Aries Building Systems VP of Sales & Marketing Workforce Housing, Katie Roman, was recently featured on The Construction Leading Edge Podcast where she left the straight-laced modular building talk behind, and got down & dirty in conversation with host Todd Dewalt.
You can listen to the podcast here: Episode #087: Expert Sales Strategies and Tips for Women in Construction with Katie Roman, but here’s some great excerpts from Roman’s interview:
Todd: What is a common mistake you see women make?
Katie: Talking too much. Listen more than you talk. You need to understand what your end user customer is looking for. Women are notoriously known for talking too much. One of the biggest aspects for selling is to listen. If we listen more, we’ll sell more.
Todd: Describe Aries.
Katie: Aries Buildings Systems is a total solution modular provider based out of Houston, Texas. We service not only the oil & gas industry which is my division/segment, but also commercial modular aspects which would be anything from government to education to modular banks to modular hotels…so really Aries is your total provider modular solution covering it all. And as the world continues to grow & innovate, I believe modular building will be the way of the future for some of the things that it brings to the table from a construction aspect.
Todd: Advice for the young one in construction?
Katie: Be very patient, be very observant. I’ve learned a lot from watching my father… you also need to (be independent) have the resume & capabilities to move on.
Todd: Advice for the elder generation in construction?
Katie: Share, teach, spread your knowledge.
Katie’s tips on confrontation: I never really had a fear of confrontation. I just grew up not having that fear. I recommend if you aren’t comfortable having the conversation, write it down. But keep in the back of your mind, “what’s my end goal.” Figure out a tactic how to confront it and how to resolve it. (Todd agrees with Katie about writing it out. Todd added, “I probably don’t know everything here, but worst thing you can do is verbally and emotionally vomit. If you’re gonna vomit, do it in private first.” Words of wisdom.)
The interview includes a hypothetical scenario posed by Dewalt, where 3 sons and Dad are running the family business. One son isn’t pulling his weight. Katie provides her perspective from each parties point of view, and advises on ways this could be handled to preserve the integrity of the business and family members involved in the conundrum.
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If you would like more information on Katie Roman, or Aries Building Systems, or how Aries could be of service to your organization and provide you modular building solutions that take you into the future, please visit us ariesbuildings.com or give us a call at (888) 702-0134.