Guide Specifications and
Building Product Marketing
Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS
Vivian E. Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP
CSI Webinar - October 2011
1
Division 00 - Learning Objectives
1. Understand why specifiers need guide specs.
2. Apply CSI formats and principles to guide specs.
3. Provide "point-of-specifying" assistance to A/E.
4. Reduce product liability and construction claims.
5. Be able to use specs as marketing & sales tools.
Division 01 - Presentation Format
PART 1 - GENERAL: Purpose of guide spec
PART 2 - PRODUCTS: Writing guide spec
PART 3 - EXECUTION: Using guide spec
PART 1 - GENERAL
SUMMARY: What Is a Guide Spec?
RELATED SECTIONS: Coordination with Other Sections
REFERENCES: CSI Formats and Principles
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS: Designing your Spec
WARRANTY: Product Liability and Construction Claims
4
SUMMARY
What is a Guide Spec?
Types of Specifications
• Product Specification
Capabilities and
description of your product.
PRODUCT
Types of Specifications
• Project Specification
Building owner’s
project requirements.
PROJECT
Types of Specifications
• Guide Specification
A sales tool that makes it
easier for a design
professional to satisfy
project requirements by
specifying your product in
a correct and appropriate
manner.
PRODUCT
SALES
PROJECT
Uses for Guide Spec
• Example Document for Design
Professionals
• Reference Document for Understanding
your Product
• Construction Specification in the
Making
9
Example
Guide Spec
Construction Spec
11
Guide Spec
• Incomplete as a
construction spec
• Example document for
design professionals
• Reference for product
selection
• Communicate between
manufacturer and
specifier
• Coordinate with other
product information
12
Construction Spec
• Part of contract between
owner and contractor
• Written description of a work
result, describing procedure,
quality, and execution
requirements
• Design Professionals:
Describe work that is hard to
draw
• Estimators: Effect quality and
execution costs
• Contractors: Verify testing,
mockup, submittals, execution
• Lawyers: You Know What!
13
Who Uses Each Piece?
14
RELATED SECTIONS
Coordination with Other Documents
•
•
•
•
DIVISION 00
Bidding/Procurement Forms
Contract Forms
Conditions of the Contract
• DIVISION 01
• General Requirements
Project Manual vs Drawing
• PROJECT MANUAL
• DRAWINGS
Size, quantity,
Quality of materials
location, adjacencies,
and workmanship,
and other information
administrative
best shown
provisions, temporary
graphically.
facilities, and other
information best
shown in text.
Do not show same information in both Drawings and Project Manual.
REFERENCES
CSI Formats and Principles
CSI Principles
MasterFormat
• Organized by
Work Results
• Not by trade
• Not by product
• Hierarchical
•
•
•
•
Division
Broad-Scope
Narrow-Scope
Specialty
• Know Your Place
masterformat.com
20
SectionFormat
• Organizes Sections
• Fixes order of content
• Not narrative
• Hierarchical Structure
• Part 1 - General
• Part 2 - Products
• Part 3 - Execution
• Articles
•
•
Paragraphs
Subparagraphs
21
PageFormat
• Basic Page Layout
• Titles
• Hierarchical
Paragraphs
• Margins
• Minimum Sizes
• Suggests Features
• Bolded Headings
• Headers & Footers
• Columns: 1 or 2
• Goal: Comprehension
22
PERFORMANCE
REQUIREMENTS
Designing your Spec
Guide Specs as Marketing
• Tool for talking to specifiers
– Want it to look boringly normal
• Technical documentation
– Part of your product literature
• Part of your communication strategy
– Who gets what information?
– What do you control through reps and sales?
• Present your company well
24
The Four “C’s”
•
•
•
•
Clear
Concise
Complete
Correct
The FIVE “C’s”
•
•
•
•
•
Clear
Concise
Complete
Correct
CONVINCING
The SIX “C’s”
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clear
Concise
Complete
Correct
Convincing
CAFFEINATED
Consider
• Decision Tree
– What will designer have to decide about your
system?
• Design Keys to Success
– Guide the design team
• Construction Keys to Success
– Direct the contractor
• What Could Go Wrong?
28
WARRANTY
Product Liability and Construction Claims
Liability and Claims
What Guide Specs Can Do:
• Help specifier create more better specification
• Suggest proper language for product
• Help reduce improper use of your product
• Reduce speci-fictions
30
Liability and Claims
Avoid:
• Creating an unintended warranty
• Making decisions that belong to specifier
• Conflicts with other information you publish
• Publishing claims you can not document
• Knowingly conflict with industry standards or
regulations (without disclosing such)
31
Any questions, before we go on?
32
PART 2 - PRODUCTS
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION: Guide Spec Design
COMPONENTS: Parts and Pieces of Guide Spec
FABRICATION: Putting Words on Paper
33
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Guide Spec Design
Guide Spec Specifies a Building
• Think about whole systems (work results),
not just your product.
• Integrate into complete project manual.
• Specify related materials.
• Not “by others” – address to “Contractor”
• Consider through customer’s eyes.
35
Language of Specifications
•Imperative Mood
•Direct to Contractor
•Streamlining
•Avoid extra words
• A, an, the, this…
• All, every, any, each...
36
Broad Scope or Narrow Scope
• Is product used alone or in combination with
your other products?
• Can decisions be made easily within a broad
scope section?
• Are you better off with several narrow-scope
sections?
• Offer paragraphs specifier can insert into
another specification document?
37
Methods of Specifying
Descriptive: Material, size, configuration.
