Ask any great new home salesperson, I mean the cream of the proverbial crop, and they will tell you it’s a horrible idea to try to close a deal on the phone. Why? Because being face-to-face with that potential customer is where it’s at. Let me explain…
All homebuilders know they will never find a prospect that, within the first fifteen minutes of meeting you, is going to say, “Yes, I believe I will purchase this $350,000 home.” Transforming a lead into a customer is a process, a cautiously articulated dance of art combined with skill, employing the gentle currency of influence without undue pressure or outside compensation.
It takes baby steps to lead a homebuyer through the process, far from an all or nothing proposition. Getting to “yes”, especially with such a high-ticket investment as a new home, requires a great deal of small affirmative decisions along the way. “Yes, that is the home site I envision!” “Yes, I believe I do prefer an all brick house.” “Yes, I do feel very strongly that the larger floor plan is a must-have.” This is called applying the principle of recency into a long-term sales process.
So What Is This Principle Of Recency And How Can It Help In Sales?
Simply defined, the principle of recency states that information most recently provided is best and easily remembered. When a prospect most recently agreed, or responded “Yes” to a question, this affirmation is fresh in their mind. Each option purchased opens the door to another “Yes”, and so on.
This “feeling good” experience is the same thing a shopaholic gets when buying items at the store. It keeps things moving forward, providing little fixes of dopamine during the process. It’s all about positive progression. If you and your sales team can master the principle of recency you will definitely have more beneficial conversations with your prospects leading to more of your properties under contract!
Oh, and just in case you haven’t heard, Power-Marketing is now operating BuiderRadio! This is a great resource for anything and everything related to the building industry, but there’s also a lot of amazing material related to marketing as well. You really should check it out!
