It’s no secret that your customer is king and with nearly limitless access to information, he’s more powerful than ever before. Adjusting your business to demonstrate how you put the customer on a pedestal can help create happier customers increasing the likelihood of referrals.
The SAVE (Solution, Access, Value, Education) framework is a simple way to gut-check if you have prioritized the customer:
- SOLUTION: Your homes meets the needs of your customers.
- ACCESS: A customer can easily find your company throughout their purchase journey.
- VALUE: You communicate the benefits of a product or service, rather than price.
- EDUCATION: You provide relevant information based on the customer’s specific needs and help guide them through the process to reduce pain points.
Here are some tips to leverage the SAVE framework and keep the customer front and center.
SOLUTION
You’ve built many homes and over time it’s easy to see the final product as a beautiful shelter, after all, everyone needs a place to live. Get to know your customers and understand why they’re shopping for a new place to live. Perhaps it’s because they need: a location closer to work, a bigger space for their growing family, an opportunity to right-size after their kids have left home, or a space that simply feels like home. Once you understand your customers’ needs, it’s simple to tailor your message to address a homebuyer’s specific need and present a solution (perhaps with upgrades included!) while making them feel as though you really understand them.
ACCESS
It’s important to be visible with your potential customers and engage to with them. The rise in digital technology has made it easier to communicate with your potential homebuyers, anywhere, anytime. Be selective however, expand your outreach beyond the model home or design center and allow customers to experience your brand virtually. Some examples to help give them 24/7 access include: your website, virtual tours, social media sites and other relevant websites (i.e. Houzz).
Digital websites are provide an opportunity to track behaviors to better understand where and how your customers engage, you can increase your customer interactions and control their overall satisfaction improving the sales process.
VALUE
It’s no secret that most homebuyers have a price range in their mind when looking for new homes, however, competing on price is a race to the bottom. Instead, focus on talking to potential buyers about the benefits they’re looking for that your company provides, such as low maintenance homes, community amenities or the long term value energy efficiency brings. This may help you attract your customer based on what motivates them beyond just price point.
EDUCATION
It’s said that knowledge is power and today’s homebuyer has access to information throughout their decision making process. Beyond simply advertising your available homes and the benefits they bring, consider adding value to guide the homebuyer through the journey. While you build homes daily, people may only buy homes 2-3 times during their lives, so think of ways you can help make the process easier based on your business model. Perhaps you can demonstrate thought leadership with content ideas like home buying tips, step-by-step guides to home financing, how-to get the most out of realtors and more. Providing this type of educational content keeps the homebuyer engaged during and beyond the purchase process which builds trust and brand affinity; ultimately aiding the decision on the next home and potentially increasing your opportunity for referrals.