Video Mystery Shopping in an Unstable Market
By Donna Horwedel
What if I told you homebuilders, who consistently conduct sales training and behavior audits, have team scorecards that average 80% or better?
You’ve heard the age-old question of what comes first, the chicken or the egg, right? Maybe this applies to your training strategy also. How do you know where to focus training if you don’t understand the areas of weakness?
Let me ask you this, when is the last time you’ve done behavior audits with your sales professionals? This could be to evaluate improvement areas or follow up on the current training you provided. Regardless of the timing, your objective is to measure performance and identify areas where your people may struggle.
The past couple of years has provided many new home sales professionals with more than their fair share of sales. This was primarily enabled by market demand rather than superior selling behaviors. Adding people to your waiting lists was a daily occurrence. Sales training and behavior audits were near the bottom of the priority list for many home builders.
Homebuilders are now competing for the same buyers. Interest rate buy-down offers with a preferred lender are common, and prices have been lowered. Builders have inventory homes to close on before new lots are released for construction. Some buyers are being encouraged to make an offer on those inventory homes. Competition shops are being ordered to determine what the builder across the street offers.
This is the new normal, and your team must bring their A-game every time they are in front of buyers.
Are they accurately addressing these buyer concerns:?
- I’m hesitant to purchase with the rising interest rates.
- I’m concerned about pricing being adjusted down even further if I purchase a home now.
Are they registering every prospect that comes through the door? Are they following up with these prospects?
Do we know what incentives and specials our competitors offer?
What would your team say if you asked them these questions? Would you believe them?
The only way to know is to conduct sales behavior audits randomly. The easiest way to accomplish this is to partner with someone specializing in your industry. At Impact Marketing, we refer to these behavior audits as video mystery shops.
We are your eyes and ears in the field when you can’t be there. If there is an issue in the field, our expert shoppers will help you diagnose problems before they get out of hand.
We also offer competition shops to help identify why your competition may be outselling you.
Video Mystery Shopping is a tool that ensures your investment in training returns dividends in the form of more homes being sold because your sales team is performing at maximum capacity. Contact Donna Horwedel at Impact Marketing to learn more about evaluating your team.
