A new home is the priciest durable good most of us buy.
This profound reality contains the scope of challenge for home builders as home builders question and answer the question, “who are we?” and “Who do we want to be?” Both questions, and the ways that builders large and small answer those questions will materially affect economic and financial winning and losing.
What do home builders, in fact, need to be in their core identity to win?
- Real estate buyers
- Land developers
- Consumer Marketers and Retailers
- Data managers
- Materials and labor sourcing experts
- Operations managers
- Logistics strategists
- Technology and automation managers
- Designers
- Building scientists
- Critical chain project supervisors
- Financial managers
- Customer care specialists
- Economics forecasters
- Human relations experts
- Environmental scientists
- Local politicians
- Regulatory experts
- Team builders
- Sales representatives
Which of these proficiencies, if absent, will hurt the economic prospect of success for a home builder? Are there more that I have not named?
As Spring Selling kindles and takes on the life it will take on in 2016, asking these two questions–“Who are we?” and “Who do we want to be?”–and having an answer to them need to be a constant, rigorous, disciplined process. Simple to know; hard to do.
Here’s a thought from Seth Godin that can help, on both the helpfulness of the questions, and the reward of your team’s answers.
“I”, “We” and “You”
One of the most profound ways to change your posture and the way you and your organization interact with customers and partners is to change your pronouns.
Instead of saying “I” when you’re ready to take credit, try “we.”
Instead of saying “we” when you’re avoiding responsibility, try “I.”
And, every time you’re tempted to depersonalize the impact of your actions, try “you,” while looking the impacted person in the eye.
As Godin concludes, “Words matter.”
Enough said?
