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.