Buyer Journeys

Buyer journeys help us understand our personas’ motivations as they move through each of the following four stages: awareness, consideration, decision, and advocate. Buyer Journeys encompass the thinking and actions taken by customers as they discover a problem and begin taking steps to solve their problem by purchasing a product or service. It is important to keep each individual buyer journey in mind as we write and create messaging that targets each persona.

Persona

Joe Green

Vice President – General Contractor

Age: 47   /   Income: $150,000  /   Degree: BA

Practical  •  Strategic  •  Driven

Decision Drivers

  • SAFETY RECORD
  • ON-TIME PROJECT DELIVERY
  • EXPERIENCED PROJECT TEAM
  • COST
  • STRONG INDUSTRY REPUTATION

Bio

Joe has been in the construction industry his entire career. He is very loyal to the industry and feels strongly tied to the construction community. He is driven to make sure he brings out the best in each project—whether with internal resources or working with subcontractors.

Sources

  • Previous experience
  • Industry referral
  • Online research
  • Trade associations
  • Referral from internal teams

Challenges

SAFETY
Joe is concerned with making sure each of the subcontractors his company works with meet the criteria set in place for safety. Many different types of projects have safety record requirements a sub must meet before they can be hired.

USAGE CRITERIA
Certain types of projects (government, etc.) have requirements that must be met in order to win a project. This can make it hard to hire a subcontractor because it limits the pool to choose from.

PROJECT EXPERTISE
Joe’s position means he primarily deals with complex and high profile projects. He wants to make sure that the subs he chooses have the level of expertise that can guarantee success.

Buyer Journey

Awareness

Previous experience in other organizations

Referrals from trusted colleagues in the industry

Recommendations from his project managers and other internal teams

Online research to vet potential subcontractors to decide who is participating in the RFP process

Trade associations and trade shows

Consideration

Talk with colleagues and Harris reps at trade shows and within trade association about Harris

Meetings with internal team to understand their perspective on Harris and other competing potential subcontractors

Research Harris’ safety rating and accident history

Understand if Harris meets any government requirements for projects that may need certain designations

Dedicated project team onsite to help mitigate issues

Decision

Meetings with project managers to understand Harris’ level of expertise and project management reputation

Understanding the safety record of Harris as well as full service offering

Proposal to get a full understanding of the costs and proposed project timing

Understanding Harris’ ability to solve problems and proven process for projects

Advocate

Repeated use of Harris in other projects

Referrals to industry colleagues both externally and internally

Persona

Mike Olson

Project Manager – General Contractor

Age: 32   /   Income: $72,000  /   Degree: BA

Efficient  • Detail-oriented  •  Straightforward

Decision Drivers

  • ON-TIME PROJECT DELIVERY
  • QUALITY OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • SAFETY
  • PROJECT TEAM EXPERTISE
  • COST

Bio

Mike is fairly early in his career but is working his way up within the industry. He makes sure the projects he is working on are successful, meet both budget and time constraints, and have minimal issues. He is focused, detail-oriented, and committed.

Sources

  • Previous experience

  • Referral from internal teams

  • Industry referral

  • Online research

  • Trade associations

Challenges

SAFETY
Safety of both his work crews and the crews of his subcontractors is always at the forefront of Mike’s concerns. He is responsible for making sure workplace accidents at each job are at a minimum. He looks for a partner with a low rate of accidents.

TIME AND BUDGET CONSTRAINTS
Mike is responsible for keeping all aspects of the project under budget and within the sometimes aggressive timelines. He needs to have a partner that can meet his constraints and help him work within them.

TECHNOLOGY
Technology is becoming more and more important in the industry and Mike would like to leverage it to make his projects run more efficiently and smoothly. Many of the subcontractors he works with have not yet integrated technology into their process, which is a source of frustration for him.

