James R. Walker
Jim Walker started J.R. Walker & Company in 1986. But the Glen Allen, Va., home builder didn’t start to view marketing as a top priority until he joined a Builder 20 Club in 1997. With the help of his fellow club members, he realized that a stronger marketing program would attract more potential customers, ultimately allowing him to be more selective about the clients he takes on. An up-front investment in a new marketing strategy, he reasoned, would make his business run a lot more smoothly down the road.
“One of the problems that a small builder has with conventional advertising is that it can be very hit or miss,” he says. He decided instead to concentrate on marketing strategies that would promote referrals from clients, Realtors, and architects. His first move was to tap local graphic design firm Ideabook.com to design a Web site for the company (www.jrwalkerandcompany.com). Then he stepped up the quality of the signage on his construction sites, displaying on each sign a full-color rendering of the finished house and a discreet invitation to check out his Web site. “The new signs are a statement of arrival for our customer,” he says. “They’re bringing our site a surprisingly high number of hits.” A company brochure and direct mail pieces feature the same design elements as the Web site, thus creating a consistent brand identity for the company.
Ideabook also produced a series of clever handouts for Walker. One is a flexible plastic ruler containing standard plan symbols, scales for architectural and engineering measurements, and the company’s Web address. Walker gives it out to Realtors and architects every chance he gets; its practicality makes it one of the few marketing materials they’re likely to keep and use. Another smart, effective novelty: the set of “We’ve Moved” cards he presents to each of his clients toward the end of the construction process. The cards, meant to be sent out to family and friends, contain the client’s new address as well as a rendering of the new house and, once again, the company’s Web address. Like the Web site, the signage, and the rulers, the cards provide his customers with an added convenience — and they allow him to market himself through his clients or colleagues, rather than directly.
Walker recently discovered another soft-sell avenue for marketing his business — the concept home. He teamed with the Virginia chapter of the American Lung Association to build a cottage with superior indoor air quality. The publicity the house generated netted him one client and at least three other prospects.
Since the start of Walker’s marketing strategy, 70 percent of his customers have been referred by past clients or Realtors. The high referral rate has enabled Walker to meet his goal of being able to choose the clients he wants.
J.R. Walker & Company, Glen Allen, Va. Type of business: custom builder; Years in business: 16; Employees: 6; 2000 volume: $3.1 million; 2000 starts: 6
2001 Pacesetter Awards
Introduction
Excellence in Customer Service
Excellence in Design
Excellence in Innovation