– Glued-laminated wood beam, douglas fir.
Performance: Strength, effectiveness
– Modulus of Elasticity 2.0E
Reference Standard: Industry/government
– ASTM D143, AITC 119, etc.
Proprietary: Named manufacturer/product
- Western Wood Structures, Inc., Type K
38
Choose a Method of Specifying
• Publicly-funded projects may require:
– Descriptive,
– Performance
– Reference Standard
– Proprietary specs naming several suppliers
39
Choose a Method of Specifying
• Do you have legitimate equals?
– Consider naming your own, fair competitors
• Distinguish your product from cheaper
products
• Show your functional advantages clearly
– Performance or Descriptive may do this best
40
Bend Rules, for Clarity
• Don’t blindly adhere to SectionFormat if it
makes specifier’s decision tree unclear
• Group information for ease of use
– Schedule?
– Paragraph by paragraph?
41
Bend Rules, for Clarity
Grouping: Model-dependent attributes
42
Bend Rules, for Clarity
Schedule: Freely-combined attributes
43
COMPONENTS
Parts and Pieces of Guide Spec
Parts of Guide
Specifications
Branding: Sales Tools
• Header
• Section Number
• Introductory Paragraph
Accessories: Assistance to
Specifiers
• Instructions for Use
• Contact Info
• Choices and Options
Basic components:
Language for Contractor
• Body Text
• Completed Choices
45
What Features to Specify
Is feature really important?
• Advantage to owner, in use?
• Improved operating energy? Water?
• Better indoor air quality?
Whom does feature benefit?
• Ideally, owner.
• Contractor advantages are owner’s cost
advantages.
46
Assistance to Specifiers
Introductory Notes
• Explain scope of guide spec
• Explain use of guide spec
– Where to get electronic version
– Specifier’s responsibility for construction spec
• Introduce product or system
• Provide your contact information
47
Assistance to Specifiers
Notes to Specifier
• Use hidden text or otherwise distinguish
from body text
• Talk directly to your specifying audience
• Educational
– Explain options.
– Guide to correct use of systems.
• Positioning and competitive claims
48
Assistance to Specifiers
Choices
• Offer choices or options where appropriate
• Choose entire paragraphs
– Place a note between: “Choose above for this
reason, or below for that reason.”
• Choose among options in a sentence
– [Bracket] and bold, or otherwise clearly visible
– Place a note before: Usually this, why that.
49
50
51
52
53
54
FABRICATION
Putting Words on Paper
How To Write Guide Specs
• Existing staff with right skill set
• Train staff through CSI
CDT – basic project communication
CCPR – Certified Construction Product Representative
• Use Consultant
Experienced
See broad picture of how product is used
Understands construction and marketing
56
Have any questions arisen?
57
PART 3 - EXECUTION
PREPARATION: Marketing to Specifiers
INSTALLATION: Getting into Project Spec
CLEANUP AND CORRECTION: Eliminating Common Mistakes
MAINTENANCE: Will you still love me tomorrow?
58
PREPARATION
Marketing to Specifiers
Training Your Team
Minimum Skills for Every Rep
• Able to read drawings and specs!
• Offer specs to right people at right time
• Understand how common uses of your
products are specified
• Understand decision tree in guide spec
• Construction Document Technologist (CDT)
60
Guide Spec Distribution
• Downloadable from your web site as an
editable document
• Hosted by online service
• Through reps
• Pre-edited by your technical staff
61
INSTALLATION
Getting into Project Spec
When to Offer a Guide Spec
•
•
•
•
•
Immediate help to specify a project
Part of your complete electronic package
Introduce a new resource
A way to meet a firm’s specifier
Help specifier update master documents
63
Editing Project Section
• Know how specifier edits a section
• Be there when specifier seeks your help
• What if you are asked to write section?
64
Providing Support
Advanced Skills for Technical Reps
• Substitution Resistance: Teach AE’s to
understand your product’s advantages
65
Edit for Customer
Complete Editing Assistance
• Someone on sales team should be
capable of complete, project-specific
editing of guide spec.
• Design team is still responsible for
content!
• Excellent coordination is a must.
66
CLEANUP AND CORRECTION
Eliminating Common Mistakes
Quality Control: Feedback
Trusted Specifiers Can Help
• Ask specifier who is familiar with your
product to review your guide spec.
• Get big-picture feedback; all specifiers
will find some fault.
• See if specifier learns something new
about your product in the review.
68
Common Mistakes
• Overbranding:
Constant use of
proprietary names
• Naming features that
don’t guide contractor
or distinguish product
• Failing to recognize
market realities
• Incorrect locations for
information
• Addressing
subcontractor
• “By Others”
• Unclear language
• Typos and,
mispelings
69
MAINTENANCE
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Long Life of Guide Specs
Residual Marketing Benefits
• Specifiers keep them for reference
• Specifiers copy into their master spec
• Project teams refer to projects that worked
• Contractors recommend systems that worked
• Product liability attorneys hate specs that work
• Owners use them for maintenance & new projects
71
Maintaining Guide Specs
• Update regularly for
new features and
codes
• Collect data on how
guide spec is being
used.
• Watch for changes in
CSI formats.
• Distribute updates
72
Your Next Steps
ACTION!
73
Any questions, before you get started?
74
Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS
Vivian E. Volz, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP
+1 818-774-0003
[email protected]
www.chusid.com
www.BuildingProductMarketing.com
@chusidassociate
Ask for free
Ten Point
SpecAudit™
Copyright 2011, Chusid Associates 75