Let’s Be Clear: Home Shoppers Need Transparency

Is that what I ordered?

Picture this: You’re hungry and pop into a nearby restaurant to grab lunch. You’re browsing the menu on the wall behind the counter. It’s full of mouth-watering dishes that look so delicious it’s hard to choose your order. You settle on something, pay the cashier, and grab yourself a seat. Your stomach is growling as you wait anxiously for your meal to arrive. You’re ready to gobble up every bite.

Then your plate is plopped down in front of you. It’s an unseemly mishmash that loosely resembles the meal from the photo. Suddenly, your stomach growls turn into full-body frustration.

You wonder to yourself, “Why does the picture always look so much better than the real thing?!”

Your appetite has subsided. Since you already paid, you begrudgingly take a few bites, underwhelmed by the whole meal. Most of it stays on the plate untouched. You leave. And you probably won’t be back.

The sad reality is that this happens every day, for many customers, across virtually every industry.

Customers crave transparency.

They crave it like they crave a great meal at the end of a long day. In fact, 9 out of 10 customers will stop purchasing from a brand that lacks transparency. In home shopping, the same notion is true. Transparency matters now more than ever, especially with the limitations of physical distancing and the rise of virtual home tours.

Our product SiteViewer creates more transparency in the home shopping process. It’s an interactive web solution that allows home shoppers to view homes and community details, and it’s proven to work wonders for homebuilders and sales offices, even more so now that person-to-person contact is still limited.

Builders and leasing agents can stop worrying about losing out on valuable leads because SiteViewer offers real-time updates – so the customer is always aware of the latest availability, pricing, amenities, floor plans, elevations and more. It removes the guess work for customers, allowing them to successfully make a choice on their new home and rest assured that what they’re investing in is reliable.

What you see is what you get.

That’s what you can expect when SiteViewer is in the mix, and it’s a motto every company should believe in when it comes to transparency. Having the best software that effortlessly allows you to show off your product is important, but it’s not the only component of a transparent shopping experience. Every facet of your brand should amplify your commitment to transparency.

Another way to promote transparency is through social media. According to recent research, 86% of people think transparency is more important than ever before, while 81% of people think social media has increased transparency accountability for businesses. Just as important, 73% of customers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. 

Combining a transparent social media strategy with a web-based software solution like SiteViewer, businesses can build long-standing trust with customers. That’s the ultimate goal: conveying a level of transparency that fosters trust. Once a customer trusts a business, they’ll feel more comfortable making a purchase.

Give the customer what they want.

Whether it’s a new home or a quick lunch, customers want to know that the investments they make turn out exactly as they expected. Businesses can spare themselves negative reviews, lost leads, customer confusion, and other factors that affect ongoing sales when transparency is prioritized and valued.

Transparency, truth and trust: These are the ingredients that make up any customer’s balanced daily diet. How is your business satisfying that hunger?

Builders: Adding Some Apple to Sales/Leasing Office Marketing!

Have You Heard About the Value of Laptop Tilt?

Did you see one of our earlier blogs talking about How the Apple Store Seduces You with the Tilt of Its Laptops? You can read it here!

Engage your home shoppers with new channels!

Carmine Gallo had written an article for Forbes suggesting that Apple had the tilt designed to encourage customers to adjust the screen to their ideal viewing angle.

In other words, Apple was encouraging consumers to touch!

Apple's Actions as a Differentiator Are Worth Investigating

There's a recent Builder article by John Rampton highlighting Apple's marketing tactics and ways Apple has been able to differentiate itself to become the strong competitor it is through their marketing efforts.

Are there takeaways for sales/leasing offices? Let's take a look at several of the ideas presented:

• Create unique buying channels: Rampton suggests that companies can enhance their marketing efforts by finding new, unique channels that competitors aren't using. Consumers like to explore products, engage and find out information. Rampton suggests marketers should explore ways to make shopping more enjoyable and exciting.
• Think about the user experience: Here, too, Apple goes beyond competitors as they've created unique, exploration-based shopping experiences. Rampton suggests an enhanced user experience creates more loyal customers.

