A Community That Isn’t Selling: Find What’s Wrong and Fix It
When a new home community stalls, the cause is almost always one of, or a combination of, four things: the product, a mismatch with the target buyer, quality, or the sales team’s follow-up and close. Denise Lones, NAHB M.I.R.M., is called in to find which one, or which combination, and fix it.
THE FOUR USUAL CAUSES:
A Product Problem:
The homes, pricing, or amenities aren’t what the market wants.
A PEOPLE PROBLEM:
The product doesn’t fit the target buyer, so the right people aren’t buying.
A QUALITY PROBLEM:
Construction, finish, or presentation is undermining buyer confidence.
A SALES TEAM PROBLEM:
Leads go cold, follow-up slips, or the team isn’t closing.
HOW THE DIAGNOSTIC WORKS:
SALES PROCESS ANALYSIS
The buyer’s path from first contact to contract, with a strategy to fill the gaps.
SALES TEAM FEEDBACK
Candid input on how your team greets, follows up with, and closes buyers.
MODEL HOME & SALES ENVIRONMENT REVIEW
How your model and sales center look and flow from a buyer’s view.
MARKETING PLAN REVIEW
Print and online ads, events, press, web presence, and more.
PRODUCT & BUYER-FIT CHECK
Do the homes, pricing, and amenities match the buyer you’re targeting?
PRIORITIZED FINDINGS
A ranked list of what to fix first.
Q: How do I know whether my community's problem is the product or the sales team?
A: Traffic and conversion tell much of the story. Plenty of visitors but few contracts points to the product, the price, or the sales process. Few visitors points to positioning and marketing. A diagnostic looks at all four causes so the fix is aimed at the right one.
Q: What is a community diagnostic?
A: A structured review of the sales process, sales team, model and sales environment, marketing plan, and product-to-buyer fit, ending in a ranked list of what to fix first.