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Your Future - Your
Job
How do your job's functions, play a
future on the success of the company? No
matter what your job is within a company,
you play a role in its success. You make
or break the chain of future sales by your
actions, attitude and team spirit.
Value Added Services
When you offer value-added services, you
help to reduce stress for the customer and
make it easier for the customer to buy a
home from you. The other side of the coin
is, that it pays you back ten-fold. When a
company understands the true value of a
customer, business will expand.
In the book "The Speed of Trust"
by Stephen M. R. Covey, Covey talks about
Trust - Efficiency - Cost. He mentions in
his book that "when trust is up,
efficiency goes up, and costs go down".
On the reverse side he mentions, "When
trust is down, efficiency will go down,
and costs go up". Building that trust
relationship with customers, has many
benefits.
Best of continued success!
EXCELLING IN SERVICE
By Jerry Rouleau
Have you ever thought about what customers buy besides your product? They buy you, (comfort that you will be there for them), the value of what you project and the services that you have to offer.
Always looking at the bottom dollar of what things are going to cost is short sighted. If a company fails to do extra things for the customer, they are forgetting the power of the consumer and the value of a referral down the road.
If your business is not generating a minimum of 30 percent of its business from referrals, something is wrong. Referrals don't happen by accident; you actually have to work at them. Some successful builders run the majority of their business, strictly based on referral.
It's actually easy to excel in customer service in today's business climate, because it's so poor. When someone shows that they care about us and want to earn our business, we take notice. When you think about customer service, what companies outside of your business comes to mind? Are you thinking about L.L. Bean, Nordstrom, Fed-X, Disney, etc.?
When I think about service, I think about Hampton Inn. They are not the cheapest hotel chain and by far not the most expensive, however, they have a knack on providing value and service. First of all they promote “Satisfaction Guarantee” and back it. Do some people take advantage of it? Yes I am sure, but they don't change their practice based on the minority. They focus on the majority.
When you check in, they tell you that they appreciate you staying with them. When you walk into your room, (it's always clean, comfortable and you know what to expect) there are always two bottles of water and a small snack bag that are complementary. How much does that really cost them? $1.50 to $2.00? Yes, the more expensive hotels also have a bottle of water in the room with a tag around the bottle cap that says, if you use it, you will be charged $4.00. I have even seen $6.00. I wonder what marketing genius thought that up! I guess they didn't have the customer's interest in mind. Hampton Inn sells added value. The Internet service is free. Once it's set up, what is it costing them? Breakfast is free, and if you're in a hurry, there is a bag to-go on the registration counter.
If you sell value early on, then demonstrate and ask the right questions, you could eliminate a majority of the price objections later on. How does Starbucks manage to grow and build their business when their coffee is the most expensive?
Do you drive the least expensive car, live in the lowest price home, or have the cheapest stereo equipment you were able to find? When you travel cross-country, do you travel by bus and stay in hotels that have the lowest prices? I realize that some people do, but not everyone does. Who are you focusing your sales on?
Ever watch QVC or the Shopping Network and see how they take the most mundane product and how they sell value? Consider the idea of watching one of the shows for a sales meeting to understand how selling value early on makes all the difference in the world. If you don't sell value and service early on, any price is too high.
Let's forget just for a minute about your product details. Let's talk about the services you provide, the warranty and the help you give your customers as they go through the home buying process. What makes you different than other companies in your area? Why should they buy from you?
How do you make it easy for a customer to buy from you? How comfortable do they feel when they make this big investment, that you are going to be there to help them? One builder in Michigan has all of his systems in place regarding paperwork, contracts, progress reports, etc. and shows his potential customers some of the project booklets that are in the works. When a customer sees all the details, progress reports, photos of each step of construction and copies of contracts, (private information is not shown), they buy from him. Why? Because, the customer is just not buying a home, they are buying confidence, value, trust and assurance.
Most customers fully expect to pay for services rendered, if they feel it's going to help them get to their objective. Why is it that many successful builders can charge a fee for designs, detail estimates and site review, when most builders feel they have to do it for free because that's what thier competitor is doing? They sell value.
Questions to ponder:
- Does the consumer feel good about their visit to your office or model, or are they just happy to leave?
- Do you fully demonstrate your homes and sell value, as you tour the home with customers?
- How much do you really know about the potential customer?
- Are you spending most of the time talking, or are you asking the right questions and listening?
- Do you send a follow up note or card thanking them for visiting?
- How many times have you been in touch with them in the first 120 days after their visit?
- Why spend all the money to get the lead and then not follow up? It's less expensive to work an existing lead than it is to create a new lead.
What are some little things you can do for customers, that leave them with a “feel good” attitude? Brainstorm with office staff, sales people, friends and even past customers as to what would make their buying experience a better process.
Keep in mind that once you get the deposit on the home, that's when the sale starts. From that point, to the time the customer moves into their home, is the most critical time for your business to excel. That is the time, when every one of their friends, relatives, co-workers, etc., will ask them the main topic of conversation: “How is your house coming along”? If you ever had a chance to excel in your business, this is the time. Create that pleasant experience, help them through the minor problems and make it fun for them to buy a home from you.
