Option Selling For Profit: The Builder's Guide To Generating Design Center Revenue And Profit

by Gina Gullo, Angela Rinaldi

Overview

"If you think your customer’s home buying experience ends with the signing of the sales contract—think again." To be a successful full-service home builder in today’s market you must offer more than just a well-built home—you must give your customers the opportunity to design a home that suits their individual tastes and lifestyles. By offering a range of options and upgrades, you can do just that. The design phase is your best opportunity to make a lasting impression and ensure that your buyers will favorably remember their experience with your company. In Option Selling for Profit, authors Gullo and Rinaldi share their hands-on understanding of high-powered selling in the ever-expanding market of options for new homes. With this book you will learn how to • * create an option sales program that motivates customers to buy • * capitalize on your options and upgrades program to increase your bottom line • * empower your sales team with the tools they need to succeed • * cultivate loyal customers • * deliver outstanding customer service • * implement a profitable design program no matter the size of your company Option Selling for Profit gives you access to a Web page with 19 downloadable tools that you can customize to suit your specific needs. “From pricing to sales presentation, this book will help you learn how to sell options and increase your bottom line.” —S. Robert August, President, S. Robert August & Company, Inc., and President, Institute of Residential Marketing Option Selling for Profit: The Builder's Guide to Generating Design Center Revenue and Profit Kindle Edition is also available on Amazon.com. You can start reading this book immediately on your iPad, Kindle, or smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, or Android), or on your desktop by simply downloading Amazon’s Kindle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780867186420
Publisher:	National Association of Home Builders
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Edition description:	None
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Gina Gullo and Angela Rinaldi are co-authors and consultants to the building and design industries. Their book Option Selling for Profit coaches builders and designers on how to make the most out of every home sale by creating an effective Design Center options program and selling to individual consumer lifestyles. It includes 19 downloadable forms and other tools that help create a well-run Design Center or reorganize an existing one to be more profitable. Their company, Better Builder Strategies, offers services in design center option program development and implementation, sales and design training, operational organization, and space planning. A business owner and operator for 30 years, Ms. Gullo has worked in retail, in the financial markets, and as an interior designer. She directed design studio development for WCI Communities Inc., a major home building and development company in southwest Florida, overseeing option programs, studio environments, operations, and training programs. Ms. Rinaldi’s experience encompasses 32 years in the education, retail, and home building industries. Her home design and option selection experience spans the high-end custom and production home markets. She has coordinated design development for custom homes, assisting discerning buyers one on one with the selection process. She helped manage a high volume home design center and was the senior design associate and head of training for WCI Communities Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Rinaldi worked in publishing and advertising in New York. In Option Selling for Profit, Ms. Gullo and Ms. Rinaldi share their hands-on understanding of high-powered selling in the ever-expanding market of options for new homes.

Table of Contents

Preface     v
Acknowledgments     ix
About the Authors     xi
Introduction     xiii
What You Will Find on the Web page     xvi
Housing and Paying for an Option Sales Program     1
Building or Leasing Your Own Showroom     1
Model Homes as Design Centers     3
Working with Manufacturers and Trades     6
Outsourcing an Options Program     8
One Size Doesn't Fit All     9
Building the Design Team     13
Thinking Like a Retailer     19
Marketing a Design Center     23
Inside the Design Center     25
Managing for Greater Option Profit     33
Pricing     36
Goal Setting for Option Sales     41
Sales Tracking     46
Information Technology     46
Inventory Control     49
Design Center Department Report     50
Maximizing the Design Center Experience     53
Information Gathering     56
Providing Service     58
After-Contract Changes     63
Selling to Customers' Personalities and Values     65
Knowing the Customer     66
Being aBetter Listener     75
Feature and Benefit Selling     82
The Power of Suggestive Selling     84
Learn, Practice, and Apply     87
Handling Objections and Closing     89
Starting with "No"     89
How to Close a Design Presentation     93
Closing Clues     95
Avoiding Surprises     96
Providing Customer Service     97
The Path to Customer Satisfaction     99
Customer Relationship Management     100
Managing Customer Expectations     105
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)     107
Get Personal     109
Customer Service Do's and Don'ts     109
Measure Your Customer Service Prowess     110
Have Customers Grade You     114
A Competitive Edge     114
Conclusion     117
Notes     119
Resources     121
Index     123