The 2008 Homebuyer Experience: Becoming Consumer-Focused in a 21st Century Market
A prevailing theme in most any personal or professional effectiveness program is the shout-out to “be proactive!” These days, I work with clients who find it difficult to understand what that really means when it comes to the uphill battle for more new home sales. There is no single solution to all our challenges today, but there are some great ideas that are helping proactive builders who are willing to adopt some amazingly simple, customer-focused practices.
Take some of the ideas I’ve heard from participants in Eliant’s National Roundtable on Customer Satisfaction and other conferences. Somewhat counter to the prevailing pessimism in the industry, we have some great examples from innovative design center professionals. In many instances, the business of design options is flourishing. At one conference, I moderated a session on design center operations, and I was delighted to learn the extent to which many design centers had just undergone expansions or strategic relocation. Since my obsession is achieving better practices in the new home industry, my question of these designers and managers was, “What are you doing to assist builders with selling more homes and with retaining the sales that they do get?” Continue Reading...
It was no big surprise to hear plenty of good ideas. In my experience, designers have a keen focus on improving their overall operations and their service to their builder partners and home buyers. It was great to hear how some design teams are being proactive by focusing on what they CAN do to assist – instead of bemoaning the extraordinary circumstances of the new home industry.
One design center manager shared that they had implemented a “Preview Night,” a now-common practice that enables new home buyers under contract to come in and take a look around prior to an initial design appointment. This better practice reduces buyer anxiety and enables buyers to come to their initial appointments better prepared to make their selections. This design center, however, took the idea and adapted it to assist their builders in selling homes. They invited prospective buyers into the design center to review all the available options and to educate them about the added value of having various supplier experts on hand to answer critical questions about products and performance. The experiment was paying off - of the ten prospects that took advantage of the preview at the time, all ten purchased new homes!
In addition to Preview Nights, many builders are integrating online design portals into the customer design experience. These portals, such as Envision, help buyers through the design process and allow them access to options information at their convenience, 24 hours a day. Buyers can see all the products available for their home and spend as much time researching as they choose. This also makes the design center appointment far more efficient, and buyers can ask more in-depth questions since they have already had time to review the available options. Online options portals are changing the way buyers design their homes, and by meeting the demand for these portals, builders will increase customer satisfaction.
Some of the best can-do ideas I’ve heard address the critical issue of “Move-in Ready” homes. How about the designers who go out of their way to meet with buyers of these homes – at the home – to do a special orientation to the selected materials and to provide a review of homeowner maintenance for flooring, counter tops, cabinets, fixtures and other designer-selected elements? Doing this promptly after a contract is written aids builders in retaining skittish buyers. At the same time, this practice elevates customer satisfaction with their selections and reduces warranty calls!
Likewise, Eliant has encouraged the practice of introducing prospects interested in “Move-In Ready” homes to construction superintendents and other critical team members, such as customer service representatives – just as they should with a home in production. What a tremendous way to build trust for prospects and buyers, alike!
Bear in mind that these practices cost little when compared to the incentives that builders now offer and the costly measures often taken to avoid a buyer cancellation. The potential return in additional sales and buyer retention may be invaluable.
Eliant has worked with hundreds of builders for 24 years to measure, monitor and improve home buyer satisfaction. Some of the most respected builders utilize the Eliant system to foster home owner loyalty, making a critical difference in referral sales, buyer retention, reduced warranty costs and increased profitability. In these extraordinary times, we challenge every builder to consider whether they are doing everything possible to provide customer experiences that make a difference in today’s market.
Martha Baumgarten is the Vice President of Customer Experience Management for Eliant, Inc. For additional insights or to contact Eliant and the Excellerate! team, call (949) 753-1077 x18.
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