Featured Story

I was looking over some of my past training material today and I ran across an exercise on questions from one of my new hire training programs.  I had the class write out some questions you can ask during the sales process to advance the sale.  I thought these were a pretty good place to start out in developing a sales presentation and conversation.  Maybe you could find a question or two in here that will help you get more sales! 

Here are some of the questions they came up with during the training class:

Questions you can use at the introduction to learn more about the buyer’s motivation. Read more »

The SalesAttitude.com Podcast

I have part two of my interview with David Floyd for this episode!  Our conversation goes in a great direction and David shares with us what Realtors talk about after they leave your model or community…  And yes, it is about you! Read more »

Sales Managers

By Meredith Oliver MIRM, MCSP

There aren’t many “sure things” in the present real estate market. With mortgage programs changing by the minute, values continuing to fluctuate and buyers on the fence more than ever, as a business owner how do you know what business strategy to count on? In this fluid environment, how does a builder make wise business decisions on what to streamline and where to cut costs?

One of the more disturbing trends is the elimination and/or restructuring of the online sales counselor position. From small builders to national builders, many online sales counselors are being taken away from their computer to serve as a catchall for whatever tasks need to be done. I recently had an online sales counselor tell me she was being used to deliver and install weekend directional signage! Yikes! In worst case scenarios, online sales counselors are being laid off and the leads being sent back to the on-site sales agents.

Please let me reassure you that the Internet is a sure thing and the last place you want to cut costs. Why? Consider seven reasons why the Internet is perhaps the last and best sure thing in our industry:

1. Internet usage continues to grow in popularity and regularity as the primary means to research real estate. Women overwhelmingly use the Internet as their primary research tool, as high as 94% of women who are parents or expect to be parents use the Internet regularly. For more information on women online, check out this great article “My Mommy’s Online.”
    
2. Online marketing remains the most cost effective way to spend your marketing dollars. On average one unit of walk-in traffic costs a builder anywhere from $500 to $2,000 dollars. In contrast, the average Internet leads costs only $100 to $200 dollars.
    
3. On average, eighty percent of Internet leads don’t use a Realtor. Another cost saving opportunity! eSales are the cheapest sales you make in terms of lead acquisition costs.
    
4. The eLeads you receive right now are your FUTURE buyers. They are your pipeline when the market starts to turn around. If they have a bad customer service experience now, they won’t be back when they are ready to buy.
    
5. Experienced, quality online sales counselors are hard to come by. It’s worth hanging onto that person during the tough times.
    
6. Online sales programs need momentum to be successful. By cutting or eliminating your online sales program the momentum stops. It will take nine months to a year to get that momentum back from the day you re-start the program.
    
7. Perhaps most importantly, it has been proven time and time again in markets across the country that on-site agents do not follow-up and close eLeads at the same rate as online sales counselors. You will lose sales if your on-site agents conduct the follow-up.
    

I understand that tough times require tough decisions and it’s hard to know where to make cuts. Think long and hard before you cut back or dismantle your Internet program. You may get some short term gain from the reduction in overhead, but the long term costs in reduced sales, slowed momentum and increased marketing costs far outweigh the gains. As an alternative, examine your traditional marketing costs and find ways to move those dollars to the web where you will get twice the exposure for the dollar. It’s time to work smarter and not harder. You Internet sales and marketing program is the SMARTEST way to market and sell bar none.

Need help restructuring your marketing program to take advantage of the Web? Call us or register online for more information and we will be happy to help! Our team of experts can help you use the Internet to reach buyers and close sales.

Sales Professionals

2008 Secrets for Success Tip #6:The four key ingredients to making your next sale

(Authors note:  The Eight Secrets for Success are based on a previously written article, Eight Ideas for 2008 — Revolution!  Click here for the article >>) 

Most Friday nights, my wife Nancy and I schedule a date night.  Now if you’re wondering what in the world “date night” has to do with selling homes, you’ll have to bear with me for a moment.  At about 6 pm every Friday evening, our sitter arrives to take care of our little ones. Mason is almost two and his big sister Breanna “Poppy” is 3.  (Yes, we’re busy!)   

Now date night for us is generally a nice dinner out so we can reconnect as a couple for a few hours without the kids.  Because we go out three to four times a month — and we like trying new places — we visit dozens of new restaurants each year. 

