Frank Wickstead, Director of Project Delivery/ Client Representation at Jones Pierce, joins us on the Art of Construction to explain why you need to differentiate yourself at the peak of the market.
By defining your sales process now in a market that doesn’t require much beyond returning a phone call, you can set your current projects up for success and be ready for a market downturn. Frank offers tips on how to get subcontractors and vendors to deliver on-time products and work, negotiate discounts from vendors, and use technology to bridge the gap between architects and construction. These tips will strengthen your company now, and will be in place when the market turns to ensure you stay in business.
Frank Wickstead is a licensed general contractor in Georgia, a LEEDapBD+C, and a Building Performance Institute Building Analyst proctor/trainer and Subject Matter Expert. Frank has degrees in Architectural Design and Building Construction from Georgia Tech and The University of Georgia. He was given the Georgia Institute of Technology's Environmental Leadership Award, he was named one of the top 50 remodelers in the country by Remodeler Magazine, was named the EarthCraft Contractor of the Year on multiple occasions.
Frank currently leads the Project Delivery group at Jones Pierce, an architecture and client representation firm in Atlanta, Georgia and an Adjunct Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Design/ School of Building Construction.
2:56 Meet Frank.
4:06 Frank talks about his work with Jones Pierce.
7:29 Differentiating yourself in a market that doesn’t require it.
8:54 Defining your sales process now in at the peak of the market, so they are in place when there’s a downturn.
9:57 Jones Pierce is an architect/construction firm with an official launch date of January 1, 2019. The end goal is project delivery, how to deliver a sustainable project with top-notch detailing, reasonably, in any market
10:49 Overcoming a barrier to success, subcontractor and vendor availability. Jones Pierce is differentiating by paying vendors faster than everyone else, within 3-7 days instead of 14-30 days.
12:15 Creating a good relationship with distributors and vendors so your product is delivered on-time and negotiating discounts for quick payment.
14:32 Providing a great home package so that the homeowner is satisfied and there are no warranty issues down the road.
16:03 Improving the communication between architect and general contractor. Jones Pierce is working on fast-tracking the design process to get to the construction process faster, without losing the attention to detail.
18:31 How a service like Bluebeam can help connect design with construction.
18:52 Buildertrend, software to manage client relationships, scheduling, connects to Quickbooks, and create daily logs for clients.
22:14 General contractor won’t be seen as innovative without technology tools, but you can’t depend 100% on technology without keeping the human touch.
23:09 Creating a strong team. Jones Pierce is hiring people across the generation gap with young people with strong technology skills and industry veterans who understand the value of a handshake.
24:49 Today’s tip - Differentiate at the top of the market so when there’s a downturn you are ready.
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