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Closer's Corner — Mystery New Home Shoppers Report From the Trenches
Melinda Brody, MIRM

The tribe has spoken. The road warriors are reporting. The shoppers have been visiting, schlepping and driving to hundreds of model centers, trailers and golf course communities. We talk daily to this weary group, listen to their tapes, read their reports and watch their videos. Here’s the scoop from the road:

The Good

First, let’s start with the positives:

• Product knowledge — We’ve seen much improvement in this area. The majority of new home consultants we evaluate are well versed on their products and sell them with confidence. They know construction details, features, amenities, location and the surrounding community.

• Registration — Most new home consultants are getting registrations most of the time. The “pros” are gathering this information up front and using it to build rapport.
• Rapport Building — New home consultants have improved in building rapport and asking some lifestyle questions. In many cases, they are finding out hobbies, interests, etc., and connecting the customer with a specific housing plan. More are also offering refreshments.
• Urgency — Increasingly, new home consultants are creating urgency by talking about rising prices and using promotions. 

The Bad

• The Discovery — The majority of new home consultants we have shopped have a weak discovery process and seem to focus too much on product.
• Using Names — Many shoppers are never asked their names. Even when they complete a registration form up front, very few new home consultants use the prospect's name to build rapport and connect.
• Poor Demonstration — Most new home consultants are taking a machine-gun approach and rattling off all of the home's features room by room. They haven't discovered enough about the shopper to be able to focus on specific benefits that features will provide them. And many are still pointing to the model and saying, “There's the model; go look.”
• The Greatest Story Never Told — Most of the time, the shoppers leave the community without being told about the builder. Unless they are asked, few new home consultants talk about the builder and what makes the company unique.
• A Weak Close — Even though consultants are doing a better job at creating a sense of urgency, most are very hesitant about asking for the sale. They say they “don’t want to push” and offer information about the deposit that will be required to hold the home site instead of asking for it directly. They seem to assume that the shopper will be coming back.
• A Weak Follow Up — Shoppers report minimal follow-up with only an occasional note or phone call. Lately, we have received plants from a few builders. Consistent, creative, personalized follow-up is sorely lacking in a business that greatly depends on the shopper coming back.

Well those are our latest findings from the trenches. I hope there's something there to help you increase your sales.

Melinda Brody, MIRM, has evaluated more than 10,000 salespeople over the past two decades. Her latest service, video mystery shopping, provides a close-up view of what is happening on the site and gives sales professionals an opportunity to view and critique their performance. For more information, visit www.melindabrody.com or call 407-294-7614.

“Closer's Corner” is a regular feature in Sales & Marketing Ideas magazine.

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