Every aspect of the custom home building business is driven by what the customer wants. But when it comes to sales and marketing some builders feel that making a sale is somehow about them: their charming personality, winning smile, or four-color in-depth sales presentation.
The truth is that even the sale is not about you. It is about your customer and what he or she wants from a new home. You already offer customized homes, why not apply the same principles to your sales efforts? Here are some questions that you should ask prospective buyers to determine what they want:
- What is most important to you when investing in your new home? Using the word most implies that you want to get to the root of your clients’ personal motivation. You want to uncover the thing that will determine what makes a successful transaction in their mind. Rarely will your prospective buyer’s answer be “price.” Factors like security, ease of maintenance, comfort, and value are the most likely answers. While they may seem intangible, they can be highly emotional. People buy with emotion, they just close the deal with money.
- Why would you buy one of our homes in the first place? This question allows the prospective buyer to communicate what they think you have to offer. Your job, after you hear their response, is to validate their reasons for buying. If you meet any resistance to this question, then back up a little and reconfirm the rapport that you should have already built.
- In what way can I help you make the best decision for your family? You are simply looking for clues about the buying history of your prospect. Listen to their response, as it will disclose the ways they validate information in their own mind. Do they need visual information, facts and figures, statistics, testimonials, comparisons, projections, or warranties? Get to the methods they respond to and help them buy from you.
- How will you know when you’ve made the right choice? Ask your customers what a successful transaction will look like. It may be certain features that evoke a sense of well-being: a monthly mortgage payment that is just under their anticipated budget or an external validation from family, friends, or future neighbors. If you have created deep trust and credibility, it may even be reassurance from you that they have gotten a good deal.
Asking the right questions that emphasize the needs of your buyers will help you sell houses. With this type of personalized sales and marketing, you’ll close more sales and you’ll prepare the way for a good client relationship.
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.contractorofchoice.com.
