Decision Makers. The reality of making the sale is that there are many levels of authority that must be satisfied. In order for a new home to be sold, many parties must interface and come together. In addition to the family decision makers, there are the bank, title company, insurance company, municipality, employers, etc. Asking a customer about his or her level of experience with the home-buying process will give you information about who must be involved in the process.
Wants/Needs. Every prospective buyer has a wish list of amenities and features they desire. Every prospect has basic needs that must be met to move forward with the purchase. It is your job to find these out very early in the conversation to determine if your prospect is a qualified sale waiting to happen. There are many insightful, useful, and probing questions that you can ask to determine a customer’s needs. Obvious among them are, “What is it about your current home that has prompted you to visit our community today?” and “What does your wish list for a new home look like?” Once you have an idea of the prospects’ needs, continue to speak to those needs in your sales conversation.
Don’t throw in the towel if you determine that a prospect is not ready to be qualified. Keep his or her name in a tickler file and contact them in a few months to see if the situation has changed. In this business, it’s important to remember that timing is everything.
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.
