Most sales professionals in the security industry are expected to build relationships with the architectural and engineering firms, and security consultants. There are some exceptions in which a company has a department focused on A & E firms and consultants, but for most manufacturers and integration companies, the sales people hold these relationships.
For many reasons, this expectation can be very challenging. First, the sales person is expected to generate sales now … this quarter / month / week / day. Even the most productive work with a specifier will likely pay dividends in a year or more. Another factor is the limited time this audience can spare for sales people. They are billable, and when they’re meeting with someone, they’re not billable – you do the math. Finally, sales people typically aren’t trained how to most effectively work with architects, engineers, and consultants.
We’ve delivered our A & E Development program to several clients over the last six years, and have explored many ways of approaching this critical market sector. We’ve worked with manufacturers that have their direct sales staff own this space, integrators that split the duties between the executives of the company, and other manufacturers who expect their independent sales reps to call on the specifiers in their territories. We’ve had to tailor our program many times to fit different models.
Along the way, we’ve learned quite a bit about the good and the bad in developing relationships with architects, engineers, and security consultants. In fact, we’ve determined that there are nine key components to developing a productive relationship with a specifier, and we welcome you to 
