STOP THINKING LIKE A BUILDER! IBS 2015 Las Vegas, NV Presented by: Jane Meagher
President
Success Strategies
Janelle Brulotte
Design Studio Manager
Quadrant Homes
Christina Harvey
Director of Marketing
Schell Brothers
STOP THINKING LIKE A BUILDER!!
Rule #1: INSPIRE DEEP CONNECTION…
Because You Can
Today we connect to others and to our favorite brands on a much deeper level than ever before.
Inspire your potential and current buyers to feel connected to your brand, your people, and your
products.
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RULE #2: CREATE RESPONSIBLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS…
Because you should
Years ago trust was about reliability and longevity and we trusted the brands our parents trusted.
Today trust is built on transparency and on matching the knowledge of today’s uber-educated
consumers.
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RULE #3: CREATE A CUSTOMER CENTRIC BUBBLE AND KEEP THEM IN IT.
Because it works
Why and how you need to create a truly customer-centric business where the customer drives 1)
shifts in the business direction and approach, 2) the elements which define the customer experience,
and 3) ultimately, referral sales as a result
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Rule #4: BE A WORLD-CLASS RETAILER, NOT A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY…
Because it matters
Today’s customers have a heightened sense of design and environment from their daily shopping
experiences at mass retailers and restaurants. They have a high standard for being catered to from
their experiences at hospitality venues, (restaurants, hotels) high-end services (car dealers, spas)
and specialty retail (boutiques and fine retailers). They have a heightened sense of product trends
from being exposed to houzz, pinterest, and HGTV.
So: Everything matters. Design matters. In the physical environment of your sales centers, model
homes and design studios. In the user-friendly customer-focused experiences you create for them in
those spaces. And in the products you offer them for their brand new home.
They don’t think of your company as a construction company. They think of your company as the
potential seller of the most expensive product they’re ever going to buy…and you better live up to
their very discerning standards. Because they are no longer willing to settle.
Are you running your business as a construction company? Or as if you were a Retail Manager?
______________________________________________________________________________
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Rule #5: STOP LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE…
Because you can’t afford it
Here’s 10 retail tactics for increasing per-home revenue with every buyer.
It’s about understanding customer shopping behavior and the consumer decision-making process.
INFLUENCE THROUGH MORE RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT OFFERINGS
1. Be more ON TREND. Lead your buyers
2. Be scientific. Quantity of choice affects your buyers decisions.
3. Be judicious. Do the work for your buyers.
INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING SPEED:
4. Provide tools. Remove ambiguity.
5. Help buyers CHUNK decisions. Simplify buyers’ thought processes.
6. Facilitate contrast. Create clarity and quickly narrow down contenders to reduce overwhelm.
INFLUENCE THROUGH INTELLIGENT, FACT-BASED REASONING:
7. Provide factual justification for why every product is a smart financial investment.
8. Promote WHY BUY NOW (see 3 pages in this handout supplement) instead of having buyers wait
til after they move in, and giving those dollars to other retailers.
INFLUENCE THROUGH INSPIRATION OF A BETTER LIFE:
9. Inspire through “Product Promise”. Craft compelling scripts to develop demand for must-have
products that will create a better life in their brand new home.
10. Create a Fun, Inspirational, Creative Environment
For more information on the ten points above, please join Jane on Thursday, January 22 from
8:30-11:30 for an IBS Master Class entitled “Optimizing Product Offerings: The Secrets of Great
Plans, Line-Ups, Options & Upgrades”. Jane, and Al Trellis of Home Builders Network, will provide
an extremely comprehensive step-by-step blueprint for offering the best assortment of floorplans,
included, and optional features to make your future communities successful. If you can’t make the
program, please access the handout, in which Jane provides 20 pages of details on most of the
above 10 tactics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SPECIFIC ACTION STEPS I WILL TAKE TO ACT LIKE A RETAILER, INFLUENCE CUSTOMER
BEHAVIOR, AND INCREASE SALES:
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
STOP THINKING LIKE A BUILDER! Presented by: Jane Meagher, MIRM, CSP, CAASH, is President of Success Strategies, the nation’s leading fullservice Design Studio creation, strategy, and training company.
Jane has worked with leading builders in over 100 markets throughout 35 states and Canada,
bringing her passion for applying consumer purchase psychology to the homebuilding world to
increase customer satisfaction, to increase per home revenue, and to drive new home sales.
