Here’s a wonderful marketing tool I recommend to really make an impact with prospective customers: Give them a pleasant surprise. Even experienced home buyers are probably nervous about looking for a new home. And almost all of them are expecting surprises along the way, just not the good kind.
Even first-time home buyers are expecting the same old sales routine when they walk into your office or model home. They are expecting you to say certain things and act in a certain way to entice them to buy one of your homes. In response, prospects already have structured their rebuttal to you based on what they expect to happen during the sales process: “We are just looking today.” “We have to talk to some other builders before we decide.” “We are not really sure if this floor plan is right for us.” “It is way too expensive for us right now.”
Put a prospect’s mind at ease with a surprise. There are many ways to astonish your prospects. Here are three scenarios that you might consider:
- A potential buyer walks into your model home and tells you that she just wants to look around and gather some ideas for her new home. You immediately say, “That’s perfectly fine. I do the same all the time. You can really get some good ideas when you are just looking. By the way, I’m Paul. We just put new drapes in the upstairs bedroom and when you get through looking, tell me what you think about them.”
This strategy flies in the face of conventional new-home sales wisdom, which says you must immediately meet, greet, and qualify the visitor. If she is a serious home shopper, your prospect has probably already had four other salespeople pull that on her earlier in the day. Set yourself apart by allowing her to get comfortable with the environment before you bombard her with the typical qualifying questions. As she warms up to you and your home, then you can talk to her about her needs, wants, and desires. You have surprised her by not jumping into the sales-speak too quickly.
- A prospect has visited your model, is very interested, and now has committed to working out the financing. This is obviously a sale for you, but it’s also a very stressful time for your prospect. Manage the financing meeting so that he has a quality experience and makes these important decisions without interruption. Arrange for a babysitter to watch the kids in the playroom of your model home, order sandwiches and drinks, turn off your cell phone, and place your office phone on “do-not-disturb” right in front of the client to demonstrate that you are there exclusively for him. Have all paperwork in order. Making clients comfortable is something that many salespeople fail to do yet it’s so appreciated by stressed-out home buyers.
- You have closed the initial sales transaction and are ready to start building. Don’t stop with the surprises just yet. Personally deliver copies of paperwork to a client’s home or office, place a job sign on the new site that says, “This home is proudly owned by the Smiths,” have a “ground-breaking ceremony” with a toy truck with backhoe so the kids can shovel the first scoop of dirt. Keep the magic coming until move-in day and beyond.
There is no end to what will delight your clients. Surprises can be simple yet demonstrate that you care and that you have taken the time to create a memorable sales experience. That translates into repeat and referral business. Now go surprise a prospect!
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.
