25 Ways to Get Your Site Eliminated - #21: Assume Your Existing Building is the Perfect Fit
November 02, 2011 | by: Tim Davey, PE
Many companies are interested in leasing or purchasing an existing building to house their next relocation or expansion. Their particular business model, the operation they are planning to locate, their schedule, and their budget often logically dictate the choosing an existing building makes more sense than ground up construction. They have other considerations in their decision matrix too: available labor pool, incentives, distribution network, proximity to customers, etc. Whenever I hear that the prospect is looking for an existing building, I wonder if that “hard” decision was made first as they developed their criteria, or whether it was made after the “softer” criteria were developed.
My experience suggests that your perspective of how well that existing empty building meets the selection criteria may not be the same as the prospect’s. A building is quickly becoming just a shell to “wrap” a process or a product. The building is not disposable, but is quickly becoming more of a commodity in the eyes of executives and the seasoned real estate experts that represent the search. My suggestion is that you remain focused on the high level strengths of your community and not get too emotionally attached to any particular building. This allows you to concentrate your efforts on what is probably most important to the prospect….and not try to act like a broker trying to sell a house in a very tough real estate market.