C.P. Berry Construction has been in business for 20 years and plans to be in business for at least 20 more. With that goal in mind, the company has developed a customer service program designed to create not just word-of-mouth referrals, but repeat customers. The company builds homes that range in cost from $750,000 to $1.4 million, and their clients expect information, communication, and a process that is as organized as they are. Director of sales Mark O’Hara delivers on all counts.
The program begins with the company’s “Homeowner’s Welcome Manual,” an exhaustive primer on the process of building a new home. “It really walks you through the whole thing, from the first visit,” O’Hara says. The manual includes sections on legal aspects of the purchase, applying for a mortgage, product selection, the construction sequence, and site-visit safety. The document also provides a new-home orientation, guidelines for the closing, home maintenance recommendations, a list of contacts in the company and for preferred vendors, and an appendix of sample documents for such things as change orders and upgrade quotes.
Product and material selection can be a stress-provoking choke point, even for experienced home buyers. O’Hara eases the process by providing personalized selection sheets, which list every selection the owner must make and the date by which each choice must be submitted to the company. Having an explicit timetable helps owners budget their shopping time. “It also benefits us by keeping the project on schedule,” O’Hara says. A detailed flow chart of the selection process ensures that when clients submit a selection, the company is ready to take the baton and run with it. After the closing, C.P. Berry maintains client contact with a quarterly newsletter that combines home-maintenance articles, company news (such as a piece on recent charitable events C.P. Berry supported), and coverage of C.P. Berry new-home developments. “In total we’re sending out about 3,000 newsletters on a quarterly basis,” O’Hara says.
None of what O’Hara does is rocket science. But rocket science is mainly good for rockets. Down here on earth, O’Hara says, “We’re looking for repeat business.” And a steady stream of second-time—and even third-time—buyers attests that C.P. Berry knows where to find it.
C.P. Berry Construction Topsfield, Mass. Type of business: custom builder, developer Years in business: 20 Employees: 10 2002 volume: $12.5 million 2002 starts: 15
