While everyone seems to be focused on the Christmas season, there is another season lurking just around the corner: the “Selling Season.” Builders would do well to consider how to leverage the forthcoming surge in sales into a campaign that fits in the slower winter months.
It has been dubbed the “Selling Season,” but this is actually a misnomer. It is not so much a selling season as it is a buying season.It is a matter of historical record; from late January through May, in good markets and bad, there is always a surge in buying activity. This phenomenon has occurred every year for decades, and it will surely happen again in just a few short weeks.
Many builders take a hunker-down approach as they wait for the spring thaw to bring in new sales. But what if there were a strategy that could be employed in December and January that would move some of those prospects to purchase before the selling season begins?
The answer comes in the form of a sales and marketing approach that could be called the “Pre-Season Selling Event.” It is an educational campaign designed to create urgency to purchase just before the masses do.
Step One: Educate
The campaign begins by educating — through marketing efforts and through sales strategy — on the fact that the “buying season” is a very real occurrence, and that it is near. Builders can prepare charts that show the surge occurring every year like clockwork. It is critical that customers believe that an increased sales pace is imminent.
stablished homebuilders can create graphs that show the month-by-month sales pace going back for years or even decades. Because the buying season covers all homes sold, a builder could also show resale activity going back over the years.
Step Two: Sweeten the Pot
Many builders already dig a little deeper into their pockets in the winter months when traffic is down and prospects are few. Step two is to simply repackage those offerings as a “Winter Sale;” something that expires soon.
The other way to sweeten the pot is to release a few prime locations if possible. Let the prospects know that the homes are being released now in anticipation of the coming surge, and that a purchase decision today assures the customer of the best location choices.
Step Three: Challenge
In the sale presentation, simply ask the customer for their opinion. “Is it better to purchase just before the sales surge or to wait until everyone else is purchasing?” The answer, of course, is obvious. Sales professionals should be well versed in explaining the benefits of a December decision:
· Best location of homesites and showcase homes
· Best values and prices (prices go up when everyone buys)
· All-time low interest rates
This pre-season sales approach allows the customer a sense of security that they are doing a very smart thing; that they are the future geniuses who had the foresight to purchase before everyone else did.
Analogous to this approach is the concept of purchasing stock. It should be common sense the best time to purchase stock is just before the price goes up. But how could we ever know that information? Since stock prices are pure commodities whose prices are driven by supply and demand, we can surmise that when more people buy the price goes up. This is precisely what we are saying about the home buying opportunity in the winter months. A surge of sales will soon take place; purchase before that happens for the best opportunities.
Plan for Higher Conversion Rates
With the buying season upon us, everyone in the organization needs to understand that while traffic levels might be down in December and January, conversion rates should skyrocket during this season. It is true that fewer visitors will call on sales offices in the winter months, but those who do are more motivated than ever.
Sales professionals must never underestimate the quality of winter traffic. In a time of year when people are distracted with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, those who visit a sales office are proving that they have a serious housing need. It is not as if these people have nothing better to do than visit a new home community. They are there because of a significant need.
Jeff Shore (jeffshore.com) is a contemporary expert in sales management, and one of the most sought-after trainers in the country today. He provides training and consulting expertise to companies large and small across North America. Jeff is the author of three books, including Deal With It! Mastering 21 Tough Sales Challenges.
.png)
