Housing Giants - June 23, 2008 - (Page 17)

Rick has a BLOG. Have you read what he’s said lately? future is at stake. They can’t return a home like they can a low-priced product. Today’s customers can’t afford to make a mistake, particularly with the market we’re in. Between qualifying for their mortgage, deciding which floor plan works best and getting the most lucrative incentive package, customers are overwhelmed with all of the parts and pieces they must consider. Value at this point in your sales process equals the definition of perfect. If you don’t help them define it, they’ll continue to chase it. They’re choosing a builder to purchase from, and they need you. Once they put you in their “keep” pile, they need rapport. Rapport is essential for their shopping process. Your Customers’ fourth deCision and the role of the relationship Now your customers stand at the crossroads: they wonder if they should or shouldn’t go through with your purchase agreement, and they ask, have I made the best deal I can make? If they believe they have, at this point your customers make the biggest decision of their lives. They need a relationship for two reasons: to get the best deal they can and to be assured that you’ll be there if something goes wrong. Customers move from comfort to rapport to trust to a relationship. And to be effective, it means you need to move too. That’s the critical path for buying. Your Customers’ third deCision and the need for trust Once your customers have selected you as their builder they face another major challenge. They’ll ask, is this really the correct decision? Making the wrong decision is your customer’s worst fear, and value building changes once again. Value now equals proof that their decision is the correct decision. Now it’s up to you to prove their decision is a good decision. Telling them is one thing, offering proof is another. Customer confidence is a critical issue, and trust is now what matters most. Being effeCtive With a new critical path for buying, we need a new critical path for selling. Today’s marketplace is a whole new animal because the world has evolved. And that means we must redefine our selling process. Part II will take a look at the critical path for selling. Look for it in the Aug. 25 edition of Housing Giants. HG Rick Heaston is president of R.A. Heaston and Co., a sales-training and marketing firm. You can reach him at rick@touchpointselling.com. www.Housinggiants.com 6.23.08.Housing giants 17 http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1630000363.html http://www.housingzone.com/article/CA6533345.html http://www.touchpointselling.com/index.php http://www.housinggiants.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Housing Giants - June 23, 2008

Housing Giants - June 23, 2008 Contents Viewpoint News and Moves Sell Workforce The Land Dilemma

Housing Giants - June 23, 2008

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