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LeBlanc
& Associates
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Issue 17 Fall 2001
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The Front Porch Trucking along. For those of us who live in a state with too many vehicles for our freeway systems, we do a lot of trucking along. I was noticing the other day the different types of trucks that clogged our freeways and started to think about how the drivers manage to keep trucking along. That started
me to think about sales. (Yes, I have been told that my thinking
can be my nemesis). There are local, short haul and long haul
truck drivers. Sales agents too can be local, short haul or
long haul. It depends on their level of professionalism. You
may ask what truck drivers and sales agents could possibly have
in common. Before you think I have totally lost my marbles,
yes, I do consider sales agents to be highly skilled professionals.
But both a truck driver and a sales agent possess some common
skills. Each must deal with high traffic situations. Each must
ascertain how to best handle and prioritize that traffic. Each
must deal with being "cut off" by rude The "local" sales agent is in the business for the here and now. They don't seem to think beyond the community they are selling in. In our current demand driven market, "local" sales agents can succeed (financially) in spite of themselves. The local sales agent will not invest the time and effort to progress their selling skills to a level of the true professional. They will always be "local". The "short
haul" agent does a little better. They project to the next
company or project. This class of sales agent does go for the
sale, but they tend to take many shortcuts to reach their short
term goals. Offer a full sales presentation? Why bother? The
short haul agent does make some effort but still succeeds in
spite of themselves under our current market conditions. Of course, the key to a successful sales team is to determine if you have sales professionals who are in the business for the long haul. This can only be accomplished through an environment of mutual respect and support, training, continual evaluation for skill enhancement purposes and of course, the appropriate rewards. No builder should accept less than excellence from his or her sales team. But it is a two way street. Without the proper support system in place, you cannot build a team of true professionals. Builders can be lulled into complacency during a demand driven market. It is easy not to focus on the sales team when people are lining up to buy their homes. It is easy not to invest in your sales team when the sales keep rolling in. But it really is the "deja vu" story isn't it? We soar through the good times and then sometimes come up short when the market changes. I join all of you in hoping that our strong selling market will continue. But we do have to be realistic. The market will change and in some markets, it has changed. Price points have been reached. Paper wealth has eroded. Job uncertainty is somewhat of a factor in some areas. While each of these issues is currently isolated, we need to be prepared in the event they begin to make more of an impact on our sales rates. So, remember that your sales team is your lifeline. Stay positively focused on them so they can keep us all "trucking along."
First
Impressions Home
Front: While our market is for the most part pretty strong,
we have seen some signs of a slowing sales rate. What are your
HF:
What recommendations do you offer your builder accounts? HF:
What level of importance do you place on surveys? HF:
What other issues should management address when assessing loss
of sales momentum? HF:
Most agents and managers have experienced the switch in floor
plan popularity in their communities. Most times, an explanation
goes HF:
Some markets have reached their price points and buyers are
resisting the asking prices. How should this issue be addressed
other than price reductions or incentives? HF:
The key word here is perceived value. Most of us know that this
can be very subjective and many times erroneous when buyers
are previewing the myriad selection of homes in the market.
What do you suggest to enhance and reinforce perceived value? HF:
Other than insuring the sales agents understand and utilize
USP and ESP issues, what other points should be addressed? HF:
Of course in the end, it always comes back to the sales agent.
To summarize their importance, what should builders expect from
their Manny Schatz,
principal of Professional Builder Services, Inc. in Danville,
has been involved in nearly every aspect of home building.
Kudos Korner We have another series of agents who have demonstrated super star status during this last quarter of sales agent evaluations. This time around, we found them in several locations with several builders. Our Kudos to the following: Matt Motzkus: Centex Homes. Matt impressed us with his determination to sell his product in spite of rebuffs and no homes to sell until his next release. He tenaciously establishes a solid foundation to create the sale. Karen Hill: Centex Homes. Karen did not allow the lack of homes to deter her from selling. She instills a sense of confidence that allows the buyer to feel they will make the best decision possible. Mark Lifpitz: Centex Homes. Mark is a friendly, engaging and tenacious sales professional. He excels at assessing needs and then matching the buyer to a home selection. Jerry Gilliam: Shea Homes. Jerry offered a near flawless sales presentation. She uses trial closing questions at an effective pace and is able to prioritize her time in a busy sales office. Jerry possesses a positive selling attitude at all times. Steve Weston: Premier Homes. Steve has the ability to combine facts with humor and casual conversation. He makes the sales presentation interesting and enjoyable for the prospect. Patrice Weston: Premier Homes. Patrice is the complimentary half to Steve with equal selling skills. She is a well-informed, courteous and energetic sales professional. Nancy Hayden: William Lyon Homes. Scoring a perfect 100, Nancy displays outstanding selling skills through her perseverance, warmth, ability to listen and probe for needs. She goes after the sale whole heartedly! Bob Marchbanks:
Shea Homes. From our video series, we found Bob to be a perfect
match for the active adult community in which he sells. He puts
the prospects at ease, is attentive, informative and pursues
the sale. Broker Programs 201 Last edition,
I wrote some ideas that have helped grow the Realtor portion
of our business. They are not market-specific. They have succeeded
in Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Tucson, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
You may find them useful in your market. In this edition, I'll
share a few more experiences. We required every attendee to surrender two business cards one to be placed in the prize draw, the other to be laminated as a personal luggage tag. During the morning seminar, one of our staffers laminated every card, along with our company backer into a two-sided message. Our company logo and a tag line were on one side of the luggage tag; on the other was the Realtor's business card. As attendees left and received their certificate of completion for the class, they were also presented with their luggage tags. The response was outstanding. At every
break during the session, we held a draw from the cards we received.
