Your prospect's first visit: is it really a "be back"?

Beth Bliffen, a new homes sales/marketing professional based in Southern California, has a great blog on the value of Real Estate Staging.  She talks about packaging vacant standing inventory homes to your targeted market.

What jumped out in a recent blog, however, was this sentence, "Today's buyer can be considered a "be back" on their first visit... if you realize over 90% of homebuyers will have seen your homes online."

Going beyond the static...engaging your prospect

How have you modified your sales and marketing program as a result of that statistic?  Many people "shop" online, for example, but "buy" in a bricks-and-mortar location after having the opportunity to "try on" the actual clothes, shoes, whatever.

If you're selling new homes, for example, this statistic can signal that your sales approach needs to be modified as does your marketing collateral.  It might not be enough, for example, to provide static sitemap and floorplan displays -- your prospect has already seen those online. 

Good sales people ask questions and position inventory in relationship to the responses.  The "gourmet" kitchen meets a specific need, for example, and the "den in lieu of 4th bedroom" accommodates someone who works from home. 

An interactive touchscreen facilitates the same process...responding to a prospect's criteria (e.g., let's look at all 4 bedroom homes--for the 3 kids-- with a lower level master--have an early riser-- and den--who works remote)...and there's an inventory home available, now!  Plus, you're able, via the interactive presentation, to bring the neigborhood to life -- schools, shopping/dining, recreation.

Today's visitor doesn't need an introduction to your community; they know the basics (that is, they've already shopped online) and now they're ready to drill down and find out the details to determine if there's a fit and make a buying decision!