Planning a New Community: Strategy From Day One
A new community sells best when its strategy is built before the first home is. Denise Lones works with developers and builders to define the buyer, position the community, design the buying experience, and set up the sales, marketing, and agent systems from the very beginning, so launch day is a plan, not a scramble.
THE PROBLEM:
Many communities treat sales and marketing as something to work out once construction is underway. By then, the product, pricing, and layout decisions that shape every buyer’s experience are already locked in.
How Denise approaches it:
the six Community Scorecard pillars
Demographic and Market Planning:
Who is actually buying, and why, grounded in real data rather than assumptions
Community Vision:
The story and identity that make the community different
Site Planning:
Layout, flow, streetscape, and entry, considered from a buyer’s point of view
Program:
Amenities and community activity that give residents a real reason to engage
Home Functionality and Design:
Floorplans, features, and customization matched to the buyer
Sales Strategy:
Built in as part of the community’s design, not added later
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
BUYER, PRODUCT, & MARKET ANALYSIS
Who is actually buying in your market and what they want, grounded in real data rather than assumptions.
Positioning & brand direction
What makes your community different, and how to put it in front of the right buyer.
Floorplan, feature & pricing review
Whether the homes, features, and prices match the buyer you’re building for.
Amenity & community programming
Guidance on the amenities and activity that give residents a real reason to engage, and which to skip.
Launch plan
The sales center, presales, and campaigns, planned before the first home is built.
Specialist selection & coordination
Help choosing and managing the people who execute the plan.
Q: When should a developer involve a sales and marketing strategist?
A: As early as concept and product planning. Decisions about buyer, floorplans, amenities, and layout shape how a community sells, and they are far cheaper to get right before they are built.
Q: How is this different from hiring a marketing agency?
A: An agency produces marketing. Denise sets the over-arching strategy first, across product, positioning, sales, marketing, and agent outreach, and then directs the specialists who produce each piece so every dollar supports the same plan.