If you know anything about me, you know I am always searching for ways to stretch a dollar. I appreciate good food and good service, but I have a hard time paying a lot of money for it because I expect to receive those qualities from every restaurant I visit. 

What I have discovered, however, are the key ingredients that make up a satisfying dining experience.  The ingredients…

 …make me want to come back 

…make me recommend the restaurant to friends 

…make it a lot easier to sign the check    

Click here to discover the key “ingredients” that make your leads choose you over one of your competitors>> 

Quality — the most overused word in home building.

While we’re on the subject of restaurants, how many of us return to a restaurant where we’ve had bad food, bad service, dirty bathrooms and a less-than-pleasant atmosphere? It begs us to ask the next question: how long will these establishments stay in business?  Too often the answer is “not long.” Great food, service, atmosphere and cleanliness are expected by customers when they patronize restaurants.  If it is not provided, they don’t seem to last very long. It’s that simple.   So what are the ingredients consumers expect in a quality home-building/buying experience?   

#1 Great Communication

#2 Incredible Design  

#3 Recognizable Brand Names

#4 Construction Fit and Finish

Most homebuilders think the reverse is true. Your customers expect nothing less than straight walls, perfect miters and drywall without seams.  In fact, that is the minimum level of construction quality in today’s market.  If you don’t provide it, you’re out of business. Telling your guests you are a quality builder is like advertising that you build to code. And most consumers would say, “doesn’t everyone?”  How do the top home builders promote their companies?  They focus on what’s on the top of your customers’ list — communication and design. 

“May I have the charred cow?”

I can’t say I’ve ever visited a restaurant and heard this request.  Nor have I sat at a sushi bar and heard, “more cold dead fish over here, please!”  The best restaurants understand their customers are ordering steak and sushi.  They understand that the experience they create for each individual is what their customer is actually buying.   Click here to discover how to implement a home buying experience that can double and even triple your sales>>  

The best homebuilders understand one thing. “Sticks and bricks” are only the deliverables.  What they are really selling is a thoughtfully staged solution package for a desired lifestyle.  So what are the key ingredients that great restaurants and homebuilders use to improve sales?

1.      Create a stimulating atmosphere. 

 Just like visiting an enticing restaurant, model merchandising should match the lifestyle of your target market guests.  Most model homes are decorated, not merchandised.  Merchandising should display a lifestyle that is unique to those that own your homes. 

2.      Create a personalized customer service experience.

Successful new home salespeople and restaurant servers understand the importance of customer service attitude.  This begins at the time your guest is greeted and carries through to your sales presentation and demonstration.  Each experience is customized to the individual guest and the customer service attitude is delivered throughout the shopping, buying/building and warranty experience.

3.      Give away something for free. 

Many years ago, I discovered giving away small gifts during the shopping experience yielded an incredible amount of customer loyalty and subsequent sales.  One of my favorite Japanese restaurants has a sushi bar where Eric, the chef, routinely delivers a Japanese salad to Nancy and me when we arrive.  We are never charged and always appreciate the thoughtfulness of this gesture.

4.      Be proactive in your delivery. 

Isn’t it great when you walk into a restaurant and immediately are greeted and seated by the host?  Your server follows right behind to take your drink order, provide menus and discuss any specials of the day.  When I am in a restaurant, proactive delivery is when my conversation and the dining experience are seamless.  That is, conversation is never interrupted while the restaurant is delivering great service. The top new home salespeople have a written, step-by-step proactive delivery.  The home shopping experience is always focused on solving the guests’ problems while the new home salesperson seamlessly moves the sales process forward.   Click here to discover a proactive sales process that will have your guests saying “Wow!”>> 

Mass marketing is dead

How much business did you get from your last newspaper ad?  Haven’t you run enough branding campaigns!  Unless you are the low price leader in your market, mass marketing has lost most of its luster.   “If you build it they will come” has long since past and today you must identify the biggest concerns of your target market and become the solution broker of choice.  The new home salesperson that best understands their guest’s concerns/problems and diligently provides solutions will transform them “one at a time.”   You have been and always will be in the lifestyle business.  Your physical structures are only the gift wrapping to what you are really selling- the promise of a more fulfilling life.   

Happy Selling!

Helping home builders maximize sales in any market.  The New Home Sales Coach Transformational Sales System for salespeople, and the Team Builder Advantage^® Positioning System for homebuilders, transforms dull and boring organizations into extraordinary and remarkable. 

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