There’s a sales method to ensure you outsell the competition, and it has nothing to do with digital marketing…
Here’s the key to outselling your competition in 2024.
Are you ready for this?
I hope you’re sitting down…
It’s people. Human interaction, conversation, and relationships sell homes. Not Facebook. Not Google. And not a fancy website. Human interaction and relationships are the keys to selling more homes than your completion in 2024.
Now before all the ‘old school’ guys celebrate by saying, “I knew the internet, social media, and digital marketing nonsense was just a fad…”, let’s qualify the strength of that human element. The human element is the cherry on top of your robust digital experience. The digital component isn’t going anywhere, nor will it ever go anywhere. Having a robust, complete digital marketing system (Social Media, Website, Paid Ads, CRM, etc.) is 100% necessary to doing good business in 2024. However, to outsell your competitors, you have to build relationships with the reputation and leads the digital marketing gives you.
“People learn about brands in the digital world, but they fall in love with them in the real world.”
Do you know who said that? It was me – just now. It sounded good so I put it in bold and threw up some quotes. : )
But it’s true. We all learn about brands online, but we really fall in love with them when we experience them in person. A Ford Raptor looks great racing through Sahara on a TV commercial, but the truck is sold when a salesperson takes a prospective buyer on a test drive and tells them to push that pedal to the floor, and says “You’re going to LOVE driving this truck around. You look great in it.”
“But David, what about Amazon? They don’t have salespeople…” No, no they don’t. But I also don’t know many people that get excited about shopping on Amazon – they do it because it’s convenient. What experience do you think is more likely to create a sale? 1) A consumer browsing Amazon and seeing a 75″ TV that meets all their needs and is $100 off, or 2) a salesperson telling a consumer how great it is to watch the newest streaming releases on the 75″ TV while the TV is playing a new Marvel movie in front of them?
Here’s the difference between the manufactured housing industry and Amazon – we have the margins for a personal experience. We have the margins to call leads on the phone and talk to them about their family and what type of home they’re looking for. We have the margins to offer a great personal experience. Amazon does not. Amazon is in the volume sales business, but we’re in the personal experience and people business. If your digital marketing is on par, AND you can create positive, memorable experiences between your salespeople and prospective home buyers, you’ll be unstoppable selling homes in 2024.
***On a side note, I need to address the issue of Amazon being your competition…because they are. It may be tempting to think that your only competition is the retailer down the street, but they are the least of your competition. If your prospective buyer has $20K sitting in the bank, I can guarantee you that Amazon wants to sell them a couple TVs, some Beats headphones, and a new Apple Watch. And poof…there goes the down payment money. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your buyers are somehow insulated from spending their money at every other business out there, because they’re not. The Ford dealer down the road wants to sell your buyers a truck just as much as you want to sell them a home.
Need some ideas to help create a more personal experience in your sales center? Here are some that I’ve seen work well with different retailers across the country.
Greet Every Customer
They say first impressions are everything, and that’s certainly true in sales. If a prospect comes on your lot, someone needs to greet them. People will stay at a place longer if they feel welcome at that place, homes sales lots included. That’s why Walmart, Chick-fil-a, Starbucks, and many, many other successful brands greet every person that walks in the door. It’s the salesperson’s job to make every person that walks onto the lot feels comfortable, welcome, and informed.
“But what if the prospective home buyer doesn’t want to talk to anyone?”
Some of them probably don’t, but that doesn’t mean your salespeople can’t say ‘hello’, and give the prospect their business card to call them about any homes they like on the lot. Then when that prospective buyer leaves, thank them for coming and ask if they had any questions about the homes they saw.
However, if you’re finding that a lot of people on your lot don’t want to talk to anyone, you may need to look at the overall experience. Is your lot clean and put together well? Are you salespeople well dressed and presentable? Do they speak to customers well? The rougher a business looks and feels, the less likely that it’s prospective customers will welcome interaction with a salesperson. It may be that some people walking on to your lot are getting the wrong impression before they even see anyone.
Pick up the phone
You’re never going to beat the big e-commerce stores (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, etc.) on automated digital experiences. Your business can certainly have a great experience, but it will never be better than theirs. That means you need to beat them where they can’t even compete – talking to people. Your salespeople can make phone calls and talk to leads. Amazon NEVER picks up the phone. That’s where you beat them. If a lead submits a form on your website or lead generation ad on social media, you need to call them. And call them again. And call them again until they answer. Submitting that phone number on a lead form is the lead’s way of saying “Please call me”, and your salespeople need to do whatever it takes to do that.
Texting/email/FB messaging is great too, but the best way to create a relationship is on the phone or in person.
Don’t end the relationship at closing
If your salespeople stop talking to home buyers once the deal closes, you are missing out on a lot of business. Referrals are the best leads you can get. In fact, according to a recent study from the Wharton School of Business, referral customers will close at 25% higher rate than any other lead source. And the best way to get referral business is maintaining relationships with previous home buyers. Quarterly phone call check ins, holiday cards, birthday text messages, and email newsletters are all great ways to keep up the personal relationships with your previous homes buyers. The more they hear from you, the more likely they are to refer their friends to you. Don’t sit there silent and let good referral business pass you by.
