Exclusive Research: The Supply Side

Better quality, reduced price, and some assurance that trying a new product isn’t going to lead to callbacks and ill will with the homebuyer are among the key takeaways from Professional Builder’s 2017 Supplier survey.

Responses from Pro Builder’s readers and from members of Builder Partnerships also noted that real-life demos on the jobsite that show ease of use or proper installation can score points with them. However, the hands-on approach still is second to quality and price.

As for pitching a product to a home builder, survey participants noted that they see more credibility in manufacturing and building material supply reps who understand the fine line between shaving a couple of days off the build time and keeping a project from financially going into the hole. More results about what builders and architects want from new products and suppliers are in the charts that follow.