NY on June 22. 

No further workshops are on the schedule until CONSTRUCT in Long Beach, California, from October 3 to the 5, but Eric & Cherise will be heavily involved. In addition to being on the Education Advisory Council for the second consecutive year, they'll be hosting and or moderating five different sessions.  The fourth annual Young Professionals Day kicks off CONSTRUCT (www.CONSTRUCTshow.com/ypday) with Cherise leading the way and Eric being one of many mentors during the speed mentoring sessions. In addition to the Let's Fix Construction workshop, Eric and Cherise will be delivering a new presentation called 'Facing Danger: Public Speaking for Non-Public Speakers', which speaks from Cherise's non-traditional background. 

Cherise will be moderating two different programs, including the Archispeak Interactive Luncheon titled 'Real Talk About Challenges, Opportunities & Innovations Surrounding AEC Teams'. Archispeak is an architecture podcast hosted by Evan Troxel, Neal Pann, and Cormac Phalen who offer their brand of real talk on everything from design, tools, and work/life balance to generational differences, mentoring, job hunting and more. Check out www.archispeakpodcast.com 

Cherise will also be moderating the POWER PANEL at CONSTRUCT, 'Millennials as Successors: Misconceptions & Realities - Hear it from them!' Conceived after the impromptu millennial conversation in Las Vegas, four industry young professionals will speak directly about their experiences in AEC.

CONSTRUCT is CSI's annual meeting and affiliated tradeshow and is THE place to be this October.  Be sure to check out CONSTRUCTshow.com for more details.

Podcast Introduction and Outro: By Mel Allen www.therealvoice.com

Podcast Theme: "Let's" is performed by Milton Busker www.miltonbusker.com 

YouTube: Stream or listen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtlpTd0FjA

Soundcloud: Stream or listen on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fix-construction/podcast-ep-006