Robert Talks Lead Generation, Prospect Qualification, and Tech in The Paving Industry

Robert DiMattina, Founder of Line Design Solutions, runs a paving maintenance and parking lot construction company based in Florida and is a serial entrepreneur with 10 years of experience. In conversation with Attentive.ai at our first-ever Fuel Up Webinar Series, he talks about generating leads, standing out in the industry, integrating AI with your paving business, and more.

Before that, let's briefly see what our webinar was about.

This webinar focused on transforming your sales game across the field services industry. The major takeaways were - building strong customer relationships, sorting out archaic tasks with AI tools, and figuring out key differentiators in the parking lot maintenance & construction industry.

Now, let's dive into our key learnings from Robert.

Communication is Key to Building Strong Customer Relationships

Robert highlighted that it is tricky to do business without transparency with a large base of site development contractors, general contractors, and paving contractors. 

He says that continuous and effective interaction with customers enhances transparency. And that is one of the crucial factors for generating leads. 

Communication is the key - It helps in building trust among the clients and brings in more leads.

Robert adds that the more honest he is with his customers while setting expectations upfront in what his team can actually deliver helps nurture trust with prospects & customers alike.

Be Well Prepared to Deliver the Right Message - A Framework to Qualify a Job

Robert DiMattina, Owner of Line Design Solutions

He says businesses must plan and clearly communicate what leads work for them and the services they can confidently deliver. 

Otherwise, sorting out qualified jobs in a heap of emails and calls becomes exceptionally challenging.

Hard to sort so many calls and emails, clicking and deleting endless emails. It is challenging to keep track of everything. Everyone is looking for a number, and we are trying to escape that.

While it may seem tempting to entertain every inquiry, he stresses the importance of discerning which leads are worth pursuing. Often, he has to make quick decisions, even deleting multiple emails, to determine which opportunities align with his company's objectives. 

For him, it's not just about giving a number. It's about understanding the lead's background, the location of the job, and whether it falls within the company's expertise. The goal is to avoid spreading resources too thin and ensure that they collaborate with partners genuinely interested in mutual success.

Have a Thorough Discussion with Clients to Smoothly Convey Your Value Proposition

How can you align a client's business needs with your value proposition? 

Robert says businesses should first figure out clients' pain points, which is best done with a rigorous discussion with clients - either via phone or email.

Asking these questions helps you figure out the - 

1. Client's business issues.
2. What your prospect or customer does 
3. How your business can enhance its present situation.
4. The compatibility of your business and the client.

I will follow up on that for 20 sec. Then, look for an opportunity to visit their office to discuss their core competencies. We let them know what we do and how we can help

What Does a Value Engineering Conversation Look Like with Clients?

Robert's approach to value engineering is inclined more towards differentiator than on budget. He says his existing client understands the quality of their work and that a compromise on budget may hinder it. 

So it's not about the budget, it's about the value.

Robert underscores the significance of cultivating close relationships with clients as it often leads to more transparency and information sharing. 

Additionally, DiMattina delves deeper into the intricacies of the paving industry, highlighting the meticulousness required in tasks such as striping roads to ensure specific reflectivity standards. He advocates for businesses to be clear about their unique offerings, as this not only builds value but also enables them to transcend budgetary constraints. 

By focusing on the deliverables and standing out in the paving market, companies can position themselves as indispensable, making the budget a secondary consideration for clients.

Focus on Differentiators

He approaches this step directly by asking: "What are your biggest challenges right now?" to his clients. Most of them have a straightforward answer to the question.

It is recommended to understand customer challenges to nail the process of showcasing your USP and quickly win deals.

I don't care who you are, what you do, you gotta find that differentiator. Otherwise, you are just like anybody else.

Thoughts on Integrating Technology & Automation

Robert says it is difficult to estimate all jobs. His parking lot construction businesses receive 100s of daily calls asking for estimates. It gets challenging to address all of them, and he had to turn away 90 of them.

Using Attentive.ai’s automated paving measurement software has helped us get to the market much faster than before. We used to get nearly 100 leads daily, but we turned away 90 opportunities to estimate jobs. With Attentive.ai, our speed to market response and estimating turnaround time have improved, drastically boosting our hit rate.

Summing Up

We are happy to keep conversations up and running on things that matter most in the paving and parking construction industry.

At Attentive.ai, we listen to what's new in the field services industry and schedule industry-relevant webinars to convey our take on the latest happening.

Join our upcoming webinars to keep up with the latest trends in the industry.