Q.A. – How to Move from Phone Call to Appointment
This question comes from Kate – an Online Sales Counselor in Las Vegas
The signs and fliers of our inventory homes around town list a number to call, but no pricing. When people call, the majority of them are calling directly for the price and I’ve found that if I beat around the bush and don’t give them the price immediately, they get irritated. But if I say I don’t know and try to defer the question (I’ve tried to say “we’ve had a recent price adjustment and I’m not sure of the exact price” or “it’s actually under contract” or a variety of other non-committal responses) the phone call ends abruptly as well. My goal is to make an appointment for them to see the home with one of the onsite sales agents. What would you recommend saying?
I understand your frustration — I have been in your exact position. We have to walk a thin line between being aggressive and being helpful. Let’s look first at the reason why they are calling — to get more information about your home and qualify you as the builder. If they ask you a specific question — you should answer that question and then immediately respond with a powerful follow up question.
If they want to know the price, then you should respond with, “That home starts at $200,000. What is the investment range you were looking for?”
If they tell you that this is in their price range, I would recommend saying, “Perfect, are there any specific features or amenities you are looking for in your next home or community?” By asking probing questions, you will find out the information you need to build urgency and set the appointment while creating an opportunity for the relationship between you to build. You may not want to ask too soon for the appointment. Work on building up a rapport, listening to their needs and and gathering more information. Once you have done that, then asking for the appointment is a logical approach and easier for the prospect to swallow. It could go like this, “Sounds like this home might be a great fit! Would you like to set an appointment to come out and see this home and our community up close?”
If they object to the appointment, then you need to have something else of value that you can send to their email address. Remember, there are 2 goals from the phone call — either get an appointment or get their email address to follow up with them. Good luck and keep up the great work!
International Builders Show – Wrap Up
What a great show! It was an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends and make new ones.
I soaked up some great seminars and learned from many talented individuals. I left with new relationships forged and plenty of ideas to implement to make 2009 a year to remember.
I challenge everyone to take action on the ideas and goals for this next year and I look forward to hearing your success stories at IBS 2010. I hope to see everyone next year.
Live post from seminar at IBS #ibs09
I wanted to demonstrate the power of user generated content and the reach of new media. This blog post is done from my WordPress app on my iPhone – live from the seminar. Isn’t that a lovely audience? If you were there – leave a comment.
Live Tweets from the International Builders Show in Vegas
I’m off to Vegas today and looking forward to an awesome trip and a great show.
For those of you who want to keep up with the action – you can follow me on Twitter >> I will be posting great encounters and useful info with shiny pictures.
Builder Online has also set up a page to aggregate all of the tweets tagged with #ibs09. So I’ll be sure to do that as well.
For those of you in Vegas at the show – be sure to come to our seminar Thursday morning at 8:00. You can also send me a tweet if you want to connect.
Social Media Advice for Builders & Sales Execs
“Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission,” is how the old saying goes. We’re going to come back to that later. I wanted to rant a little on the social media thing.
It seems that builders are reluctant to release some of the control to their local agents. Understandably, they are concerned about controlling the message. When I present the idea about creating a community blog, Active Rain account or community specific email campaign and then follow that up with the recommendation that the sales person create the content – the response usually goes like this:
Whoa, whoa – hang on….We don’t want our sales people writing for us…they’re not the best writers…I’m worried about:
- What they will say?
- What kind of pictures will they use?
- Will they get permission?
- What if they get fired?
- What if they are a disgruntled employee that we may want to let go…that might be better running through corporate…we have to keep the brand consistent…
ad nauseum.
And here is my bottom line response: By trying to control the message too much — builders will miss potential connections and very good customers that are craving a little transparency. (Side Note: Your sales execs are already sending out 100’s of emails and communicating with customers every day – are you controlling that message?)
These new home buyers don’t want the story from “corporate”, they want it from the guy on your team that knows them best, which is probably the sales executive who actually knows the families that just moved into the neighborhood, why they moved, what their concerns were, how the schools are, whether the neighborhood is safe and on and on.
They don’t want to see stock photography of kids at the park. They want to see actual photographs of families unloading their moving truck and eating pizza – bad hair and all!
A customer nowadays will typically prefer to see rough video shot on a camcorder and uploaded to Youtube – because it is real, not “produced.”
I’m not saying there isn’t a place for a more polished product – in fact, that usually needs to happen first to build credibility and attract the consumer. But what happens after you attract — how do you engage? I mean really engage online.
The internet has provided us the tools. It has shifted the power to the consumer; no longer do we control the whole message. As many of the larger builders have realized, it doesn’t take long for user generated “bad press” to get out there (in fact, Jim Adams has a great article about that here>>).
It’s about time that the building industry steps it up. Sales agents must start creating their own user generated “good press”. Tell the positive stories about your communities. Take the sales presentation to the web. Engage locally with your prospects, and with your Realtors!
Real estate is becoming hyper-local. The great Realtors are creating a local presence and becoming the experts in their niches — and they are seeing the results! Shouldn’t a new home sales agent have the same opportunity?
So back to the saying, “Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” Fly under the radar. Exercise your ninja skills and create something outside of “corporate.”
Already doing it – leave a comment and show off your stuff.
