Builder Sales Offices and the Ever-Changing Consumer Landscape

Generally, we focus on the new home sales, marketing and construction management landscape. Today we're adding a bit of a more "retail" experience focus kicking-off with a recent Jane Meagher (she's with Success Strategies) comment,

In 2016, builders need to think like retailers selling new homes,                                                     rather than construction companies building homes they then sell.

Are you starting to think like a retailer?

 Meagher continues,

Let's strategically focus on influencing our buyers...like all smart retailers do.

Couple those thoughts with recent  Doug Stephens (he's known as a retail and consumer futurist) comments. Stephens analyzes trends -- financial, media, demographic, technology -- in order to provide insight into consumer and brand relationships.  

Stephens was asked, in a recent Retail Customer Experience interview, how to describe today's consumer and what is the top expectation in a retail transaction (remember: home builders are being encouraged to think like retailers!).

Try taking your immersive tools out!

Stephens suggests that, regardless of age, geography or economic strata, consumers are empowered.  And, it's not just technology doing the empowering, it's what he labels an unprecedented level of access to choice and information. 

One final thought, for today's blog, is Stephen's idea that consumer's expectations depend on what they're buying.  Stephens breaks the purchase experience into two categories: 

• fast, easy and frictionless (you might think website or fast food here) 
• exclusive, personalized and immersive (sales offices and design centers should be here)

Meagher mentions further, We need to thrill and delight our buyers with their (options) selections experiences.  

Would you consider evaluating your sales office experience in light of these thoughts?  Stephens says many organizations are intellectually aware of the need to change but plagued by process inertia. CPS can help you look at exciting, innovative and effective consumer engagement tools -- from interactive touchscreens to social media walls to tablet experiences.  You can adapt, innovate and keep in sync with today's changing consumer objectives!

Personalization: Reframing the Home Purchase Decision-Making Process

Builder Radio offers a great set of resources for new home sales/marketing professionals ranging from Podcasts to Webinars to an audio/visual library...all oriented towards "Helping Builders Sell More Homes."  We suggest dropping by http://www.builderradio.com/ and taking a look at what is offered.

Let your buyers take the floorplan and...make it their own!

Recently, Jane Meagher with Success Strategies participated in a Builder Radio Podcast titled, Making Personalization Part of the Sales Process.  She highlighted a key sales concept: today's consumer likes to have control over purchases and that desire offers homebuilders a unique advantage compared to used, foreclosed and spec homes: the ability to personalize the purchase.

Jane suggests that salespeople ask probing questions designed to get prospective buyers to "dream the dream" and talk about their preferred lifestyle.  This process allows the buyer to reframe their decision-making process and, she says, drives the buyer to ask, "Why settle? Maybe I can get what I want, even if it costs a little more."

That question allows the builder to differentiate the new home from other homesfor sale-- since their purchase must be considered "as is."  Sure, after the purchase the buyer can tear up the carpet, add granite but..not today.

And, here's where an interactive touchscreen system can be an effective sales tool, as well.  Buyers can mix and match structural options, see the results and print out their uniquely designed floorplan.  No more standard brochures with arrows, lines and cross-outs! They can add/remove furniture and mark-up the floorplan, as well.  Change the wall between kitchen and family room to a pony wall; mark-up the kitchen to add a center island, make the base floorplan their home.

Robert Musa talks more about the value of interactive touchscreens in the sales process in his book, Creating Customers with Interactive Digital Signage.  It's available through BuilderRadio.