Prizes included car wash tickets, gas cards, restaurant certificates
and movie passes. Many gifts were "branded" material
from our company: jackets, ball caps, T-shirts, etc. Almost
every attending Realtor became a walking billboard. Over half
received some sort of prize. Think about rewarding someone in
your own "family" of supporters. A friend owns a dry
cleaner? Great prize for busy agents. Someone you know is a
cellular dealer? Realtors can always use more minutes, etc.
Have fun and set yourself apart.In Tucson and in Phoenix, we
began a program of paying brokers 100% We believed that if we had enough non-refundable deposits, our risk was minimal, and our opportunity to increase broker business was great. After all, if we could not afford to pay a 3% commission, we should not be starting the home. We only started after the buyer had tendered all the required earnest money deposits. What a way to encourage Realtors to expedite all sales' conditions and to secure the non-refundable deposit! Unlike other builders, we would make the payment as a real payment, not as an advance. If the sale cancelled, the Realtor kept the commission. In our case, we used preferred lenders virtually exclusively, had no home built that needed to be inspected, no seller that needed to pack and move, etc. and usually secured a firm sale in 30 days. And paid brokers on that day. Agents did not need to await delivery of the home in several months. Quick-to-pay advantage? The new home builder! In very few circumstances did we lose a sale that had a broker fee already paid. But we certainly increased the absolute number of sales by increasing broker business. It was so unusual that I often received a call from the Realty broker or asking what the catch was. Of course, the only catch was our (successful) campaign to increase our sales by using every means, including broker business. I have
always required the site sales team to call me IMMEDIATELY after
a Realtor sale was documented at the sales office or model complex.
I have a practice of calling the Realtor's office or voice mail,
leaving a message that was designed to build brand loyalty with
us and to encourage more business from that agent." Hi
Gordon. My name is Dave Harding. I'm the Vice President of Sales
and Marketing at Western Pacific Housing in Los Angeles. I'm
calling to say thank you for bringing your clients, the Dijays,
to "Short and sweet. I don't actually want to talk to them yet. They are still in the car only a few blocks from the site, and already they receive a thank you message, from the sales VP, calling them by name and referring to their clients by name. They learn that they are respected and there is "head office" support behind the sales team in the field. My company is mentioned by name twice. My sales crew at least once more (but it's important to mention the ENTIRE sales team, so the customer and Realtor can expect service irrespective of who is on site on any day there is help needed.) And I ask THEM for the order ask for a repeat sale. I find this fertile ground to cultivate crops of bigger yields. Realtors
LOVE accolades. I often hear from others in the Realtor's office
about the call's impact. It was pretty much canned, took maybe
10 seconds, but set us apart. Dave Harding CMP is Vice President of Sales& Marketing at Western Pacific Housing in Los Angeles. He is a nationally accredited trainer of new home sales professionals and an incurable observer of our fun profession. He can be reached at 310.665.3750 or at dharding@wphi.com.
The Eyes Have It The Eyes Have It! Even with the best product in the best of markets, success ultimately relies on the quality of representation in your sales centers. In our Video Profiles, we capture your agent's entire sales presentation through the eyes of the buyer. Get the whole picture. Managers and agents are able to see what our evaluation reports have reported. Denial of the report is eliminated. Training. Use a Video Profile from LeBlanc & Associates to show your best sales agents demonstrating their selling skills. Quality. Our company has established itself as the premiere sales agent evaluation company in the building industry. Our expertise in the housing industry enables us to suit your needs and provide you with a quality video. Technically speaking. All work is done in-house so that we have direct control over the entire process. With our state-of-the-art editing suite, we can offer the best evaluation service in the industry. Give us a call! LeBlanc & Associates 800/838-1779
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