Engage Your Homeshoppers as Soon as They Enter Your Office

Interactive touchscreens engage consumers and provide the unique shopping experience Apple and Rampton suggest meet today's consumer's objectives. You're able to differentiate your business by not only adding technology but using it to enhance the buyer experience.  Interactive floorplans, drag 'n drop furniture, dynamic/real-time sitemaps -- they're all focused on creating a value-unique experience for your home shoppers.

Use technology to enhance the buyer experience

Your home shoppers not only gain the information they're searching for but recognize your brand as forward thinking and offering a unique home shopping experience.  That's the "hyper-focus" that Apple applies to their consumers!

Let's Talk About Adding Some Apple!

CPS' interactive touchscreen product, SalesTouch, is designed to engage home shoppers the minute they walk into the sales office with interesting, useful, emotional images and content. Whether exploring the neighborhood or trying out virtual options (where is the local elementary school? is there an optional den available?) they're finding solutions -- and creating an ownership experience!

Isn't building an ownership experience what home shopping is about? CPS is celebrating 35 years providing engaging, dynamic software solutions for the homebuilding industry. We'll be at IBS2020 in Las Vegas; you can visit us at Booth SU631 or ask us for a one-on-one demo here!

Yes! 55+ Home Shoppers Value Engaging with Interactives

Today's home buying population includes three distinct demographics: Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.

Every home shopper is looking for information!

Regardless of age, geography or economic status, home shoppers are empowered by an unprecented level of access to choice and information.

The challenge for today's sales and marketing professionals is to incorporate the shifts in economics, demographics and technologies into a meaningful sales office experience.

Zoe Miller, a principal at Computer Presentation Systems, says, "People ask us whether interactive touchscreen technology -- so  relevant for Gen Xers and Millennials -- would be used by Baby Boomers. We've found that Boomer home shoppers find CPS' SalesTouch to be an important part of their home shopping experience. They really appreciate the interactive floorplans with room options as well as drag 'n drop furniture placement as they are trying out new housing possibilities."

After all, it's not your father's (or mother's) sales office any longer! Home shoppers value a home shopping sales experience that allows them to dream and "make it their own." Boomers are the fastest growing segment on Facebook. Miller notes, "Regardless of age, home shoppers want information! Providing them with the ability to virtually walk the neighborhood and discover nearby shopping, dining and recreation -- and to explore community amenities -- answers their questions and moves them along in their decision-making."

Interested in finding out more about effective technology for 55+ home shoppers? CPS will be at IBS Orlando -- Booth W5583 in nextBUILD. Or, we'd love to hear from you via info@cpsusa.com!

Using CRM to Extend Sales Office Hospitality

Always love seeing Amy O'Connor's posts on Jeff Shore's website.  Amy blogs in addition to providing new home sales seminars -- and she brings a great combination of insight, humor and kindness to her commentary.

Technology Will Enhance Your Welcome Message!

Recently read 3 Southern Hospitality Tips That Will Increase Your Sales and could imagine Amy asking "How's your Mama doin'?" to a sales office visitor in that great Southern drawl of hers!

Of course, not many of us could ask that question like Amy can but... got us thinking about how the concept of hospitality fits into today's new home sales skill set.  And, what tools might an agent use to consistently enhance the home shopping experience?

Amy's #1 hospitality tip is Express Gratitude. There are lots of new home sales offices out there but this particular home shopper selected yours!  Let them know you are happy they visited and welcome them into your office.

This first visit should be just the beginning of your hospitality touch points. Did you know technology can help you enhance the welcome after the home shopper leaves your office?  Let your home shoppers know you listened and remember their unique reason for the visit.

The percentage of new home sales agents following-up with even a basic Thank You! is very small.

You will stand out with your show of hospitality touchpoints, in other words!

Let's assume you're already recording prospect visits; why not take the extra step and associate a particular area of prospect interest (a floor plan, amenity or an interest in schools)? Have these items setup in advance so you're selecting from a list of "reasons" for the stop at your office!

Then, have a preset series of Thanks for Visiting emails offering a little extra about their particular interest.

It's true; people aren't wild about generic emails.  Set yourself and your community apart from the generic with an informative (and hospitable) follow-up focused on a specific topic.  Think of the possibilities: adding a quick video about an amenity, taking your prospect on a short, cell-phone tour of Plan 2's kitchen!

Wondering how you can become more hospitable with technology? CPS has been providing CRM software to homebuilders for a bit more than 30 years -- we can show you!