Success Strategies is the proud winner of 16 National awards for Best Design Center in the Country
(as awarded by NAHB’s National Sales & Marketing Council) including the last 3 consecutive Gold
Awards. The company’s design studios are also consistent winners of local and regional awards for
Best Design Studio, in multiple states across the country.
Success Strategies also provides design studio strategic operational analyses and offers the
industry's most powerful design studio training program for Sales and Design Studio staff.
Jane has over 25 years of in-depth experience as a professional in new home marketing and sales
among a wide variety of applications including market research, merchandising and advertising, and
sales and marketing. She has spoken at virtually every major industry event, and has been a featured
speaker at IBS for about 15 years. The company produces a popular, national award-winning, enewsletter entitled Design Intelligence. jane@opt4success.net www.opt4success.net 732 761 8134
Janelle Brulotte has been in the customer service industry for over 20 years. Beginning her career at
Starbucks in the early 90s as a manager and trainer for Starbucks. Her passion for people and
creating an experience internally as well as externally was always evident. Her mantra: Be
adaptable, follow up, have fun, and listen to what your buyers are saying have been key to her
success.
A career change brought Janelle to New Home sales. Janelle quickly moved from New Home site
sales, to Sales Trainer, then to Regional Sales Manager. She has had the honor of working with
multiple International Sales Trainers. She has had extensive training in leadership and coaching. She
takes a collaborative approach to leadership. Bringing enthusiasm to everything she does. She
recruited, hired and trained all of the sale associates with a sales force at the peak of 60 plus. She
developed and launched a New Home Sales training program for Quadrant and is an integral part of
Quadrant 98% WTR and 35% actual referral that has lasted well over a decade. At the peak of the
market Quadrant remained the number one builder in the region selling well over 1600 homes.
Recently Janelle took on the role of Design Studio. Introducing a brand new state of the art Design
Studio in 2013 to their buyers they have increased revenues over 20% and margins are exceeding
35%. Winning the Nationals Gold award for the Design Studio has been thrilling accomplishment.
Janelle.brulotte@quadranthomes.com www.quadranthomes.com (425) 646-0164
Christina Harvey As Director of Marketing for Schell Brothers, Christina Harvey has overseen the launch of six
new communities, coordinated 25+ events, and led the development of the Kincade subbrand marketing. She was integral to the completion of the company’s design studio and “The
Coffee House,” the company’s innovative home sales and information gallery. In 2013,
Christina was recognized as Marketing Director of the Year by the Delaware Home Builders
Association. She was a featured speaker at "PCBC," a national conference held in San
Francisco to cover the art, science and business of housing. Christina leads a creative team
of talented designers, media specialists and photographers/videographers who produce all of
the company’s marketing materials, including weekly print advertisements, signage and
displays, TV commercials and videos, websites, eMarketing and social media campaigns, and
high-end product photography.
Driven by a belief that marketing should be remarkable, Harvey enjoys working collaboratively
with the team to strategize cutting edge ideas. The team’s extensive creative output has
garnered numerous state and national awards in categories such as Best Website, TV
Commercial, Special Events, Welcome Center, Social Media Campaigns and Print
Campaigns.Christina@schellbrothers.com www.schellbrothers.com (302) 226-1994
STOP THINKING LIKE A BUILDER
HANDOUT SUPPLEMENT
Below you’ll find supplemental information on a few of the points Jane Meagher made in “Stop Thinking Like A Builder”,
so that you can implement and see success.
RULE #1 Inspire Deep Connection (Because You Can)
How To Connect your buyers to a unique personalized home to drive new home sales:
1. UNCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL BUYERS’ NEEDS:
•
Ask more and better probing questions to help buyers become acutely aware of what they
REALLY want in their brand new home, and get them to articulate these desires out loud.
•
The more they focus on the specifics, the more they get emotionally attached to that home and
the more an off-the-shelf used/spec/nonpersonalized home will NOT match their needs.
•
Few examples of good probing questions:
o What do you like/not like about your current home/kitchen/master bathroom/family
room/etc.
o In what part of your current home do you currently spend most of your time? How do
you see that changing in your new home?
o Describe to me a scene you’re picturing in your mind once your family moves into your
new dream home
o Tell me about the life you want to create for your family in your next home
o What does entertaining look like when you envision it in your new home?
o What are you searching for that you haven’t found yet ?
2. HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF OPTIONAL PRODUCTS AS SOLUTIONS
•
Heighten awareness of optional products you offer and position them as potential solutions to
the needs your buyers just articulated.
3. BUILD OR INCREASE DESIRE BY CREATING EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
•
Articulate “Product Promise”. If you can’t tell them what that product (cabinet,counter, flooring,
etc.) will do to enhance the quality of their lives, then why should they buy it?
•
Look to other industries to see how they employ this strategy.
4. JUSTIFY THE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT (Don’t say “price”) BY PROVING VALUE
• Specify the functional and technical benefits to convince that the expenditure is a smart
financial decision.
• Explain why it’s better to buy this product NOW than later.
5. CREATE DISCONTENT WITH SETTLING FOR AN OFF-THE-SHELF HOME.
• As you build this emotional connection to a home only you can provide, and as you prove the
financial value of that unique home, your prospective buyers will realize they do not want to
give up control of this crucial investment and decision, and they don’t want to settle for
someone else’s decisions.
Success Strategies
RULE #2: CREATE RESPONSIBLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS
(Because You Should)
How to train your team to meet the “Knowledge Match” Challenge
1. MAKE TIME FOR LEARNING:
•
One of the two biggest impediments to your team fulfilling the Knowledge Match Challenge is
that management doesn’t allow for the time your Design Consultants need to master this (the
other biggest impediment is lack of a specific plan to accomplish this, which is why you have
this document!).
2. IDENTIFY ALL CATEGORIES/SUBCATEGORIES OF PRODUCTS
Create a list of all product categories/subcategories and prioritize it. This will be your checklist
for verifying success.
3. CREATE A PLAN AND SCHEDULE IT
•
Schedule your trade partners/suppliers to come in for training. Be clear on the goals of the
training so they don’t just show up to casually chat about their products. Create a permanent
reference library of the information rather than just allowing everyone to take their own notes.
This way when you hire new team members, they can get up to speed immediately. This
information can be shared with other departments.
4. SUPPLEMENT WITH YOUR OWN RESEARCH
•
•
The reality is not all trade partners/suppliers are great at training you to sell their products.
Don’t let that be the excuse for not being able to build value and sell these items. Go online
and learn the powerful information available on the corporate websites.
5. REVIEW AND MEMORIZE DATA
•
As management, you need to realize that some/most or all of this information will go in-oneear-and-out-the-other-ear-within-days-weeks-or-months if time is not allotted to memorize the
information and figure out how to best use it
6. CRAFT INTO COMPELLING, BUYER-FOCUSED SCRIPTS CONVEYING PRODUCT BENEFITS
•
Using powerful language, craft these data points into powerful compelling scripts that will result
in educating your buyers and supporting them in making their best decision. When armed with
more information, buyers will often move up to a higher level product.
They say “Knowledge is Power”. Actually, “Power is Knowledge memorized and
crafted into compelling messages which resonate with your buyers strongly enough to
cause action”. Information does not affect results if it is murky and fuzzy and stuck in
someone’s head. Information does not affect results if it is not communicated through
confident, clear, highly specific and well scripted messages. Results are not achieved
by just chatting about 25% of the required information.
Success Strategies
RULE #3: CREATE A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC BUBBLE AND KEEP THEM IN IT
(Because It Works)
A customer-centric experience cannot be created without the baseline expectation that
everyone in your team will be focused on the customer and their unique needs and
goals. In most companies, this kind-of, sort-of happens…more with some design and
sales consultants than others, more with some buyers than others.
How to create a methodical program for gathering, transferring and then using customer data across
all departments.
1. IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION POINTS TO GATHER FOR EACH BUYER
• This is not about email addresses and homesite numbers.
• Document these information points at a minimum. Create a list that is meaningful in your
world.
o Why they are buying a new home (catalyst for move)
o Why they chose you as a builder
o Why they chose that neighborhood
o Why they chose that floorplan
o What included and optional features are of high interest to them
o Buyer personality characteristics
o Any special needs
2. CREATE A SPECIFIC METHOD FOR CONVEYING THIS INFORMATION TO THE SALES
TEAM AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL
• Often this can be done through the “notes” section of your CRM software or via another
method.
