The Builder1440 Blog

Selling more homes and making more money seems to be on just about every home builder’s mind these days. How can a customer relationship management (CRM) and sales system help boost revenue in today’s housing market? Here are our top tips for increasing sales with CRM:

1. Improve communication & keep buyers engaged with automated follow-up plans.

According to sales gurus Bob Schultz and The New Home Specialists, builders can increase sales 20% by using a structured follow-up system and methodology. To make it easy for sales associates to stay in touch with buyers, select a CRM/sales system with customizable follow-up templates or simply create your own within the system. Builders can then segment and target prospective home buyers with personalized scripts and copy for phone calls, emails and letters.

2. Capture web leads automatically in your CRM system.

The NAHB reports an astonishing 50% of homebuyer leads are not followed up on. By funneling leads from a builder’s web site and Internet Listing Services, such as NewHomeSource.com and Move.com, directly into a CRM system, builders can ensure no web lead gets lost and sales representative can follow-up with buyers immediately. When builders automatically capture web leads in a CRM system, they eliminate manual data entry, saving time and reducing errors.

3. Regularly report on sales, traffic & marketing so you can work smarter, not harder.

With dashboard analytics and customizable reporting, builders have the insight needed to close more sales and make more money. CRM systems enable builders to track home buyer follow-up to learn what communications are working; quickly see where leads and sales are coming from; and determine where marketing dollars should be spent for the best ROI. Builders can customize CRM reports to gather the information that is critical to their company’s success.

4. Integrate your CRM system and website to display homes and engage buyers.

What tools do you have on your website to attract prospective home buyers and engage them in the home buying process? With 86% of home buyers using the Internet to shop for a new home, a builder’s website must provide buyers with the information they are looking for, get and keep their attention, and make it as simple as possible to request information. This can all be done very easily with CRM–website integration by allowing builders to display homes and options stored in a CRM system, connect with prospective home buyers, and schedule sales appointments online.

5. Use home buyer portals to increase options revenue and enhance the home buying experience.

Home buyer portals provide builders with a competitive advantage and help keep prospects excited during the home buying process. When builders integrate home buyer portals with their CRM system, they can enable buyers to conveniently access personalized sites to select options as well as monitor the progress of their new home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result, builders will have more satisfied home buyers, shorter design center appointments, and increased options revenue.

Builder1440, LLC, the home building industry’s leading provider of Internet-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and sales systems, announced their Builder1440 application suite was voted one of the Top New 100 Products of 2007 by Professional Builder magazine.

Each year, Professional Builder editors evaluate hundreds of industry products and recognize 100 as the Top New Products of the year. The annual awards emphasize technical innovation, increased growth and market position within the home building industry.

The Professional Builder editors base their evaluation on four criteria: technical advances in technology, significant product improvement, new products lines or features and increased product competition.

“The Professional Builder editorial team chose Builder1440’s software suite because of the enhanced suite of applications available,” explains Paul Deffenbaugh, Editorial Director for Professional Builder.
“With noteworthy growth and innovative technology solutions, Builder1440 has helped establish the future of home building software systems.”

The Builder1440 application suite, which includes the cornerstone software solution Sales1440, was developed to help home builders concentrate on building and selling homes by leaving the technology worries to the Builder1440 experts.

Sales1440 automates the entire home buying process, from the time the prospect requests information from a builder’s website or walks into the sales center, to lot and floor plan selection, home configuration, contract generation, loan calculations, change order management and customer relationship management.

The Sales1440 CRM system makes it simple for builders to sell more homes by ensuring constant communication with prospects through customizable targeted Follow-Through^® plans from Bob Schultz and the New Home Specialists.

Also included in Builder1440’s software suite is DealWorks1440, an online sales pricing and analysis tool that seamlessly integrates Sales1440 with Sage Master Builder/Sage Timberline Office. Dealworks1440 enables builders to easily establish retail pricing, improve profit margins and streamline operations.

MyHome1440, another complementary product to Sales1440, is an Internet-based home customization portal for prospects and home buyers that enhances the home buying experience by displaying inventory and pricing in real time and allowing prospects to view and select communities, plans, plot maps, homes & options from Sales1440.

As the housing market continues to slow, home builders are faced with new and challenging obstacles with regard to finding prospects and closing sales. Now is the time for builders to develop and implement sales strategies and software systems that will enable them to increase sales in the upcoming year. At the 2007 International Builders’ Show (IBS), Baltimore-based home builder technology solutions provider, Builder1440, LLC, will begin to roll out its line of new products designed to help builders sell more homes. The suite of builder software will include:

• Sales1440^TM v6.0 – Internet-based CRM and sales system for builders
• DealWorks1440^TM – Complete sales pricing and sales analysis tool
• SiteAuthor1440^TM – Internet marketing and content management system
• My1440Home^TM – Home customization portal for prospects and buyers

For the Builders’ Show, Builder1440 has added innovative features and functionality to Sales1440 v6.0, the company’s Internet-based and on-demand customer relationship management and sales system for home builders. The new release builds on the system’s existing follow up and campaign management capabilities and includes enhancements that allow a builder to change prospects’ rankings and associated follow up plans. Moreover, the application enables builders to monitor leads, sales, and follow up statistics via a real-time dashboard.

Sales1440 v6.0 accelerates the sales cycle by enabling builders to automatically route web leads to sales representatives for efficient follow up. Sales representations can then nurture leads with scheduled email campaigns and customized follow up programs. Furthermore, Sales1440 v6.0 facilitates the collection of customer feedback by enabling builders to create questionnaires for use at specific stages during the sales cycle.

Included in Builder1440’s suite of home builder software is DealWorks1440, a complete sales pricing and sales analysis tool that allows home builders to mark up costs and establish pricing for plans, options and lots for use in the sales process. DealWorks1440 grants home builders more control over their profits, letting them compare budgets to actuals in order to determine whether or not to accept a sale.

Knowing that 77% of buyers shop online for their new homes, builders have turned to the Internet for lead generation. However, just having a simple website is not enough to engage buyers. SiteAuthor1440, Builder1440’s Internet marketing and content management system, allows builders to interact with buyers through customized online forms and automatic email responses. SiteAuthor1440 also enables builders to modify website navigation and content in real-time as well as display inventory and pricing information online.

Building relationships with prospects and home buyers is critical to the success of every home builder. My1440Home, Builder1440’s home customization portal, enables prospects and buyers to play an integral role in the home buying process, allowing them to view communities, plans, elevations, and lots as well as select and modify options online from anywhere, at anytime. Additionally, prospects have the ability to save and email their home selections, while home buyers can create option wish lists, submit warranty requests, and execute buyer to-do lists. Enabling prospects and home buyers to customize their home online, My1440Home helps builders create the ultimate home buying experience while improving their profit margin and bottom line.

Stop by Builder1440’s booth #W3993 at IBS for a live demo of the company’s suite of home builder software. To schedule a one-on-one meeting with a Builder1440 representative, email info@builder1440.com or call 877-604-1440.