Homebuilders know that sometimes it’s what you don’t see that matters. It’s not just in the construction but also in sales. Maybe you should conduct some research into what’s happening when no one is watching. What can you learn about the customer experience from a mystery shopper?
Since Cannonball Moments acquired New Home Sales Connections, we’ve worked with builders across the country. There is always room for improvement, as long as you know what to work on. Mystery shopping zeroes in on your targets for training, making the most of your investment in your team.
How does mystery shopping work?
New Home Sales Connections trains and sends mystery shoppers to act as new home buyers for clients who are curious about the type of customer experience that’s happening in their models and with OSCs.
The mystery shopping process begins by understanding the builder’s objectives. It’s not a cookie cutter approach. We dig in and learn the concerns of the builder and build the program to uncover the insights. We also customize the scorecard to measure the outcomes that matter.
Before the shop happens, each shopper learns about the builder, the products, and the market. They build a believable backstory that’s a match to the demographic. For onsite mystery shops, our pros have a camera and recorder, with the permission of the builder, and meet with the new home sales professional. Sometimes, they schedule an appointment; more often, they walk in. The choice is at the discretion of the builder.
Once the meeting is completed, the New Home Sales Connections mystery shopper gives the recordings to our analyst. She develops a detailed report of the findings and prepares a scorecard for the sales professional. Both the client and the Cannonball Moments coach receive the findings about the mystery shop customer experience and get together to build an action plan for addressing the needs that were uncovered.
New Home Sales Connections offers a variety of mystery shopping services. In addition to in-person visits, our team can shop the competitors and provide competitive analyses.
Unmask the flaws in your new home sales
Out of the last 100 mystery shopping projects (we call them “shops”) that our New Home Sales Connections team completed, here’s what we discovered:
What’s happening in your model home could be detrimental to your sales success. A mystery shopper can give you invaluable clues to the underlying problems.
OSCs can be shopped, too
Our New Home Sales Connection team, led by Lauren Shovlin, has been receiving more requests to have Online Sales Counselors mystery shopped. With the crucial nature of cultivating online leads, builders are trying to determine the ease and effectiveness of this process.
“We’ve found that connecting with an OSC can be cumbersome for some builders. If it’s too difficult, the prospect moves on to another builder,” explains Shovlin.
When New Home Sales Connections mystery shops an OSC, they undergo the same preparation, getting to know the builder, products, location, and demographic. The mystery shopper has the backstory and connects with the OSC. The call is recorded, with the permission of the builder. And the conversation is then passed along to the analyst.
Like the onsite shops, this research into the customer experience is intended to guide training. The Cannonball Moments mindset is built into every service, including New Home Sales Connections. It’s about betterment. There are no failures, just opportunities to improve.
Are you ready to get a clue about your customer’s experience?
With the shift in the housing market over the past year, new home sales professionals are no longer inundated with over-eager buyers. The flow of leads has slowed. Builders can’t afford to have new home sales professionals who aren’t completely tuned into every aspect of the sales process.
If you’re interested in learning more about New Home Sales Connections, get in touch and we’ll reveal all the possibilities!
About the Author
Chad Sanschagrin, founder of Cannonball Moments, is a sought-after leadership and sales coach with extensive experience in the homebuilding industry. He has delivered more than 400 keynotes presentations in more than 40 states and seven countries. He can be contacted at chad@cannonballmoments.com or connect with him on LinkedIn
.svg)
.svg)
