Builder - January 2009 - (Page 62) SALES STRATEGIES BUYER BEHAVIOR The Nose Knows Scent marketing helps connect with buyers’ emotions. They’ll Be Back R esearchers have found that of all the senses, smell is the one most closely associated with emotion. Maybe that’s why certain smells can instantly trigger memories of special people and places. And it may also be why new-home sales associates have long been fans of scent marketing, as it’s called, to help connect with that very emotional part of the brain. With nearly 40 years of experience in the business, Dallas-based new-home sales trainer and consultant Bob Hafer can attest to its impact. “When prospects come into model homes, they may be upset by a recent experience,” he says. “When they smell something like a fresh-baked apple pie, they are immediately reminded of a better time. It really doesn’t matter what the memory is—all that matters is the smell helps change the mental state the prospect is in. It sounds silly, but it does work.” Hagerstown, Md.–based real estate marketing pro Brian Flook says scents also address one of the realities of having a building that essentially sits vacant. “Model homes can easily become stale and pick up smells that are less than desirable,” he says. “If you have any question that good smells create positive feelings, simply visit a model where a careless salesperson recently microwaved fish. It’s an immediate turnoff.” Does it matter what kind of scent is used? Jennifer Ruple, marketing manager for the San Antonio division of Pulte Homes, oversees model homes in 10 communities. She uses plug-in ScentWave systems that dispense the aroma of cookies, which are a popular choice with builders. “When prospective buyers smell that,” she says, “it creates that moment of walking into a home where you’re baking cookies instead of walking into a house.” Leigh Tarullo, an Orlando, Fla.–based sales trainer, says she’s a “huge fan of signature scents in model homes.” When she was a new-home sales manager, she used a variety of scents for several years before settling on vanilla as a standard because she considers it a “homey” smell and one that appeals to both men and women on an emotional level. Like Ruple, she prefers using a service that provides scent machines with refi llable catridges over room air fresheners from the grocery store. Besides being comparably priced, “I didn’t want to have to rely on the salespeople or cleaning crews to monitor or change out plug-ins,” she says. “Plus, we found the scent lasted longer and more consistently through the home with the scent machine.” Of course, scent marketing is only one small element of a sales presentation. “If you succeed at place, product, and price,” says Bob White, president of Marietta, Ga.–based Venture Homes, “this is an opportunity to attach a sensory memory point to a visual one.”—P.C. D on’t lose track of the contact information you have for your baby boomer prospects who can’t sell their houses right now. When the market rebounds, chances are good that they’ll be hot prospects. According to a new survey sponsored by AARP, about one in four baby boom generation households (ages 45 to 64) expects to move from their current home in the future. About half of those prospective home buyers say they’ll be in the market for a newer home than the one they currently own; about the same amount said they’d be looking for a smaller home. Most of them will be looking for singlelevel living.—P.C. Customized Tours H ere’s a great idea for connecting with tech-savvy buyers, courtesy of nationally acclaimed interior designer and model merchandiser Kay Green. She highlighted it in an article on green merchandising tips, but it works well for any home. Invite your prospects to bring their iPod with them. Dock their iPod into your home’s sound system—docking stations start at less than $100—as you show them the features of your model for a truly personal presentation that will help them feel right at home. —P.C. GOT A SALES TIP? FOR MORE SALES AND MARKETING STORIES, VISIT W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM/SALES. E-MAIL PAT CURRY AT: pcurry@hanley wood.com 62 ■ B U I LD E R ja n ua ry 2 0 0 9 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM/sales http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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