You know your product. You know your market. You understand how to sell your new home but do you know your client? In the custom home building business, the sales presentation is the time when knowing your audience is as important as knowing your product because what works to close the sale for one prospect might not for another.
Here are several things to consider when preparing for those priceless moments in front of your (hopefully) soon-to-be client.
How much information do you want to share? Some prospects require specific information and lots of details. Others just want to talk about the big picture and how it affects them personally. Be prepared for both scenarios.
What type of impression do you want to make? Do you want your prospects to be impressed with your industry knowledge, your technical expertise, your skill level, or perhaps your charming personality? Or maybe you would rather they be impressed with your ability to answer their questions with intuition and insight? There is no wrong approach; it just depends on the individual clients so try to determine in advance what will work in each case.
How much time do your clients have for the presentation? Custom home clients are very busy people and in most cases will not be able to give you more than an hour or two for your presentation. Keep it succinct and leave time at the end for questions and discussion. On the flip side, your time is valuable, too, so follow your instincts if a prospect seems to have lost interest and move on to another customer.
How quickly do you want your prospects to be inspired to take action? In most cases, you’d like to close the deal immediately so arrange your presentation to help your prospects with any decisions they need to make rather than leaving it up to them to sleep on or get back to you later. Make sure you provide information that will help them make up their mind as soon as possible.
What information will you leave out of your presentation so that the customers will want to return for future conversations? Frequently, it is what you do not say that will get you the sale or the return visit to make the sale. Orchestrate your presentation to give enough information to build eager anticipation of more details. Hold back just enough to keep them wanting to know more.
It has been said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Prepare your presentation with the individual client in mind and you’ll give yourself more than a lucky shot at closing the deal.
Paul Montelongo has been a builder for more than 23 years and is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant to the construction industry. Visit Paul at www.paulmontelongo.com.
