Treehouse Building has gone from being a back-yard hobby, to a legitimate form of residential construction. There are now professionally designed private treehouses, 5-star treehouse resorts and hotel suites, along with cutting-edge commercial structures popping up across North America. It’s an incredible opportunity for the building materials supply business, but also a significant and complex challenge.
Builders are not all made equal. There are amateur weekend warriors, experienced general contractors, specialty boutique builders, and full-on commercial developers driving this market. As a dealer, distributor or procurement manager, the ability to differentiate between the amateurs and the professionals is the single most important aspect of unlocking the true value of this market for your business.
Supplying an occasional, low-volume amateur is a fundamentally different business proposition than partnering with an experienced, high-volume professional builder. The former is all about price, the latter about quality, service and support. In this guide, we’re going to give you – our valued partners in the treehouse supply chain – a framework for understanding this market, and an overview of the types of builders you are likely to encounter. We’ll discuss the differentiating characteristics of each builder type, share what professional builders really care about in a supplier, and walk through the steps you need to take to position your business as the trusted, go-to supplier for the top-tier professionals.
Empowering your business with this knowledge allows you to intelligently direct your inventory investments, sales and marketing efforts, and move from just selling products, to building a sustainable, high-margin business line as the premier supplier to the world’s best treehouse builders.
Meet the Professionals: A Typology of Treehouse Builders
The first step to winning this market is knowing who is in it. When a customer walks into your store or calls your sales desk to buy materials to build a treehouse, they generally fall into one of four categories. Identifying who you are talking to is key to managing your risk, optimizing your sales strategy, and prioritizing where to invest your time.
The Hobbyist: The High-Risk, Low-Value Customer
The hobbyist customer is by far the most common type, and by far the most risky from a business standpoint. They are often parents building a backyard play structure for their kids. Their main purchasing motivator is price. They have a few hundred dollars to spend on materials, and see this as a backyard fort, not a piece of residential architecture.
Identifying Characteristics:
- They will ask for the cheapest possible lumber and fasteners.
- Most importantly, they will ask how to use large, all-purpose lag bolts to attach the main support beams directly to the tree.
- They have no professional plan or specs, and are likely building from a sketch they found online.
Supplier Risk:
- This customer has a high probability of failure. Their improperly attached treehouse will either damage the tree, fall apart, or fall off during the first big windstorm. They will then blame your materials and create a reputational risk for your business.
- Lifetime value of a hobbyist is extremely low. They only have this one project in this price point.
Stratégie de vente :
- You can serve this customer (and should do your best to educate them about the risks of their methods), but it is an educational opportunity, not a high-value sale.
- Soften the risk to your business by gently explaining the problems with their proposed attachment method and suggesting some safer (more expensive) hardware. Invest your premium inventory elsewhere.
The General Contractor: The High-Potential, Transitional Customer
A competent and experienced builder, but not an arboreal specialist. They may be building a treehouse for a top client and have decided they can apply their conventional building skills to the task.
Identifying Characteristics:
- They will speak intelligently about joist spacing, framing methods, and the load path. But they will also be planning to through-bolt a support beam on both sides of the tree trunk, or use multiple, rigid attachment points.
- They know how to build a house or deck, but they do not know tree biology or the physics of wind loading and tree growth.
Supplier Opportunity:
- This is the most important educational opportunity of all. The general contractor customer already has a high appreciation for quality materials, construction standards, and the need for a well-planned project. They are also a high-potential new customer with the potential to become your best customer over time.
- By properly guiding them on engineered treehouse hardware and tree-friendly building practices you become more than a supplier, you become a consultant.
Stratégie de vente :
- Earn their business by engaging with them as a peer. Praise them for their conventional building skills and then fill them in on the unique requirements of treehouse construction.
- Give them the spec sheets and engineering information for professional hardware, direct them to helpful case studies, and give them some level of onramp discount for engineered hardware to help them with the perceived risk of trying something new. Help them deliver an outstanding first treehouse project, and they will be your exclusive supplier for many years to come.
The Boutique Builder: The High-Value, Artisan Customer
A specialized professional who focuses on high-end, architecturally significant custom treehouses. They only build a handful of projects per year, but each is a high-budget structure with custom design elements and specific performance requirements.
Identifying Characteristics:
- They will ask for the highest grade of materials available, and they will be asking you for engineered hardware by name.
- They are interested in aesthetics, sustainability, and performance. They are likely to ask questions about the source of your wood products and the corrosion resistance of your fasteners. Price is not their primary concern.
Supplier Opportunity:
- This builder is an influencer. The world-class projects they build are the best advertisement for your business.
- They value a supplier who is a true partner; someone who understands their vision and can help them source the right materials to make it a reality.
