What’s Your Difference?

September 1, 2009

How To Differentiate Yourself As An Expert Eco Builder

The rapid changes in the residential construction industry has created numerous opportunities for builders.  Those who see these opportunities could really differentiate themselves from the competition and gain a leading position in the marketplace.  So, how do you stand out from the pack?

Following are a few simple and practical strategies for you to ponder as you seek to gain a leading position as a sought-after eco builder in your community.

1. Market Your Difference

Don’t shy away from magnifying the value of the things you put into your homes.  Take the time to explain and educate your buyers on the green benefits and aspects of your homes.

Many builders do not realize that they may already be building beyond the minimum standards required of green-built homes.  Market what you do well already in building sustainable, durable and low maintenance homes by focusing on the benefits derived from such green practices and products.  Learn what others are doing to distinguish themselves from the rest of the builders.  Pulte Homes has done a fantastic job of displays on their model homes to help buyers understand the value they get from a high-performance Pulte-built home.

Consider revamping your website!  Buyers today surf the internet for everything before they buy.  Your website is the image of your business.  Here are a few vital questions your website should answer: what you want them to do first when they land on your home page, what you do, who you are, and how to contact you.

The “what you want them to do first” question is very seldom addressed by thousands of websites!  What is it that you want customers to do FIRST when they visit your website?  Does your website provide any direction to your visitors?  Your website needs to capture your customers interest in the first 2 to 5 seconds.  Most websites do not direct the buyer on how to navigate through the site.  Use the power of your website to direct the buyer.  Stay away from having a lifeless website that’s a big “blah”.

The “what you do” section should be clear and to the point.  This is where you should include in pictorial form what your homes offer.  Check out these two websites for some excellent ideas: Environments for Living and Green Builders Inc of Austin, Texas.

One quick advice: don’t try to do the website yourself – it’s noticeable!  Hire a professional to do it as they know how to make it appealing and user-friendly.  One thing to keep in mind is to keep it simple.  The simpler, the better!

2. Market Through Online Social Media

Our society today is literally connected through online social media with the most popular platforms being Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Position yourself as an expert in your market niche and exhibit your knowledge through articles, photos and videos of your projects.  Use Twitter to market any special open houses, realtor workshops, and informational consumer seminars offered at your model home or at one of your jobsites.  Use LinkedIn to connect with other professionals in your industry.  You never know who they are connected to and how your relationship to them could result in a sale as a result of your connection.

Consider having a blog for your business.  We live in a society that demands more openness and honesty.  A blog is a great way for prospects to get to know you more through your postings.  A quick tip:  every time you blog, add a tweat on your Twitter page with a direct link back to your blog article.  Don’t forget to include the link to your website in your blog site as well!

3. Educate The Buyers

One foundational way to educate your buyers is to have a well prepared homeowners manual.  The manual should educate the homebuyer on the activities and service from pre-construction to post-construction.  However, it is pointless if the manual is handed to the buyer at the closing table when the construction is complete!  The manual needs to be integrated into the home-buying experience and construction process, and thus needs to be introduced up front.

How do you integrate the manual?  Here it is!

Step 1: Take the adequate time to walk the homeowner through the manual.

Explain each section, answering their questions, and addressing their concerns from the start.  Do you know how many thousands of headaches, misunderstandings and unnecessary phone calls (especially during undesired hours!) this could save you and the buyers?  Hmmm!

Encourage the buyer to use the appropriate email to submit their questions during construction and how to submit service requests after move-in.  When is the best time to set the boundaries and expectations in any relationship, business or otherwise?  At the very beginning!  Failure to take this critical step early in the game could result in unwanted situations in the future!

Step 2: Encourage the buyer to bring the manual to all meetings during the construction process.

The homebuyer should be informed that there will be additional information provided to them during the meetings, and so bringing the homeowner manual is vital.  By doing this, you emphasize the importance of the manual. PS:  have your manual reviewed by your legal advisor!  This small investment could be well worth it!

4. Stay Connected With Your Customer Base

Thousands of businesses fail in nurturing their relationship with their past clients!  The emails from prospects, inquiries and past customers that you have collected over the years are a goldmine to your business.  Find innovative ways to capture email addresses when they visit your website.

