There is a first time for everything and this episode has two first times. First, we took Helping Sells Radio on the road to visit Dustin DeVan, founder and CEO of BuildingConnected at his office to talk about disrupting the construction industry with collaborative software. Second, Sarah E. Brown, founder and long-time co-host of Helping Sells Radio and director of content marketing at BuildingConnected, joins the show as a guest host AND a guest. She even took over the show open. So, this was an exciting shows on multiple levels.

Riddle me this: How does a mechanical and aeronautical engineer with no aspirations to get into construction or technology,  start a technology company for the construction industry? Think about that there for a moment. 

In this episode you will learn how Dustin got into the construction industry, and while he was working in it, how he discovered that the construction industry is one of the most collaborative and also one of the most fragmented industries in the world. And with the gigantic number of construction projects around the world, organizing a seemingly endless number of contractors and sub-contractors and suppliers...none of them are connected in any modern collaborative sense. Dustin saw a need to create a network of contractors and sub-contractors to help all of these people work together better. For example, to help sub-contractor win more business, help contractors find the right sub-contractors, and ultimately help build better construction projects. 

Focus on the outcome. Or. Speak your customers' language.

"One of the things I am most proud of is we really are helping a lot of SMBs adopt technology and actually realize the value of it," explains Dustin. And for sub-contractors, "realize the value" means increasing hit rates. For sub-contractors, hit rate is the percentage of bids that get accepted of all bids submitted. That is a pretty clear outcome. And if software can help a sub-contractor increase their hit rate, they will take notice. 

You might ask the question, "How does a cloud software company help a market adopt its software when they are accustomed to using spreadsheets?" The answer, in the case of BuildingConnected, is in helping customers understand that they can increase their hit rate.

Sub-contractors understand that language. 

"A lot of what we do in Silicon Valley is only is for Silicon Valley companies, and I think one of the coolest things we can do is help organizations that aren't part of this ecosystem experience all the things we get to experience. And take for granted," says Dustin.

If cloud software can help a sub-contractor increase its hit rate, that might be all the convincing we need to do. 

Learn more about Dustin:

• Learn more about BuildingConnected
• Dustin Devan on Linkedin
• Here is that customer story on Complete Millwork Services

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