Stratégie de vente :
- This is a relationship built on trust and expertise. Offer them your best service. Let them know when you have a new or interesting product in stock. Be willing to special-order items for them. Feature their work (with permission) on your website or social media. They are not a high-volume customer, but their loyalty and the status of their projects is worth a great deal.
The Commercial Developer: The High-Volume, Strategic Partner
The commercial developer is the holy grail of B2B customers in the treehouse market. Building eco-resorts, glamping sites, and large-scale rental properties.
Identifying Characteristics:
- They talk in terms of supply chain, liability, and return on investment. They need engineered, certified, and insurable solutions. They want to know load ratings, engineering specs, and proof of product consistency. They need a supplier who can guarantee a large quantity of identical, high-quality hardware and materials, available on a consistent schedule.
Supplier Opportunity:
- This is the most lucrative segment. Signing a contract with a commercial developer can provide you with a stable, predictable, and high-volume revenue stream that is relatively insulated from residential market volatility.
Stratégie de vente :
- You must operate here at a professional B2B level. Quotes, guaranteed stock availability, technical documentation, etc. all need to be available.
- Emphasize the safety, reliability, and certified performance of your products. Your ability to demonstrate a robust, reliable supply chain will be your best selling point.
What Professional Builders Really Want From a Supplier
The best treehouse builders (the boutique artisans and the commercial developers) are not seeking out the lowest-price supplier. They are looking for a strategic partner who makes their business better, safer, and more efficient. In order to earn their business, your company needs to be able to deliver on the following key value propositions.
1. In-Stock Availability of Engineered, Application-Specific Hardware
This is by far the most important factor. Professional builders’ reputations and livelihoods literally depend on using the correct hardware. They are not going to – and will not accept from you – a box full of generic bolts to dig through at the hardware bin. They want professionally designed, engineered, tested and certified hardware made for this application: Treehouse Attachment Bolts (TABs), floating support brackets and other hardware engineered specifically for the physics of movement, growth and deflection of a living tree.
A supplier who doesn’t stock these items is not a serious player in the professional market. Waiting four weeks for a special order is simply not an option when you have a crew sitting on-site waiting for materials. The supplier that has these critical components on the shelf is the one that wins the business, time after time.
2. Deep and Accessible Product Knowledge
Professional builders are experts in their field, and they expect the same from their suppliers. Your sales staff needs to be able to do far more than just look up a price on the computer. They need to be able to discuss:
- The “why”. Why is a TAB far superior to a lag bolt? How does a floating bracket work to reduce wind loads on the tree? Why is pressure-treated lumber only used for the substructure, but not always the siding?
- The application. They should be able to intelligently advise a builder on the type of fastener that is best for a particular application, or the type of wood that will perform best in a local climate, etc.
- The system. They need to understand how all the components work in unison: the hardware, the lumber, the fasteners, the roofing materials, etc. – to create a single, high-performance system.
Investment in training for your staff is not an expense to be cut. It is a direct investment in the high-margin sales you need to build this business.
3. Rock-Solid Supply Chain and Product Consistency
Product consistency is a key concern for a commercial developer building a resort with 10 identical treehouse cabins. They cannot have one cabin built with hardware from one supplier, and a second cabin with a slightly different brand. When the first cabin fails an inspection for not having certified components, or the second cabin has a different look, it reflects on your company. They need to know that the TABs you sell them this week are the exact same engineered product you will sell them six months from now. You need to be able to provide the same items with 100% consistency, and on a predictable schedule. If you have these things, the trust required to build a long-term B2B partnership is yours.
4. Comprehensive Technical Support and Documentation
Professionals don’t just work for building inspectors. They work in a world of architects, engineers and inspectors, all of whom need documentation.
- The builder buys an engineered bolt, and needs the manufacturer’s spec sheet that shows the load rating. They need installation guides to ensure their crew is performing the work correctly. They need this documentation to verify to their client and – most importantly – their insurance provider.
- A supplier that can quickly and easily provide this technical data becomes a necessary part of the builder’s risk management and quality assurance process.
How to Win and Keep the Best Professional Builders as Your Clients
Understanding what professionals want is one thing. Actively transforming your business to meet those needs is the next step. It requires a shift in strategy when it comes to inventory, training and marketing.
Step 1: Curate Your Inventory for Professional Treehouse Building
Stop trying to be all things to all customers. Dedicate a small area of your warehouse or showroom space to “Professional Arboreal Construction.”
- Stock the essentials. Commit to making a serious investment in a full range of engineered treehouse hardware. This is your non-negotiable entry requirement to the professional market.
- Eliminate no-name junk. Throw away all the generic hardware that you know is being misused in treehouses. Your ability to say “No, that is not only unsafe, it is against our company policy” will significantly boost your reputation as an expert, and greatly reduce your legal liability.
