I attended the Northeast Florida Builder's Association Sales & Marketing Council for a breakfast program today. Their programs are always terrific, but this one especially so.
Matthew Ferrara was the speaker, and he was very insightful as to how to communicate to the first time home buyers of today, vs. how we THINK they want to be communicated to.
A quiz first, to check your knowledge: (answers are at the bottom).
- A ) What is the median age of First Time buyers?
- B) What percent had no children at home?
- C) What percentage used agents?
- D) What percentage of all buyers were 1st Time buyers?
The primary way we can improve our technique is simply communicating the way the buyers want us to communicate. They don't want floor plans, or descriptives like "brick paver driveway, 42" cabinets, knockdown ceilings".
They do want the LIFESTYLE. They want the PICTURES of what the neighborhood looks like, what their life can look like in that neighborhood.
Not the facts, just the facts, ma'am. Describe the community in short paragraph format, vs. bullet points. Describe the view from the patio/kitchen/lanai. Use descriptive language, and take a ton of photos.
We tend to overlook that all purchases are emotional - it's not the facts and figures that sell the house, it's how it makes somene feel when they pull into their driveway.
Go ahead, get emotional. It's a good thing.
Answers:
- A) 31
- B) 60%
- C) 79%
- D) 39%
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