3. TRAIN YOUR TEAMS (SALES, CONSTRUCTION, CUSTOMER CARE)
•
Make sure your team knows how to use this information to create a customer-centric
experience that will delight your buyers every step of the way.
4. IMPLEMENT, CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MEASURE RESULTS
• As with any process improvement, you must teach team members why they should implement,
support the process, hold people accountable, and measure the results.
Success Strategies
RULE #4: BE A WORLD-CLASS RETAILER, NOT A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY…
(Because It Matters)
Today’s customers have a heightened sense of design and environment from their daily shopping
experiences at mass retailers and restaurants. They have a high standard for being catered to, from
their experiences at hospitality venues, (restaurants, hotels) high-end services (car dealers, spas)
and specialty retail (boutiques and fine retailers). They have a heightened sense of product trends
from being exposed to houzz, pinterest, and HGTV.
So: Everything matters. Design matters. In the physical environment of your sales centers, model
homes and design studios. In the user-friendly customer-focused experiences you create for them in
those spaces. And in the products you offer them for their brand new home.
They don’t think of your company as a construction company. They think of your company as the
potential seller of the most expensive product they’re ever going to buy…and you better live up to
their very discerning standards. Because they are no longer willing to settle.
Are you running your business as a construction company? Or as if you were a Retail Manager?
______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Rule #5: STOP LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE…
Because you can’t afford it
Here’s 10 retail tactics for increasing per-home revenue with every buyer.
It’s about understanding customer shopping behavior and the consumer decision-making process.
INFLUENCE THROUGH MORE RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT OFFERINGS
1. Be more ON TREND. Lead your buyers
2. Be scientific. Quantity of choice affects your buyers decisions.
3. Be judicious. Do the work for your buyers.
INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING SPEED:
4. Provide tools. Remove ambiguity.
5. Help buyers CHUNK decisions. Simplify buyers’ thought processes.
6. Facilitate contrast. Create clarity and quickly narrow down contenders to reduce overwhelm.
INFLUENCE THROUGH INTELLIGENT, FACT-BASED REASONING:
7. Provide factual justification for why every product is a smart financial investment.
8. Promote WHY BUY NOW (see next pages) instead of having buyers wait til after they move in, and
giving those dollars to other retailers.
INFLUENCE THROUGH INSPIRATION OF A BETTER LIFE:
9. Inspire through “Product Promise”. Craft compelling scripts to develop demand for must-have
products that will create a better life in their brand new home.
10. Create a Fun, Inspirational, Creative Environment
For more information on the ten points above, please join Jane on Thursday, January 22 from 8:3011:30 for an IBS Master Class entitled “Optimizing Product Offerings: The Secrets of Great Plans,
Line-Ups, Options & Upgrades”. Jane, and Al Trellis of Home Builders Network, will provide an
extremely comprehensive step-by-step blueprint for offering the best assortment of floorplans,
included, and optional features to make your future communities successful. If you can’t make the
program, please access the handout, in which Jane provides 20 pages of details on most of the
above 10 tactics
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SPECIFIC ACTION STEPS I WILL TAKE TO ACT LIKE A RETAILER, INFLUENCE CUSTOMER
BEHAVIOR, AND INCREASE SALES:
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
PROPER DESIGN STUDIO TERMINOLOGY
WHAT NOT TO SAY
WHAT TO SAY
COMMENTS
Customize,
customization
Custom request
Personalize, personalization
We are not custom builders
Special request
Avoid using term "custom"
Color Selections,
Decorator Selections
Spend
Personal Selections
Standard features
Included Features
Disclaimer
Important Product Information
Delivery date, move-in
date
UPGRADE , EXTRAS
Within the Estimated Completion Time
Frame, Estimated Move-in/Delivery Date
Available Choice, Available Personal
Choice, New Home Personal Choices,
New Home Choices
Available Personal Choice catalog,
Personal Choice catalog
We offer, you may choose from
Don’t reduce the process to just picking some
“colors”, it’s also about performance & more!!
These products are long-term investments, not
short-term expenditures which get “used up.”
"Included with the purchase of your home" makes
buyers feel good; "standard" suggests something
sub par.
