I sat in a training session this morning and posed this question:

“If you had a magic wand and could make one change to your offering to sell more, what would it be?”

I heard several responses – remove back-up home contingencies and lower prices were at the top of their lists.

How would you answer that question?

More leads? Better location? Better value? Our former “magic wand” was an incredible, unsustainable and ultimately reckless marketplace that threw out most of the fundamental laws of marketing and sales. I hope you have come to realize that the marketplace is not going to help you make sales today or anytime in the near future.

Are you sick and tired of buyers who are “just looking?”

Here’s a great question. What message are you conveying to your model home guests? Most of the homebuilders and remodeling contractors I meet have a one-step marketing message. They market their homes or services and then wonder why they don’t sell more. The problem with this approach is that it is company-focused, not client-focused.

Anytime you want to make more sales you need to go back to Marketing 101: Discover what your target market wants and give it to them. Consumers don’t want to buy your physical offering. They want to own your solution to their problems!

The reason you’re not selling more homes through a one-step, company-focused marketing message is that it doesn’t appeal to your true target market. If you want to sell more today, you must be customer-focused, and you need to offer a multi-stepped approach to sales.

If you had a secret weapon to sell more homes, would you use it?

I ask this question because your homebuilders association (NAHB) gave our industry the “secret weapon” three years ago at the 2005 International Builder Show. In case you’ve forgotten I’ll share it again in their words…

“Women directly purchase or have a controlling influence in the purchase of 91% of all new homes.”

-Smith-Dahmer Associates, NAHB IBS

Right now you’re probably saying, “Rick, I’ve known that for years. We already do a good job of appealing to women.”

Do you? Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you know why women buy or don’t buy from you? 
• Do you know why they recommend you or why they go out of their way not to recommend you?
• Do you create staged experiences throughout the shopping, designing, buying, building and warranty phases that specifically appeal to women?
• Do you know how women define “quality”?
• Do you know how women choose brands/contractors to work with?

If you want to position yourself for both short- and long-term success in this incredibly tough marketplace you must have a sales process that appeals to women. Women are the answer to today’s and tomorrow’s sales.

Let’s take a look at how one person has used the power of marketing to women greater than anyone else in the world. Her name has long been a household word – Oprah Winfrey.

“Forbes’ International Rich List” has ranked Winfrey as the world’s only black billionaire in 2004, 2005, and 2006 and the first black woman billionaire in world history. In July 2007, TV Guide reported that Winfrey was the highest paid TV entertainer in the United States. She earned an estimated $260 million during the year. That amount was more than 5 times greater than the $45 million earned by the person in second place – music executive, Simon Cowell. By 2008, Oprah’s income had increased to $275 million.

Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s take a look at how Oprah Winfrey got to where she is today.

The Oprah brand
Women don’t buy Oprah, they “join” her. What do I mean by that? Besides her TV show, Oprah has her own book club, magazine, interactive website, charity causes, radio show and store. Oprah brings women together through her brand and sells her wares through that connection. How do you connect women through your company?

If She has to Ask, it’s too Late
Oprah understands one very important lesson; it’s easier to keep her female customers than to lose them and try to win them back. Oprah anticipates what her women customers want, and she delivers. She offers thoughtful surprises around every corner all the while respecting women’s power in her success. What do you do to anticipate your women customer’s needs during your shopping, buying and building process?

Oprah is Transparent
Oprah’s life has been an open book with her customers. One day she is talking about her weight issues and the next about her relationship woes. She is not afraid to express an opinion, share knowledge and promote her Angel Network philanthropy projects. Oprah has a maniacal attention to detail when it comes to fulfilling women’s needs and wants. How do you open yourself up, exploit your weaknesses and share your beliefs with your female customers?

Several of my clients have re-positioned their companies through the Woman-Centric Matters^TM program (check out their website www.WomanCentricMN.com). Over the past year, each of them has taken dramatic steps to better understand what women are looking for and then deliver an experience like no other.

Every day they learn a little more and make a few more adjustments. The bottom line? Old inventory has been sold and new offerings created. Models are selling and pre-solds are being captured. Most are still making decent margins but, best of all, each of them has a strategy to maximize their sales today and in the future.

Are you ready to quit relying on this market and take control of your business again?

Happy Selling!

About the Author

Helping home builders maximize sales in any market. The New Home Sales Coach Transformational Sales System for salespeople and the Team Builder Advantage® Positioning System for homebuilders, transforms dull and boring organizations into extraordinary and remarkable. To sign up for Rick’s FREE monthly newsletter and Quicktip visit: http://www.nhsalescoach.com/ or call (952) 895-5566.