Solving Client Challenges by Thinking Differently

In today’s market, real partnership goes beyond just fixing problems; it’s about transforming the way we tackle them. 

At Unistrut Midwest, we don’t just provide products or services. We help our clients think outside the box to find the best solutions to their challenges. By encouraging innovative thinking, we set ourselves apart as not just a good partner, but a great one. Our clients’ typical challenges are things like creating necessary structures in a tight timeline, with a limited workforce, or with various other restrictions. If we simply presented a “one size fits all” system or a list of our services, we would be doing our clients a disservice. Instead, we listen to their pain points and use our industry knowledge to help our clients rethink their problem and, therefore, the solution. 

Changing Methodologies 

In our industry, we see a lot of clients who are tied to traditional construction methods like welded structural steel, requiring extensive onsite construction, hot works permits, and the precious time of skilled laborers. This tendency is true across businesses or markets; peopleare creatures of habit and often do things simply because that’s how they’ve always been done. Encouraging our clients to explore possibilities beyond their traditional methods not only resolves the immediate issue but can also uncover solutions to previously unrecognized challenges or address other pain points down the line. While it is, admittedly, more challenging to work with a client to change their methodologies than it would be to simply sell them a system, we find that our approach is more effective in the end. Our goal isn’t to sell a product, it’s to become a long-term partner for our clients. That only happens by listening to their challenges, learning their existing systems, and helping them find new ways to do business that solves their problems. Exposing our clients to different solutions helps them grow and establishes trust. 

Sharing Expertise 

Part of becoming a trusted, long-term partner is meeting our clients where they are. For us, this means offering the appropriate level of support for each client and project. Some of our clients turn to us because they want to outsource entire swaths of their build. They see outsourcing as a means to an end, another box to check off on their long list of to-dos for a project. We’re happy to provide that service, and we have the means to do so. We are a one-stop shop, providing designs and plans, supplying materials, building it all in-house, and then delivering and installing the completed system. We can do it all, but we don’t have to, and our willingness to provide an entire solution or tackle only a portion of the project is another way we make sure that our clients get the solution that they need within their parameters. While we have the ability to be a full service solution partner, we don’t force those capabilities on our clients. If they have a team that can handle the build and installation as a way to stay in budget, we can provide the engineered drawings and materials. Working with our clients’ nuances not only in the problem-solving stage but throughout the entire process is another way we help them find success. Focusing on our partnership with our clients has helped us not only grow our business but solve seemingly impossible challenges. How do you build relationships with clients and how has it helped your business?