Sales and Marketing Skills for Construction Technology Businesses (Core and Sustainable Construction)

Brand

The overall impression people have of a company, shaped by tangible and intangible factors.

Sales

The human-to-human side of branding, involving conversations, proposals, and guiding customers.

Advertising

Paid, controlled messaging to build brand awareness and positioning.

Public Relations (PR)

Earned credibility and relationship-building with the community and stakeholders.

Needs Assessment

The structured process of discovering goals, constraints, and decision criteria.

Stated Needs

What customers say they want.

Unstated Needs

Assumed needs that customers expect to be handled by the contractor.

Consultative Sales

A sales approach that focuses on diagnosing customer needs and guiding solutions.

Feature

What a product or service is or has.

Benefit

The value or result the customer gets from a product or service.

Warranty

A written promise about repair or replacement conditions for a product or service.

Root Cause Analysis

Identifying the underlying cause of issues rather than assigning blame.

Distribution Channel

The route a product or service takes to reach the customer.

Direct Distribution

Selling a service straight to the end customer.

Indirect Distribution

Involves intermediaries in the sales journey.

Product Mix

The total set of products and services a company offers.

Line Extension

Adding services that fit within an existing product line.

Bundling

Packaging complementary services together for sale.

Sales Promotion

Time-limited incentives to increase short-term demand.

Consultative Sales Process

A structured approach to lead customers from interest to agreement.

Active Listening

A communication technique where the salesperson fully focuses, understands, and responds to customers.

Objection Handling

Addressing customer concerns professionally and providing clarity.

Ethical Closing

Getting agreement on a clear next step in a calm, non-pushy manner.

Customer Satisfaction

The gap between what customers expect and what they experience.

Measurement Tools

Methods used to gather customer opinions and satisfaction data.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A measure of customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend a service.

Pricing Strategy

The method a company uses to price its products/services to communicate value and position in the market.