Video Mystery Shopping: Conquering the Competition

In most cases, when a prospect walks in to your sales office it is usually not the first nor the last stop they will make during the day. They have probably scheduled their day in such a way that they will be visiting several new home communities in order to make a final purchasing decision.

The good news is that IF they enter your sales office, chances are they have been to your website and have seen something that piqued their interest enough to get them to physically go there. It could be a specific floor plan, a price point or even your community’s amenity center….whatever it is, your job is to find out what brought them into your community. REASON #537 why it is critical to ASK every prospect if they have been to the website!

So, let’s say you have determined they went to the website and you have found out that they LOVE the location of your community, the amenities that are offered, and the Wellington floor plan. You are thinking Slam dunk, right? WRONG! Just as you go in for the ‘close’ they tell you that while they do indeed love your community, they have plans to visit several more before making a decision. Major BUMMER! SO, you say your goodbyes, promise to follow-up, and then watch them drive off into the sunset KNOWING that you will probably never see them again.

Hum….something is not quite right with this picture. What could you have done to change the scenario? Here are a couple of easy tips to help you conquer the competition and get the sale!

Know EVERYTHING about your competition. This includes pricing, floor plans, incentives, amenities, schools, and anything else that would be considered when making a purchase decision.
Create a notebook with ALL your competitor’s marketing collaterals. This way you can SHOW them WHY your Wellington floor plan is a better fit for them than the competition’s Buttonwood.
Ask your prospects WHAT other communities they are considering and WHY. This will allow you to determine what their ‘hot selling buttons’ are. And, it will also allow you to position yourself against the competition.
SET UP a firm follow-up appointment with your prospects. Encourage them to come back to see you after they have finished looking at the other communities because you are so positive that what you offer meets their specific needs.
Never, ever speak negatively about your competition. Instead POSITION your builder and community as the leader in every aspect. But, in order to do this, you MUST find out what the prospect’s decision making factors are.