- Offer integrated solutions. Bundle products. Create packages that include the engineered plans, the specific hardware that the plans call for, and the right fasteners. The builder can buy the “treehouse in a box” from you and save time and money assembling it, increasing the overall value of the sale.
Step 2: Transform Your Sales Team into Expert Consultants
Your people are your most important asset. Train them, invest in them, and empower them to be the differentiating factor between you and the big box stores.
- Mandatory training. Implement a rigorous ongoing training program that focuses on treehouse-specific construction techniques, as well as tools and fasteners. Bring in experts to run workshops.
- Reward knowledge. Incentivize sales staff to complete training modules, and then demonstrate that knowledge to the customer.
- Provide them with the tools. Give them access to an online library of technical documents, installation videos and case studies that they can instantly share with customers.
Step 3: Build a Community and Market Your Expertise
Position your business as the hub of treehouse building in your region. Become the place where contractors, developers and DIYers come to learn and to do business.
- Host “Builder Breakfasts” or “Lunch-and-Learns”. Invite local contractors and builders to your facility for a free breakfast and a seminar on a new product or technique. It builds relationships, and it establishes you as an authority.
- Create high-value content. Write articles or record videos that answer the common questions professional builders have. When a client is online searching for technical information, you want them to find your business.
- Showcase your partners. Create a “Builder Spotlight” on your website or social media. Share the work of your best, professional clients (built with your materials, of course). It’s powerful co-marketing that strengthens your relationship with them and shows the quality of your products in real-world settings.
Conclusion: The Path to a More Profitable Business
The world of treehouse construction is growing rapidly. For a supplier, there are two different paths for how to do business in this space. One is to fight for the lowest-value, highest-risk transactions of the amateur builder market. This is a game that is won on razor-thin margins and pure volume. The other path, the far more profitable one, is to be the trusted, indispensable partner to the skilled professionals who are the true leaders of this industry.
It requires making a strategic commitment to value over price, to expertise over expediency, and to partnership over transactions. By curating a professional-grade inventory, by investing in the knowledge of your team, and by actively marketing your expertise, you create a powerful competitive moat that differentiates your business. It attracts the best builders, who are more loyal, less price-sensitive, and who by the quality of their projects, become an ongoing testament to the quality of your products. You become an integral part of their success story, sharing in their growth and solidifying your position as the top supplier for this exciting and long-lasting construction market.
Foire aux questions (FAQ)
**Q1: Our sales staff are not always sure how to quickly identify if someone is a professional builder or an amateur. What is the single best qualifying question to ask a potential customer? ** The single best qualifying question to ask is: “How are you planning on attaching the main support beams to the tree?” If they say something about lag bolts or sandwiching the tree between beams, you are talking to an amateur. If they ask about your inventory of TABs (Treehouse Attachment Bolts), floating brackets or other engineered hardware systems by name, you have a professional builder on the line. Their vocabulary and level of knowledge is the most significant clue you need.
**Q2: Our professional builder clients often ask for volume discounts on the premium products. How do we protect our margins while rewarding their loyalty and higher purchases? ** Frame your pricing strategy in terms of partnership and not just discounts. Set up a tiered “Pro Builder Program” where different levels of annual purchase volumes unlock different levels of pricing, or first access to new inventory, or free delivery. This rewards high-volume loyalty, but also reinforces the value of the other services you provide. Frame your “volume discount” in terms of the in-stock availability and expert support that saves them far more money in labor and project delays than a 2% or 3% discount would cost you.
**Q3: Is it really a real risk to our business to continue selling generic hardware that we know is being used for treehouses? ** Yes. Legally you may have the disclaimers to protect yourself, but reputationally it is an enormous risk. If you are known as the supplier of the materials for a project that fails, your reputation as a professional will be significantly damaged. Professional builders will not want to be associated with a supplier who also sells such low-quality, unsafe materials. Eliminating these items is a powerful statement that your business is a serious, professional, and safety-conscious supplier.
**Q4: We have many GC clients. What is the best way to help them transition to doing treehouses correctly? ** Consider creating a “GC Treehouse Starter Kit.” This could be a digital or physical package that contains an introduction to the principles of tree-friendly design, the engineering spec for professional hardware, and a small discount on their first order of engineered components. By proactively giving them the knowledge to do the job right, you win their trust and become their preferred supplier as they enter this new and lucrative market.
Explorez les projets de cabanes dans les arbres ou demandez l'aide d'un expert. Contactez-nous dès aujourd'hui :
- Courriel : [email protected]
- Téléphone : +1 503 793 2928
- Site web : https://treelofts.com/