Buyer Journey

Awareness

Previous experience in other organizations

Referrals from trusted colleagues in the industry

Recommendations from other project managers in the company

Online research to vet potential subcontractors

Trade associations and
trade shows

Consideration

Website content related to capabilities, history in the industry, and national scope

Conversations with trusted colleagues in the industry and trade associations to understand their experience working with Harris

Meetings with internal team to understand their perspective on Harris and other competing potential subcontractors

Research Harris’ safety rating, accident history and project management capabilities

Decision

Review proposal to get an understanding of the Harris difference and cost implications

Meetings with project leadership team to communicate what makes Harris different and why they are the right choice

Discussions with other project managers inside the company to understand their experience with Harris and why they were a good choice for their project

Advocate

Repeated use of Harris in other projects

Referrals to industry colleagues both externally and internally

Persona

Robert Stenrick

Owner – Facilities

Age: 50   /   Income: $150,000  /   Degree: BA/MBA

Practical  •  Entrepreneurial  •  Driven

Decision Drivers

  • STRONG REPUTATION
  • COST
  • DESIGN AND PLANNING CAPABILITIES
  • PROJECT TEAM EXPERTISE
  • ON-TIME PROJECT DELIVERY

Bio

Robert is ambitious and driven. He wants to continue building his business and wants to make sure he has the right facility to make that happen. He wants things to be completed efficiently, yet with the highest quality.

Sources

  • Previous experience

  • Referral from internal teams

  • Industry referral

  • Online research

Challenges

INDUSTRY UNDERSTANDING
Robert owns buildings that service certain types of industries and he needs a subcontractor who understands his unique needs or is willing to get an in-depth understanding of it.

DESIGN AND PLANNING
Robert is choosing to not work with a general contractor and therefore wants to make sure whatever subcontractor he uses has exceptional design and planning capabilities.

Buyer Journey

Awareness

Previous experience in other organizations

Referrals from trusted colleagues in the industry

Recommendations from his project manager or others on his facilities team

Online research to vet potential subcontractors

Consideration

Website content related to project planning and design capabilities, and history in the industry

Meetings with facilities team and others to understand their perspective on Harris and other competing potential subcontractors

Research to understand Harris’ level of expertise in this type of project and building

Understand Harris’ project planning and design capabilities, and their depth
of expertise

Decision

Review proposal to get an understanding of the Harris difference and cost implications

Meet with project manager to understand why they recommend Harris as the vendor of choice

Advocate

Repeated use of Harris in other projects

Referrals to industry colleagues both externally and internally

Persona

Davis Owens

Project Manager – Facilities

Age: 38  /   Income: $80,000  /   Degree: BA/MBA

Problem Solver  •  Detail-oriented  •  Focused

Decision Drivers

  • PROJECT DELIVERY TEAM EXPERTISE
  • STRONG REPUTATION
  • MAINTENANCE CAPABILITIES
  • CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS
  • COST

Bio

Davis has worked his way up to project manager from a hands-on job in facilities. He is proud of his hard work and his position in his organization. He feels an ownership in all of the projects that he oversees and takes all major decisions personally. His goal is to make sure everything is completed on time and with minimal issues.

Sources

  • Previous experience

  • Referral from internal teams

  • Industry referral

Challenges

PROJECT NEEDS
As a project manager for a building, Davis is pulled in multiple directions and has many different areas to focus on. He does not necessarily have the complete understanding of what the construction needs might be and needs to work with a partner who can handle all the details for him as efficiently as possible—whether it is a new installation or maintenance of a current system.

TIME CONSTRAINTS
Davis is trying to complete multiple projects within the same time frame and does not necessarily have the time to babysit contractors to make sure they meet their deadlines. He wants a partner who consistently meets deadlines and holds themselves accountable.

Buyer Journey

Awareness

Previous experience in other organizations

Referrals from trusted colleagues in the industry

Recommendations from building owner or previous contractor

Consideration

Website content related to project planning and design capabilities

Meetings/Phone calls with Harris representatives to understand service capabilities and project management capabilities

Discussions with other colleagues inside and outside the company to understand their experience with Harris and why they were a good choice for their project

Decision

Review proposal to get an understanding of the Harris difference and cost implications

Meetings with owner to talk through various proposals and why Harris might be the best choice for the job

Advocate

Repeated use of Harris in other projects

Referrals to industry colleagues both externally and internally