From Relationships to Revenue: Rethinking A&D Sales Leadership

By: Sanchari Ghosal, Director Growth Marketing & Business Development, ANCA

In the architecture and building materials industry, a sale rarely happens overnight. It can take months of conversations, specifications, samples and decisions before an idea turns into a business outcome. In such a relationship-driven ecosystem, sales is increasingly about staying relevant, earning trust and being present at every stage of the customer journey.

With 16 years of experience across the A&D landscape and P&L responsibility, Sanchari Ghosal, Director Growth Marketing & Business Development, ANCA brings a grounded understanding of what it takes to turn relationships into long-term value. From combining data with intuition to building teams that can speak the language of architects and designers, she believes the future belongs to sales professionals who bring knowledge, accountability and authenticity to the table. In this conversation, she explores how sales is changing, why collaboration between sales and marketing matters, and the mindset that will empower the next generation of women leaders to shape the A&D industry.

In a compelling conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Sanchari shares her perspective on the evolution of sales, emphasizing the importance of strategic collaboration, sustained engagement, and customer-centric value creation.

To learn more about Sanchari’s insights on sales leadership in the A&D industry, read the complete article below.

Q1. How has the role of sales evolved in today’s architecture and building materials industry, especially with specification-led buying and longer influence cycles?

A. The process of lead generation to eventual closing in this industry is usually lengthy; the process may take anywhere between six and nine months. During this time, it is imperative to maintain a continuous interest among the customers so that there is always a desire to remain involved and to have a high recollection of the brand when comparing the alternatives. Positive and meaningful interactions in all touchpoints are critical towards decision making.

Also, buying is a procedural process, which corresponds to various phases of house building. Consequently, success will not be limited to gaining an initial transaction but also a greater proportion of the total need of the customer. This involves the active interaction after the initial stage of buying, e.g., flooring, to keep the customer in touch with the brand so that when they need other things like washrooms and other facilities, the brand is in mind. This continuity also assists in building on the relationship and minimizes the chances of losing the customer to the competitors.

Q2. As a woman leader who has built deep relationships across the A&D ecosystem, how do you view sales as a long-term value journey from early design conversations to final business outcomes?

A. When it comes to designing homes, the initial conversations are centered around design intent and material possibilities, where architects shape the vision and we collaborate as consultants by offering suitable material solutions backed by technical expertise to bring those ideas to life. In this journey, outcomes are not driven by short-term transactions but by a continuous value-creation process that begins with building trust and extends through consistent engagement from ideation to execution, and even beyond through after-sales experience, ensuring stronger relationships, better alignment with design goals, and more sustainable business outcomes.

Q3. With P&L responsibility and revenue scale, how do you bring together intuition, data, and relationship-building to drive consistent growth?

A. Being 16 years in the A&D industry, I have built strong relationships and engagement with architects and designers which helps me tailor customised offerings as per their preferences. Again, consistent growth can come by deep diving into data to ascertain market trends, project pipelines, team as well as product performance. The key is to identify relevant metrics (lead indicators) and measure outcome (lag indicator) against each.

Q4. As sales teams engage senior architects and designers, what capabilities do you prioritise building in your teams to ensure credibility, confidence, and commercial impact?

A. Product knowledge, accountability and strong communication skills are the capabilities that I would prioritise building in my teams. Senior architects value people with who bring clarity on technical feasibility when it comes to usage/application of a particular product as per his/her design intent. Also, taking end-to-end accountability from specification, sampling, client interactions, sales closure, after sales support and prompt resolution to concerns if any.

Relationship building skills coupled with a solution-oriented mindset would build credibility. When sales professionals combine knowledge with authenticity, they earn the confidence of the design community.

Q6. As influencer-led selling gains importance, how do you see women sales leaders shaping stronger collaboration between sales and marketing to create meaningful impact?

A. Well, honestly, I think it isn’t gender dependent here. Collaboration between sales and marketing is imperative if a brand wants to grow sustainably and efforts have to channelise in the same direction to drive a common objective by both the teams. Market and industry insights, sales figures  from sales, storytelling, PR, brand positioning  strategies from Marketing has to effectively merge so as strategize the way forward and build meaningful conversations with architects and designers. This integrated approach builds brand trust.

LAST WORD: Which leadership mindset will define the next generation of women driving growth and influence in the A&D sales landscape?

The next generation of women leaders in the A&D industry would be required to ace data driven strategic thinking coupled with authenticity.  They must be creatively inclined and more aware. Women Leaders, who can navigate complexity, build strong ecosystems across architects.  Designers, developers, contractors, etc. and adapt fast to a rapidly evolving market dynamic.