Celebrate The Sale
Is the contract signing simply a matter of paperwork and facts? Or is there room to heighten the emotional altitude to further cement the sale and to use this time as an opportunity for celebration? Let’s explore what happens after the sale is closed.
You’ve heard about buyer’s remorse. It’s real, and it begins to set in almost immediately. The sheer magnitude of a decision in the long-term nature of the commitment can cause immediate and palpable angst.
What can be done at the time of the contract to cement the emotional connection to that home? If you’re in home sales, you’ve seen this before. How can the salesperson set realistic expectations without diminishing the buyer’s enthusiasm?
Keep the Emotional Altitude High
There’s an opportunity that is often missed here. How does your customer celebrate their decision? Is that celebration initiated by the salesperson, or is this something that they do alone over dinner? The celebration should be a planned event as a part of the contract signing, even a small celebratory act raises the emotional altitude, and it further cements the homebuyer’s decision.
This will be vitally important when inevitably, something goes wrong. Think of the celebration as an investment into the emotional bank account. Think of an error in the process as a withdrawal. You never want to be overdrawn.
We encourage you to brainstorm this with your Community Team. It might be an introduction or even a round of applause from your teammates. Perhaps a small gift providing an empty, builder-branded keychain with the promise of delivering the actual keys several months from now, or a photo of them signing the contract or putting a sold sign on the home site. Whatever you do, make it a moment they’ll remember.
Cement the sale by cementing the emotion.
Provide a Roadmap of the Process
Most home buyers are clueless as to the specifics and what happens next. But giving them a flyover will provide context for all of the details they’re about to hear. Script this out. Rehearse it over and over again. You could tell a customer, let me explain the process at a very high level, and then we can get into some details later. It all starts today with a contract signing. Then we make an appointment to…
Try to keep this overview down to 90 seconds or so. Too much time means you’re sharing too much micro detail. Providing the buyer with a graphic picture of the journey From Contract to Close through to their customer service experience also helps.
Once the contract is signed, the real business of transparency becomes primary. Customers deserve to know precisely how the process works. This explanation of the journey should have been set up during the pre-contract expectations setting. The buyer should not now be surprised by your honest and more detailed statements about the probability of delays, for example.
Honesty is your primary process, and creating trust is the expected result.
One more thing. Don’t fall into the trap of making promises to impress the buyer. Let your actions impress the buyer. That is a mantra that must be taught to and adopted by everyone in the organization.
Let me share a few specific application ideas here.
- Plan the celebration. Make it fun and memorable.
- Have a checklist of appropriate and accurate talking points regarding expectations.
- Have a photo of the buyer’s home or homesite ready. Ask the buyer to call the children, best friends, or significant other via face time while holding up that signed contract and a picture of their new home. Have fun with this. Let your customers enjoy the process!
For more lessons about how you can best serve your customer after the sale is made. Check out From Contract to Close, the new book coauthored by Bob Mirman and me. We launched the book this week, and it’s for everyone in your organization. Get your copy or order in bulk at shop.jeffshore.com!
Until next time. Learn more to earn more!