Reduces buyer anxiety, conveys educational
aspect
Do not emphasize or guarantee a specific date
Option list, price list
We sell
Invest
Emphasize "choice" and buyer control
De-emphasize "price"
Comes with
Quality products, high-performing
products
Your home includes
Don’t make buyers feel they are being SOLD on
something
Emphasizes value, quality, performance, not just
color and style
Reinforce "included" as in "Included Features"
You have to pick
You can select
Emphasize power, not obligation
What you can afford
Buyers choose amount; Removes judgement
Subs, vendors
Within the budget you set for yourself (or)
At an investment you’re comfortable with
Trade Partners (Vendor Partners)
Sign off on options
Authorize your selections
Options you Ordered
Personal selections you Authorized
Order form
Personal Selections
Agreement/Addendum
Change order
Change Request
Buyers need to take responsibility for their final
selections
Buyers need to take responsibility for their final
selections
Buyers should realize they are legally bound to
these decisions. This document is a CONTRACT,
not a FORM to be casually filled out
Buyers cannot ORDER a change, it is a REQUEST
Penalty for change
orders
Colors (for faucets,
cabinets, etc)
Selections Girls, Color
Girls, Designer, Interior
Designer
Browse
Administration fee
Great stuff
Structural Options,
Optional Rooms (these
aren’t really bad to use)
Finishes, included finishes, available
specialty finishes
Design Consultants, Home Design
Consultants
Preview (Design Studio Preview)
Orientation (Design Studio Orientation)
Lifestyle Choices or Room Enhancements
Emphasize teamwork and respect
Fee is necessary to cover valid costs, it is not a
penalty
Correct terminology
Set proper expectations on abilities and
responsibilities of your team members
Stress Importance – this is not just a casual, social
visit
Consistent with terminology concepts above.
Focus on choice.
Remember: be confident, be enthusiastic, be sincere!!!!!!!!!
Success Strategies
CONGRATULATIONS, THANK YOU, AND WELCOME:
The Importance of Continual Customer Focus
We suggest that the buyer hears the following three points at least six times throughout their homebuying
experience, (from the first time the prospective buyer comes in contact with any Builder representative through
the closing of the home)
By congratulating them, thanking them, and welcoming them, we can ensure that our buyers know that we
appreciate their business, we are happy to be working with them, and we care about them. We are reinforcing
the positive emotions that come with buying a home, and putting them in a positive frame of mind for further
interactions with us.
•
•
•
Congratulations
o “Congratulations!”
o “Congratulations on purchasing your new home”
Thank You
o Thank you for selecting BUILDER to build your new home.
o Thank you for trusting BUILDER as your new home builder. We appreciate that decision and
will work hard to make sure you’re satisfied…”
o Thank you for placing your trust in BUILDER for such an important decision. You’re in good
hands…:
o Thank you for choosing BUILDER to work with you in building your new home. We look
forward to working together…
o Thank you for choosing BUILDER as your new home builder.
Welcome
o Welcome to the family of BUILDER homeowners”
o Welcome to the BUILDER family.”
o I’d like to add my personal welcome to BUILDER.. We’re proud/excited/happy to have you join
us/work with us”
Opportunities for these talking points are as follows:
• Welcome from any Sales Management
• Welcome from the Design Studio upon first phone conversation, and/or upon first visit to Studio-- from
Receptionist aka Director of First Impressions, Design Consultant, and any other design personnel.
• Welcome from the Construction department, upon first phone conversation and/or upon first in-person
meeting with any Construction personnel.
• Welcome from Closing Administration, Customer Care/Warranty, etc.
• Welcome from any Corporate Management upon first phone conversation and/or meeting.
• Welcome from any Sales Consultant when greeting a buyer who has bought at another community, but
is visiting their site.
• Welcome from ANY Builder representative when interacting with buyer.
Success Strategies
Overcoming Objections:
Why it’s Better to Buy from US than Home Depot
(or your brother-in-law’s best friend’s uncle who owns a ____store)
Choose as many of the following as appropriately apply to the product your buyer thinks he/she can
get cheaper elsewhere.
1. One-stop-shopping leads to better decisions. You can make easier and better
decisions when you can see all the styles and finishes which you are selecting for your
home at the same time.
