Marketing Matters
by Karl Tunberg
While we continue to be inundated with news reports on how the market is going and what's happening with the latest home starts, sales and foreclosures, there is only so much market analysis that can be done At the end of the day, those of us striving and surviving in homebuilding need to turn it off and examine the change needed within our own organizations to secure new business and sell homes to those who are buying. Sales and marketing in a challenging environment requires going beyond the norm, beginning with the company's internal operations and ending with external relationships.
Marketing begins with the customer, so start by looking at everything that touches the customer. Simply, you must be willing do things that others are unwilling to do- and change how you work. Examine how you work as a team and with your customers to set yourself apart in an outstanding way. Examples: work harder, longer, smarter, cheaper, better and enthusiastically.
If you have homes to construct, consider scheduling superintendents to work full-time plus alternate weekends, keeping jobs active seven days a week. If you are working with a homebuyer, update them frequently and involve them during each stage of construction. This will invest them more in the project and also illustrate your dedication to their home; think of it as building a basis for a future referral.
Consider a team approach.
We typically assign one lead person to manage a project group. This gives our buyers access to a lot of resources and provides a coordinated effort helping to get things done cost effectively but with a high level of accountability. As a builder specializing in custom homes, our goal for each project and with each client is to achieve outstanding results. We do this by delivering on time and on budget with no exceptions.
Managing a project from the start (front) verses the end (back) enables us to predict, plan, schedule, coordinate, execute, communicate and deliver more than our clients expect. When you are a production builder, this strategy can work as well. It's just a matter of adjusting to fit the needs of your buyers and team.
Carry over your time and money management.
We preach and teach "on time, on budget" with our team, our vendors, our suppliers and subcontractors. If anyone in our supply chain falls down, we all help pick up the pieces. If one link fails, we all have to put in extra effort to make sure we have seamless delivery of our promises to the client.
When you breakdown the parts of home construction, it is not a difficult business. But to deliver a client or homebuyer his or her dream it is one of the most important things we can do, and to do that with an outstanding performance is the best marketing we have. No matter how great your brochures, website, display ads and other marketing efforts are, customers will not care if you don't deliver what they expect.
To attract buyers in the first place, be assertive and visible.
Do the things others are not doing. Make sure your sales team is not waiting for buyers to stop by. They need to actively prospect, cold call, network, knock on doors, make phone calls, write emails, attend lunches, make presentations, create proposals and more. By reaching out and staying in front of Realtors and prospective buyers, they can generate traffic and ultimately generate sales. In management, we can be open and encouraging of creative ideas to reach potential buyers.
Create partnerships.
The final key to a builder's success in marketing is to create great partnerships. We are in the midst of unprecedented economic times, making business tough for many companies and individuals. While deals are not being inked at the pace they were in the boom years, organizations are still looking for creative ways to partner. Seek out like-minded people you respect and feel confident doing business with and explore a partnership. Most likely, you will be able to accomplish more and touch more people with less, and garner better results.
Karl Tunberg is Co-Founder and President of Sanctuary Builder, headquartered in Tempe. The company specializes in custom homebuilding, residential and commercial remodeling and renovations, and neighborhood development.
www.sanctuarybuilder.com
