Why is your sales center more important today than ever?
Brian Flook, MIRM

Brian Flook is president of Power Marketing & Advertising. Reach him at bflook@power-marketing.com

Why is your sales center more important today than ever?

For years, the most critical onsite tool for selling new homes was the model home. And I believe that is still true today. The model home creates emotion, slows the customer down so we can talk, involves them in the home, allows them to experience the home and much more. The model is often a major factor in the buyer’s process of elimination. Generally, all that is still true.

But, one fact that has changed is this: buyers no longer eliminate you after they visit your model; they eliminate you online. It’s true; homebuyers today use the Internet more than any single tool to make decisions concerning the purchase of a new home. And that’s where they eliminate you, not after they visit your model. That fact is what makes your sales center more important than ever.

A prospect that visits your model or sales center in today’s climate is more prepared than ever to purchase. That’s because they have eliminated most other builders and communities before they ever jumped in their car to visit. That means they have narrowed their choices down to less than five or fewer builders.

This is where the importance of the sales center comes into play. As you have often experienced, most new home shoppers visit on either Saturday or Sunday, and unfortunately they seem to come in clusters. That means you now have 2-4 families of highly qualified prospects who have narrowed their choices down to only a few builders standing in your model or sales center at the same time. You can’t possibly give them all the same quality time. That means your sales environment must work with you. Your model can preoccupy customers for a few minutes without you and your sales center must be able to do the same in order to buy you more time with every prospect. Additionally, the sales environment (a room in the model, garage area, or trailer) must present the prospect with a clear path or obvious set of information they can understand on their own. (See the article “Critical sales path or rabbit trail” by Doug Stone, MIRM in this Builder Bulletin.)

Remember, the prospect has likely narrowed their search down to only a few builders. Your selling environment is now a feature, not a trap. Customers expect to be sold; they appreciate a sales process that is both informative and intuitive. Let them learn. Information is valuable, so don’t hold back much. Use bold and informative point-of-purchase displays to educate prospects while they’re waiting on you to return.

I also don’t recommend handing a customer who walks in your model a brochure package right away. Introduce yourself – and if you’re busy with other customers – direct them through the sales center and tell them you will be right with them with a brochure package. Many people, when they get the sales package, they feel they have all the answers they need. They then hurry “outta there” to study more on their own.

The model is still the king of emotional impact, but maximize every visit by creating a sales environment that really facilitates sales.

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