Little touches make a difference. There is a sign in a successful, high-end national grocery store chain saying, “Community Support. Giving Back. We are committed to fighting hunger, supporting the environment and participating in our local communities. We do this by giving back at least 5% of our profits to our neighboring communities and by donating both product and services to a worthy cause. All of our stores hold several 5% days every year. Our last 5% day raised: $4,070. A charitable donation for: Our friends at the Children's Museum.”
Ask yourself, would you feel a little bit better about doing business with this grocery chain?
Sell value, promote your services and make it fun for customers to buy from you. Sales are sure to follow!
Onward!
About the writer:
Jerry is a speaker, author, and consultant, specializing in sales training, and public relations for the housing industry. He is the author of “Selling New Homes: Sales & Marketing Workbook for Million-Dollar Producers”, “Selling New Homes the Easy Way” and a frequent article contributor to numerous building trade publications. Jerry is also the producer of the Builder Radio Media Network, which includes BuilderRadio.com, BuildGreenRadio.com, SystemsBuiltNews.com and BuilderIdeas.com.
Jerry can be reached at 860-589-7391, by e-mail at: jerryrouleau@comcast.net or through his website: www.jrouleau.com. You can also find some of his previous articles and podcast interviews at buildingsavvy.com.
Who Should You Spend the Most Time With?
By Jerry Rouleau
Companies spend a lot of money to get leads and referrals. Following up on those customers, properly screening and qualifying them, is key. In many cases you don't need to get more leads, you need to work more effectively with the leads you already have.
Many companies spend a lot of time teaching salespeople about their product specifications and details, but spend very little time, if any, teaching them sales skills, such as question selling. If you were to try and place a value on people skills versus product knowledge, how would you rate them?
While I agree that they are both important, a sales person with lots of product knowledge and no people skills, generally is not successful. In my experience, I often see top performers as the ones who realize what they don't know, and know how to use the expertise of others to help them make a sale.
The best sales people are the ones that have a keen desire and ability to find out what a customer wants and are able to help that customer find the best possible solution.
Are you wasting a lot of time with the wrong customers? Every salesperson will tell you about the hours they spent working with a customer, only to find out he had champagne taste with beer pocket money. I have heard time and time again, that "if we were just able to spend more time with the right customers, we could make more sales." While that may sound like a dream, it's easier that you think. Most of the time, we spend too much time talking, and not enough time asking questions. Keep in mind that all customers are not the same, and do not like or want the same kind of designs. No matter what you think, you must constantly be aware of the customers' wants and needs. Each potential customer is different and unique.
To avoid wasting precious resources, you need to weed out the long shots and concentrate your efforts on prospects that are apt to yield a return on your investment of time, money and energy.
What are the key characteristics of good prospects? Simply put, a qualified prospect has three things:
A need. A qualified prospect needs a home relatively soon.
What are the needs?
- Expanding family
- Upsizing
- Downsizing
- Updating their living situation
A sufficient budget. A qualified prospect has the means to buy your home. Don't waste time pursuing someone who truly can't afford to buy your home.
A specific time frame. A good prospect has a plan and a time frame in mind.
Selling is not about telling, it's about listening. It's about asking questions that get them talking about their plans, designs and dreams. If you don't know what they want, how can you sell them? Maybe you don't even have the style and design they are looking for!
When talking with prospective customers try and remember the 10 S's of question selling. These key words will help you get into a discussion on the various aspects of their dream home.
The 10 S's for Question Selling 1) Site (about their property)
2) Size
3) Square Footage
4) Shape - Note: numbers 2, 3 & 4 are not the same, but together, it gives
you a better picture of their dream home.
5) Spending (budget)
6) Schedule (time frame - when they want to get started.)
7) Situation (What's holding them back from getting started?)
8) Similarities (What are their interests, hobbies etc.? What do you have in common with them?)
9) Shopping experience (Who else have they looked at and what did they like in what they saw so far?)
10) Source (How did they hear of you?)
When customers ask you about the cost per square foot of their home, this is an excellent opportunity to ask them more questions. Keep in mind, that the consumer is the one that is in complete control of the cost per square footage of their home. It is their specifications and the items that go into their home, that will determine what the ultimate cost will be. Can any one tell me how much a car cost per pound, without asking me a lot of other questions?
Concentrate on the buyer's motivation. Focus on that by asking key critical questions. Try the 80/20 rule of consultative selling. Get the customer talking 80 percent of the time and you 20 percent. This is a real stretch for some sales people, because they think that they need to do all the talking. Remember, that you have two ears, two eyes and one mouth, use them proportionately. Keep your ears and eyes open, and your mouth shut!
Once you key in on the consulting selling approach, you'll find yourself spending more time with the right prospects and less time with the lookers and the curious. If you would like to have a detailed list of sample questions, send me an e-mail and I will send you a web link to download a 3-page list of over 100 sample questions. Your job will be to scan the question list, pick out the ones you like and then reword them into your personality and selling style.
About the writer:
Jerry is a speaker, author, and consultant, specializing in sales training and public relations for the housing industry. He is the author of "Selling New Homes: Sales & Marketing Workbook for Million-Dollar Producers", ÒSelling New Homes the Easy Way" and a frequent article contributor to numerous building trade publications.
For more information check out his web site: www.jrouleau.com. Jerry can be reached at 860-589-7391 or by e-mail at: jerryrouleau@comcast.net. Several free sales and marketing audio interviews are also available on buildingsavvy.com and on www.BuilderRadio.com and www.BuildGreenRadio.com
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