What do you think the best way to do capture emails on your site?  You guessed it!  Offer something free!  For example, when they first visit your website you could invite them to receive an instant free report or article on a green home topic.  (Remember the tip mentioned before, direct them on what you want them to do FIRST!)

Give your free report or article an appealing name, such as “11 Secrets of Sustainable Homes That The Other Builder Never Told You!” or “4.1 Easy Ways to Green Your Kitchen!”  When the visitors click on that link or button on your site they should be asked to enter their email address, and if possible, first and last name.  Resist the temptation of asking them for more!  Entering their email address is a quick and easy thing that people do all the time.

Now that you have an email database, use it!  Send out consistent and periodic e-zines to your contacts.  Include topics of general interest apart from marketing your green homes.  Emphasize on things that could help them or are interesting to them!  In this manner, you may start to gain ground in their minds as a “trusted advisor”.

Some ideas for your e-zine could be to include an “organic recipe” or some other type of green news that a large number of your audience could be interested in.  Once you do this, then include a subtle marketing of your homes and services.  This type of e-zine is more inviting and less threatening, and best of all, the chances are higher that they won’t add your email to the “junk box”.  Don’t forget to include an invitation to follow you on Twitter or Facebook, or to check out a recent article on your blog site.  PS:  Be consistent on the date you send your e-zine and don’t overwhelm them either!  Scheduling you’re your e-ezine monthly or bi-monthly is tolerable for you and them!

So, why should you seek to stand out from the pack by magnifying your eco building skills?  Because if you don’t, your competitors already are!

Marketing High Performance Homes

August 15, 2009

How Value-Based Marketing Can Increase Your New Green Home Sales

High performance homes save energy, conserve water, are more durable, cost less to maintain, are healthier for the occupants and are less stressful on the environment.  Simply put, they are better homes!  However, how do you explain “better” to your customers to help them make the decision to buy your green-built homes?

Here are some tips to help you market and sell more homes.

1. Use simple and easy-to-understand language when you speak with your customers about the features.

For example, describe why you use a higher-performance insulation, such as blown-in cellulose insulation or sprayed foam insulation, versus fiberglass insulation.  Prospects will take a more favorable position to embrace the value offered by this feature when they understand the connection between how the type of insulation used makes the home airtight, and saves them money on their energy bills.

2. Inform the customers on the benefits of energy and water-conserving features used in your homes, such as ENERGY STAR appliances, low-flow faucets, water-conserving toilets, tank-less water heaters.  Express how these features help reduce operating costs.

3. Communicate to your customers the green building program you use to build and certify your homes.  Show how this provides homeowners peace of mind through a third-party home verification process.

Focus your customers’ attention on the value of the features.  A consumer survey conducted by DoubleClick Performics states that “Consumers, when choosing between two similar products, prefer environmentally friendly products; 83 percent indicated they are extremely or very likely to choose the environmentally friendly option.”

If you have not selected a green building program, contact your local homebuilders association to learn about the options available, or check out NAHB’s Green Building Program and Environments for Living.

When you have a model home, it is much easier to point out these features so that customers can see, touch and feel.  If you do not have a showroom or model home, you can employ other creative strategies for illustrating your homes’ features, which leads us to the next tip.

4. Make a list of all the benefits of the green features of your homes and find a way to communicate this effectively and with pizzazz in your company brochure and website. If you are not a writer, hire professional help!

If you do not have a website, have one made by an expert!  Your marketing pieces such as your brochure, business cards, and your website should be consistent and inviting.  Your marketing materials reflect your professionalism for the work you do and the value you put on your customers.  Most buyers today surf the internet first and narrow down their search to a few builders prior to contacting them.

The internet gives you a tremendous opportunity for you to “pre-sell” your homes.  Make your website inviting and informative about your homes’ features and what’s in it for them.  Your website needs to serve as your first emotional connection between you and your potential customers.  Create your website to be easy to navigate and have consumer-friendly content.

One of the greatest advantages of a trained team is that they will all speak the same language.  This will give your customers a seamless experience throughout the sales process, construction and after move-in.

Customers cannot appreciate your efforts if they are not exposed!

DoubleClick Performics survey concludes that: “consumers are as interested in the company as the products they are researching.”

Every single high performance home you build contributes to a cleaner environment and enhances the lives of those who are enjoying them today, and those that will experience their benefits in the future.

Use value-based marketing and you will reap its rewards!