Customers who are willing, able and ready to buy a new home from you and your company, have made that decision based on facts and beliefs about how the home will best serve them, their lifestyle and circumstances. It is rare to work with a customer who has no one around them interested in their new home, and their future plans and their wellbeing in their new home.
We notice that all customers have a group of people who surround them; we call them ‘approvers’, they are the people who are invested; emotionally, socially and sometimes financially in the customer that you are actually selling to.
Approvers play a key part in the customer’s thinking between searching and narrowing down the options and making a buying decision. They want to know what the person they care for is buying from you. Your customer needs confidently explain to their approvers why they are buying a new home from you. If they lack confidence in their decision, it will quickly wither when their approvers start asking them their questions! Sending your customer back to searching which is easier than making a decision!
To customers looking to buy a new home, most developers look like they are swimming in a sea of sameness.
To customers looking to buy a new home, most developers look like they are swimming in a sea of sameness. When we are actively buying anything, we want to believe it has qualities worth owning. No one buys something that is ok. They want to take a buying decision and be proud and loud to shout about their exciting decision.
Our Founder, Lesley Roberts, references an observation that there are two topics that pervade conversations with anyone who knows us; pregnancy and moving home! Standing out in the sea of sameness means you are gifting your customer to articulate the reasons why they chose to buy a home from you, your brand, on your site and above all else, to buy now.
Talking about being different and stating that your brand has significant differentiators within the organisation and in marketing literature does not, by osmosis, mean that you have transferred this to customers. You have to be able to say this out-loud to them and their approvers. How do you make sure that your customer sees, hears and feels how your brand, your special qualities will enhance their buying decision and perspective on the value of buying a home from you?
How to build your differentiators and stand out in your market:
- Have a deep understanding of how each of your current available homes compares to anything else the customer can choose from
- Weave relevant pieces of information into your conversations and make sure what you say adds value to the customer’s perception of what they are buying from you
- Every Sales Manager needs to test that the sales team have a strong set of statements to use with customers to clearly and positively promote:
- Why buy a home on your development, from your brand?
- Why buy a new home?
- Why buy in your locality?
- Why buy now?
We know that customers are much more informed than ever and have easy access to data that will help them to make their next buying decision. To be a real expert in our market, you have to be better than that combined data as well as better than your website.
A customer meeting you and appreciating your expertise will be glad that they have met you because, had they not have met you, information that is critical to their purchase would not have been part of their decision. It’s a tall order but one you must meet.
What are your differentiators? How do you weave these in to make sure your customer can see your value in the sea of sameness?