Post on PEiR Group Point of View blog about offering "self-managed" project workspace solutions to AEC clients

Even though it’s “kind-of-a-lead-in-for” an ad about PlanWell Collaborate, there are some interesting remarks – and good food for thought – in an article posted today on the PEiR Group Point of View blog.

Here’s just the first part of the article; later on you’ll find a link that will whisk you away to the full article.

MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011

Offer "Self Managed" Project Workspace Solutions to Your AEC Clients

The document management needs of the AEC marketplace are changing and reprographers who fail to acknowledge these changes will be challenged to survive in the years ahead.

Over the last several years we have seen more and more AEC end-users starting to adopt low-cost file sharing tools that are diminishing the needs and value of traditional reprographic offerings, even On-line Plan Rooms.

Owners, GC’s, Sub’s and Design Professionals are aggressively moving towards using self managed solutions for distributing critical project information to project stake holders. Many are choosing to use CD’s, E-mail, FTP and web-based technologies like: BaseCamp, iSqft, SmartBidNet, Yousendit, BoxNet, DropBox, FileGenius, and a slew of others products to share and exchange project documents digitally.

Here’s a link that’ll take you to the full article:

http://peirgrouppointofview.blogspot.com/2011/03/offer-self-managed-workspace-solutions.html

A Successful Sales Story “Selling Software as a Service”

On February 8, Shaun Meany, President of ARC’s PEiR Group division, posted a very well-written article, which is, essentially, a “case study” of how a salesperson sold PlanWell Collaborate to a General Contractor. The case study also mentions that the sale was expanded to include a staffed FM (OnSite) service. I don’t know which reprographics company sold this deal to the GC; it could have been an ARC-owned division, or it could just as well have been an independent reprographer (i.e., not owned by ARC) who invested in PlanWell Collaborate. Also, I don’t know which GC bought the deal. If the GC this article mentions was the “Gilford Corporation” (a very large minority-owned, highly-successful GC based in the Washington, DC area), that would make this deal even more impressive than would otherwise be the case, since the owner of Gilford Corporation, Henry Gilford (one of the nicest guys you could ever know), was formerly a partner in The Reproduction Center (TRC), a reprographics company that operates in Prince Georges County, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC. TRC was purchased from Henry and his then-partner (Peter Chase, who was with Clark Construction Group at the time) by Jim Costello, who still owns and operates TRC.

The article begins with this:

A Successful Sales Story “Selling Software as a Service” - PlanWell Collaborate

One of the fastest growing and most successful, privately owned, minority Class ‘A’ general contractors in the US Mid-Atlantic region, has made the commitment to invest in PlanWell (Collaborate). This progressive GC has the proven abilities and track record to take on some of the most challenging of construction projects in the area. They are committed to meeting their clients’ goals by making investments in education, technology and their employees, so they are able to avoid costly delays, keep projects in budget and deliver high-quality work.

And, the article provides additional information for these topics:

· Solution Selling Process

· Sales Objections and Solutions

· Learnings

· Opportunities with Account

For reprographers who are interested in reading the full article – and I urge you to do that – because any information you can learn from the success of others will help you grow your business – here’s a link to the full article that Shaun posted on the PEiR Group Point of View Blog:

http://peirgrouppointofview.blogspot.com/2011/02/successful-sales-story-selling-software.html