The Builder1440 Blog

In the down housing market, many home builders wonder the benefits of spending valuable sales and marketing dollars on a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Budgets are tight and the idea of incurring the expense for a CRM software system may be the furthest thought from any management team’s mind. However, the reality is without utilizing a CRM system, many builders are missing out on opportunities and potential sales.

Discover below the key reasons builders should consider implementing a CRM into their sales and marketing strategy.

1. CRM and sales systems allow home builders to manage all traffic to the fullest potential. From the time the prospect visits a website, or walks into the sales center, to follow-up and email marketing, lot and floor plan selection, home configuration, contract generation, and change order management, an effective CRM system will streamline the processes and increase the number of sales based on a multi-touch approach.

2. Management teams should empower sales people with best possible sales tools. A great sales team is important but without the right tools, sales people are not given the best opportunity to succeed. A comprehensive CRM system will offer the resources to track, follow up with and close the sale with prospects

3. Management teams must consider software that will offer thorough reporting analysis of prospect opportunities and closed sales. Without reporting functionality, home builders suffer the loss of determining the most effective way to drive business and succeed in the competitive market.

4. A market upswing is inevitable. As a result, now is the pivotal time to get a jump start on developing best business practices and equipping your sales team for success, so when market turns you will be forward position with a competitive edge.

In today’s market, selling homes requires more time and dedication compared to previous years. Staying in touch and remaining top-of-mind with prospective buyers throughout the entire sales process is the key differentiator between losing a buyer and selling a home. Read our important tips below to find out more about creating effective follow-up.

1) Develop a strategic plan and remain consistent

Effective follow-up is not random. In order to be successful, follow-up needs to be developed into a plan of action and implemented on a consistent basis. Consequently, follow-up plans should become a top priority for management as well as a structured requirement for sales team members. Follow-up has the potential to make a difference if an established structure is in place.

2) Ensure your follow-up plans are adaptive

Every potentially buyer is different, and as a result, every follow-up plan should have the ability to reflect each prospect’s individual characteristics. Any follow-up is better than no follow-up, but being able to define and target a follow-up plan for a prospect at any stage of the sales cycle will prove more effective at building and nurturing a relationship.

3) Streamline your follow-up efforts

Developing a follow-up plan is essential, but executing the follow-up plan is necessary in order for it to be effective. However, remembering where each prospect is in the sales cycle and which type of follow-up they should receive can be a daunting task. As a result, utilizing a customer relationship management (CRM) tool with follow-up reminders for phone calls and letters along with automated email follow-up can not only make your life easier but also increase sales rates.

4) Utilize different channels for multi-touch follow-up

Dynamic follow-up is crucial for staying in touch with prospects over a period of time. As a result, effective follow-up requires communicating with prospects via a multi-channel approach including phone calls, emails, letters and direct mail. To make even more of an impact, each form of follow-up should have the ability to be personalized. The more diverse a follow-up campaign, the more likely a prospect will choose you over the competition!