I have worked on three sides of new homes: sales, marketing, and management. In nearly 20 years, I’ve learned one fundamental truth for selling more homes that has never failed me, whether I was sitting on a project, in a management meeting, or with a client.
It’s not about knowing how many homes you are going to sell a month. It’s about knowing which homes you are going to sell.
In this market, it’s tempting to say, “I am going to sell whatever the buyer wants.” That’s nice. Here’s the problem:
When you have a project of 15 standing inventory homes and you decide to be happy with selling three of them – any three of them – your presentation (and your marketing) becomes much more loosey goosey. It’s like a game of mental pinball whenever a buyer comes in: you’re ready to bounce off any idea until they bite. It’s the same for your social media.
I know all of the theory and practice of qualifying buyers based on wants, needs, and buying motives. This isn’t about abandoning a consultative sales (or marketing) approach for the sake of our own agenda.
But something very powerful happens in our brain when we move from, “I’d like to sell three homes this month” to, “I am going to sell the Spruce Plan on Lot 43 for $243,000 with no concessions and a 30 day close within the next two weeks.”
It’s powerful in the mind of an on-site salesperson, but it’s just as powerful in the mind of a new home marketing person (or manager, or builder).
Something to Talk About
Many times I talk to builders, marketers and sales professionals who are skeptical of our aggressive content schedule. I often hear, “There isn’t that much to talk about because we have been sitting here without any sales for three months.” That is precisely the time to start an aggressive content schedule.
Create a 90 day content calendar that includes Facebook, Twitter, PR, blogs, online advertising with specific goals: which homes do you want to sell, at what price (hint: think maximizing price, not slashing it), in which timeframe, and at what net?
Deciding which homes you want to sell nearly writes the content for you because you are able to focus on more specific and emotion-driven benefits.
A Social Media Strategy That Writes Itself
I used to work with a sales agent who had once sold used cars. She told me that her previous boss would make her sit in a car on the lot and list 100 features and benefits of that car.
I think this is a good practice for any sales agent sitting on standing inventory (I’ve done it), but I also think it’s very good for a marketing person who is responsible for a content calendar to do this as well.
When you focus on overall benefits of living in a new home community – whether you are sales or marketing – there can be a temptation to generalize: close to schools and shopping, spacious floor plans, designer touches including granite counters, energy efficiency – blah blah blah. On an assertive 90 day content calendar that message gets very stale, very quickly.
When you focus on a specific home, your presentation – whether in social media or your sales office – comes alive. “Imagine sitting under this tree in your backyard on a summer afternoon with complete privacy. See how there are no other homes looking down on your yard? This is the only home in the community that has this kind of privacy and enough space for your dog Fido to run around.”
I’d like to emphasize that this strategy is not about focusing on your best homes. It can be any home. I have sold against train tracks, power lines, and freeways. I once even managed a team that had to sell townhomes located in the parking lot of a tire repair company.
There is a buyer for every home. It’s up to you – you (sales) and you (marketing) – to write the story of why that home represents an opportunity that the buyer will not want to miss out on.
Take the 30 Day Challenge
Try it for yourself. Pick the three specific homes in your community and set a goal to sell those specific homes in the next 30 days. Write down your goal and commit to it each day (again, whether you are sales or marketing or a builder). Then list 100 features and benefits for each home. Study those everyday. Create a content calendar around those features and benefits for your Facebook page, Twitter page, home builder blog, press release, Craigslist – anywhere your marketing is. Test different headlines and updates.
This approach does not mean ignoring the buyers wants, needs, and motivations. It means that you can identify the right home for them more quickly and create a more compelling presentation that shortens the sales cycle – whether you are marketing person trying to get buyers to walk through a sales office door or a sales person helping them find their next home.
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