When they’re ready to start the search for a new home, buyers don’t get on the phone. They get online. About 90 percent of them use digital media to hunt for their next home; 52 percent turn to the World Wide Web before looking anywhere else.
They Google keywords, like “new home”, “builder” and the area where they hope to live. What do they find? Google gives them results based on the best matches to those keywords, based on most popular results and the quality of the website’s SEO. From this point, the homebuyer needs to scan through the promotional speak on each builder’s website.
They are looking for a builder who can build a quality home, within their price range. More than that, they want a builder who is reliable, someone with a strong reputation for success.
How do they find a builder with these qualities? Google is a machine. It follows an algorithm, but doesn’t measure personal service. Sites like Yelp can offer some insight, but the reviews are often limited.
The best way you can communicate the quality of your customer service is to deliver it. Be meticulous about your communication with prospects and homebuyers, through every step of the process. Ask them how you can help them make the decision that best suits their criteria. Give them information that will save them the time of Googling and sifting the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Your CRM system is essential to maintaining the strong communication that builds customer satisfaction. Make sure you and your team are trained in using the CRM for its primary purpose: Customer Relationship Management. A CRM will prompt sales professionals to do outreach, will give reminders about a customer’s interests, and keep track of those prospects who haven’t yet committed. What a CRM cannot do is actually make the human connection that leads to memorable quality service.
When you deliver exceptional customer service, you keep your homebuyer connected to you, not Google.