In preparing a multi-family community common-area budget, a builder included a “farewell gift” expecting that the homeowner’s association would want something—more trees and shrubs around the entry, more playground equipment, more lighting—when the common areas were turned over to the association for ongoing maintenance. Regrettably, the sales person revealed this plan to buyers, creating the “farewell gift” expectation.
Knowing that an amount had been planned already, the association submitted a list of requests that far exceeded the intended amount. When the builder refused to exceed the original budget, disagreement instead of delight resulted. Again, what began as a worthwhile gesture—for the homeowner’s association and for the builder—turned into a disappointment for both.
Builders cannot “over deliver” if they’ve made a specific commitment to buyers. Builders can only “over deliver” when they’ve planned extra attentions that the customer is not expecting.
Begin where you are now and identify several new exciting attentions you can provide to every buyer. Implement them carefully—and keep them a secret! They need not be expensive or time-consuming. Builders generally get the big things right; it’s the little details that offer opportunities to surprise buyers in a positive way. Build a relationship at the same time you build the home, including thoughtful touches along the way.
Builders face a challenge to set expectations high enough to get the sale, and low enough to exceed. By adjusting the commitments you make each time you improve, you put yourself back at the beginning—searching again for the next impressive step you can take to please buyers.
With genuine respect for customers and empathy for the home building experience, with enthusiasm and imagination combined with careful observation and good listening skills, we are unlikely to run short of ideas for improving our services. Adding some restraint and self-discipline to the mix would allow some builders to surprise buyers rather than merely create more expectations—to everyone’s advantage.
Carol Smith offers customer service assessment, consulting, and training programs for home builders. She can be reached at csmithhomeaddress@att.net.
