Extraordinary Times Call For Extraordinary Times.

We all understand just what an extraordinary time it is to be working in the homebuilding industry today, yet even in these challenging times, some are achieving additional success as they get courageous and reevaluate their retail strategy.

One of the core principals of any successful retail organization is to: Be open for the customers’ convenience. Most stores have studied their buyers’ behaviors and know when they need to be open for their customers.  Also as more and more people’s lives get busier and busier, you’ll notice many stores changing their hours to accommodate their customers.  Think of how many stores you have seen that now have extended their hours, or are open on days (such as Sundays) that they were closed on in the past? My guess is you also have several businesses near you that are open 24 hours now too.

Why is it that while other business are working to become even more convenient for their customers, In the home building world some have chosen to cut back their open hours? At first glance it may appear to be a good cost cutting measure by cutting back model home hours but eventually this could negatively impact your sales. If you need the sales, why close earlier then you did before?

In the past few years sales professionals have been having success outside of the classic 11 am – 6pm hours. Gone are the days were the sales professional can exhibit the mentality or “If they really want to buy, they’ll take time off for this”. Recently I have learned the stories of 3 sales professionals who have even sold homes in the 11 pm – 2am hours! How many sales have you been missing by being inconvenient?

While I am not recommending your models should be open the same hours as Taco Bell, what I do encourage is that you adopt the mindsets of “Whatever it takes” and “You are there to serve your customers”. Take the next step towards being there for your customers. Review your open hours at your models, design galleries and offices. Study when your prospects want to purchase and any other changes your organization could make during these extraordinary times to become convenient and make more sales. Your buyers (and your bottom line) will thank you for it!