Check Your Buyer Experience Gap: Then, Watch Referrals Grow!

In thinking about the takeaways from Jeff Shore's Sales Leadership Summit, realized there is probably an opportunity to analyze the buyer experience as well as that of the home shopper.

How to minimize the buyer experience gap?

Do You Have A Buyer Experience Opportunity Gap?

Extending some of Jeff's home shopper concepts a bit, 

-- What would be a great buyer experience after the home shopper signs the Purchase Agreement?

-- What is a buyer experience today in your organization?

-- The difference is your buyer experience opportunity gap!

Have you been asked to increase your buyer referral rate? Uncertain where to begin? Closing the buyer experience gap is a great place to start!

Keeping Buyers Informed is Key to Their Experience

Any chance you saw our Solutions Blog: Homebuilder #1 Referral Driver: Keeping Buyers Informed? You can read it here.

Not surprisingly, that Blog is one of our most frequently read! It kicks-off with Eliant CEO Bob Mirman's Builder and Developer article statement: the single largest referral driver for homebuilders is how well the builder keeps buyers informed regarding the status of construction. 

Lack of Information Creates Stress

Mirman asks us to think of the homebuying process as similar to a hospital stay.  No question: both are stressful! Yet, the stress can be mitigated by information.  No one, in other words, feels comfortable in the dark. He notes the #1 buyers' Willingness to Refer a Friend is the builder's ability to keep the buyer informed of their status. 

Communication Doesn't Need to be Complicated

Critically, Mirman notes, you don't need conversation -- just communication. 

Information is Communication

We'd like to suggest using software to gain the tools necessary to enhance your current communication process. CPS' software Portals take information developed by FieldCollaborate's construction users as well as WarrantyWatcher's customer service teams and make it available to buyers and homeowners via the Internet. 

No additional work required: the construction schedule can be set as available for buyers to view. Warranty requests, status updates and appointments can be viewed via mobile or desktop. In both cases, 24/7, anywhere/anytime. 

Want to take things up a notch, improve the experience even more? Go the extra step and take stage-of-construction photos and attach them to your milestones. Add post-repair photos so your homeowner knows how things look before getting home from work. After all, your buyers have Portal access 24/7 so they're up-to-speed as the work is completed!

Referrals Are the Result of a Great Buyer Experience

Referrals can be your least expensive source of traffic -- and the most rewarding.  Communication is a win-win as your team communicates results internally -- and they're easily viewable by your most important audience, your buyers!