Stop Selling Panels. Start Solving Problems.

As I reflect on my 25 years in the insulated metal panel (IMP) industry, I have learned a lot about panels. More than that, I have learned about different systems, applications and building types. I have watched products evolve, manufacturers innovate and the IMP industry grow tremendously.

But some of the most important lessons I have learned have little to do with the panel itself. At the end of the day, our customers are not really buying insulated metal panels. They are trying to construct a building. They have a schedule to meet, a budget to manage, labor to coordinate and an owner who expects them to deliver what was promised on the day it was promised. The panel is only one part of the project.

That may sound obvious, but I think those of us who manufacture and sell building products sometimes forget it. We become so focused on selling the features and benefits of our product while chasing that PO that we forget to ask a much more important question: What problem is our customer trying to solve?

There is certainly a place for talking about products. We should know what we sell and understand where our products fit. But product knowledge alone does not make someone a valuable partner. Understanding the project does.

What is driving the schedule? What concerns the contractor? Are there complicated details? Is the installer familiar with the IMP system? Is there something about delivery that could create a challenge? And most important, what is keeping the project manager awake at night?

Sometimes the best thing you can do is tell a customer that you need to bring someone else into the conversation. No one expects you to have every answer. But you need to know how to find the answer and then follow through. I have always believed that my job is not simply to sell a panel. My job is to be a partner and a project resource. There is a big difference.

One of the most important voices in an IMP project belongs to the people who install the product. They experience our products in a way most of us never will. They know what happens when details are unclear. They know how seemingly small decisions made months earlier can affect productivity once crews are on the job site. We should listen to them.

When an installer tells us something is difficult, our first instinct should not be to explain why it shouldn't be difficult. Ask why. Understand what they are experiencing. Maybe there is an opportunity to provide better information, improve the details, change a process or simply communicate earlier on the next project.

Manufacturers can learn an incredible amount by listening to the people putting their products on buildings every day. And when manufacturers, contractors and installers communicate early, everyone benefits.

I don't think being a good partner means everything always goes perfectly. Construction doesn't work that way. Trucks get delayed. Weather changes. Schedules slide. Drawings get revised. Field conditions surprise us. Mistakes happen.

The real test of a partnership often comes when something doesn't go according to plan. Do you answer your phone? Do you communicate the problem quickly or hope nobody notices? Do you spend your energy determining who is at fault or determining how to move the project forward? Do you make commitments you can actually keep? Do you have the difficult conversations? Trust is built in those moments. It is easy to be a great partner when everything is going well. The difficult moments are when customers learn who they can count on.

That is also why transparency matters so much. Sometimes the answer is not the answer a customer wants to hear. Maybe the lead time isn't going to work. Maybe a particular product isn't right for the application. Maybe there is a limitation that needs to be discussed. I'd rather have a difficult conversation earlier than a much more difficult conversation after material arrives on a jobsite.

Our industry has changed tremendously during my career. When I started my career, IMPs were for walk-in coolers or large white distribution centers along the interstate. IMPs have evolved considerably in 25 years. We have better technology, better communication tools and more information available to us than ever before. But construction is still a relationship business. People want to work with people they trust.

That trust isn't created through a brochure, a presentation or a sales pitch. It is built over time. It comes from answering questions, returning phone calls, admitting when you don't know something and doing what you said you were going to do. It means you follow through.

It also means remembering that every person involved in a project has a different perspective. The architect sees design. The owner sees their investment. The general contractor sees schedule and coordination. The erector sees constructability and labor. The manufacturer sees production and product performance. A successful project requires those perspectives to come together. That is why the panel is only part of the project.

I love the insulated metal panel industry. I believe in the products we manufacture, and the value IMPs bring to buildings. I also believe we can sometimes make selling more complicated than it needs to be. Do all the things: Ask questions. Listen. Know your product. Understand the project. Respect the installer. Bring the right people to the table. Do what you say you're going to do. And when something goes wrong, help solve it. I always tell customers, I don’t want just this one project. I want all your projects moving forward. But that is earned-never to be expected.

After nearly 25 years in this business, those are the things I have found customers remember. So maybe our goal shouldn't be to sell more panels. Maybe it should be to solve more problems. I have a feeling the panels will follow.

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