2. Convenience. No disruption to lifestyle, no waiting, no scheduling and rescheduling
and staying home waiting for deliveries and installation.
a. “Don’t you deserve to not have these hassles?”
b. “Why would you want to have the huge hassle of remodeling your brand new
house/have more work done after moving into your dream home?”
c. “Once you move in, why bother shopping around for something that may no
longer be available? If you select it today you can simply spend your time
enjoying it in your brand new home and being delighted to already own that
item?”
3. When you buy from us, you don’t have to add on a Delivery Charge.
4. Point out the potential for an Inferior Product. Many people wrongly assume that a
similar-seeming item they find elsewhere is the same quality/brand/level as the item we
sell…make sure the comparison is REALLY apples to apples.
5. Don’t you deserve to Enjoy it NOW?
a. “There’s no wait with us. You can begin to enjoy your new lifestyle immediately
rather than months or even years down the road.”
b. “I bet you’ll want to have friends or family over for dinner right away and enjoy
celebrating your new home with people you love!”
6. No additional Labor/Installation Costs.
7. “When you buy from us, you receive Multiple Financial Benefits when you add that
item into your Mortgage, especially at today’s historic low interest rates.”
a. Adds to tax write-off, you write off the interest
b. Don’t need to lay out cash now
c. Break down to enjoying it at $ per month/day
d. “If you live in the house X# years, you may never even pay full price but you’ll get
full enjoyment and when you sell the home. The item does not get “used up”.
Many items enjoy residual value for years to come. An investment into additional
items into your home can be a very smart financial investment.”
e. Avoid high (18%) credit card interest rates!
8. Professional Installation (vs. do-it-yourself method) is risk-free. “With us you have the
assurance of knowing the product will be professionally installed and will perform
properly. Why chance it?”
Success Strategies
9. Less Risk. “ As your builder, we are responsible for any damage to your home, so if
there was damage, it would be resolved prior to move-in. With an outside company,
you risk the installers tracking in mud, chipping tile, etc. and then even if the DO
AGREE to pay for it (which they might not), you have to schedule that work to be done,
wait around for them to show up, and hope they resolve it to your satisfaction…”
10. No Retrofit costs (or hassles) to existing home.
a. Example: removing and reinstalling baseboard with carpet installation, not to
mention moving all that furniture around, and the inconvenience of having to wait
around for a delivery and to not have the use of part of your home for a period of
time.
b. Example: cost to remove existing carpet when new carpet is installed (this is not
free!)
c. Adding an undermount kitchen sink in lieu of a top mount kitchen sink: the edges
of your granite/quartz counter will need to be finished rather than raw.
d. Replacing a kitchen counter might mean replacing the backsplash
11. No Permit costs. Some items require a permit which adds to the cost.
12. No Sales tax (check your location’s tax laws; not applicable Canada)
13. Trust/Quality assurance. You already trust US to build this house, do you want to trust
someone else to buy/install this item properly?
14. Warranty with the home. “In addition to the manufacturer’s warranty, when you buy this
item through us, you receive OUR warranty on top of that. (explain warranty benefit
specifics).
Additionally, installing some products in your home may void the warranty on other
products.”
15. “You get to work with a Professional Design Consultant who is an expert in these
products, how they perform, and who can offer design advice (if applicable) or advice on
which products work well together.”
16. If you wait, the product may be Unavailable, discontinued, or you might not find it at all
at a convenient nearby store.
17. The Price may be higher when you buy it at a later date. (discuss your buying power, a
credit for the included item, etc.)
18. Make sure you are communicating Enhanced Option Descriptions so that the buyer
understands ALL that is included with the item. Ex: buyer should understand that the
builder price is not just for the door. Instead of just a line item saying “Additional Exterior
Door”, wouldn’t it be great to let your buyers know that
“A 2’8” x 6’0” nine light metal door will be installed in predetermined location in lieu of
included window. Includes one exterior light fixture adjacent to door with electrical wiring
and interior light switch. Includes any interior and/or exterior steps or platforms required
due to lot grading conditions and exits onto an approximately 3x3 concrete pad. Also includes
magnetic contact for included alarm system.”
Success Strategies
19. It’s more Green to buy from us (clarify specifics for that item and remember about
trucking and item disposal)
20. Saves you Valuable Time. “Many of our buyers have very busy lives, as you do, and
they really appreciate not having to run all over town researching and coordinating the
purchase and installation of…”
Success Strategies