Introduction
Riley Clements, business development leader at DPR Construction in Charlotte, joins Jack Ossa on The Power of Design Podcast to talk about selling an experience instead of a product, picking the right clients and building relationships before a project exists. DPR is a top 10 general contractor in the nation that focuses on technical projects.
The conversation covers Riley's path from sweeping floors to business development, the habits that keep him organized, DPR's approach to prefabrication, design-build and technology, and his candid view of how builders and architects work together.
About the Episode
Riley grew up in Charlotte in a family in construction. He started by sweeping floors, moved into an office manager role, then became a project manager for a global facilities company and for a Fortune 15 company, where he enjoyed daily client interaction. His first true sales role gave him room to decide who he wanted to work with. He now holds the one business development role among DPR's roughly 400 Charlotte staff.
He explains that DPR works in a few core markets, including higher education, commercial, life sciences and advanced technology, and that it avoids trendy, common work such as apartments, industrial buildings and senior living to focus on technical projects like hospitals, data centers and production facilities. His to-do list is to find the next conversation and the next influencer, working about three weeks ahead and getting to clients before an RFP. He follows up immediately, and relies on Outlook, OneNote and the reminders app.
Jack adds that people buy experiences, and that you must first sell yourself to yourself to be comfortable with rejection. The two discuss patience, empathy and why they bring DPR's project people to meetings: "I can't sell you a brick." Riley also describes friction with architects who treat contractors as interchangeable, and explains how design-build and target value design bring the two sides together. He closes with prefabrication, BIM and virtual construction, and DPR's internal innovation team.
Key Takeaways
- Sell the experience: clients buy the service and also the people, so the first hurdle is being someone they want to work with.
- Get there before the RFP: work three weeks ahead and build relationships before a project is announced.
- Know your fit: DPR filters clients and project types, and says no to popular work that is not what makes it good.
- Follow up immediately: Riley says follow-up is the cardinal rule, and that if he does not do it right away it will not get done.
- Bring the experts: in business development you are introducing the people who will deliver the project.
- Be patient and confident: a new business development role can take at least two years, and desperation puts clients off.
- Collaborate with designers: design-build, target value design and early BIM modeling help the design and the price stay aligned.
Highlights from the Conversation
If you get an RFP, you've already lost.
Riley Clements
I'm selling you the people that are going to deliver the project.
Riley Clements
Nobody wants to do business with somebody who's desperate.
Jack Ossa
Topics Discussed
- Riley's path from sweeping floors to business development
- Selling an experience and building intentional relationships
- Client identification and DPR's core markets
- Working three weeks ahead and getting ahead of the RFP
- Follow-up, calendars, OneNote and reminders
- Skills for young professionals: communication, self-assurance, patience
- Builders and architects, and delivery models such as design-build
- Prefabrication, BIM and innovation at DPR
Why This Conversation Matters
Riley and Jack describe the same ecosystem our work depends on: owners, brokers, architects and builders who deliver better projects when they collaborate early. It is also a reminder that a contractor's brand matters; our branding for Genesis Construction shows how a builder can express its values. On the architecture side, the Crowder Construction Expansion addition and renovation is the kind of project where design and construction need to work closely together, as the guests discuss.
About the Guest
Riley Clements is the business development leader for DPR Construction in Charlotte, North Carolina. A Charlotte native from a construction family, he previously worked as a project manager for a global facilities company and a Fortune 15 company, and in business development at CBI before joining DPR. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and learn more about the company at DPR Construction.
