Modular home builders comprise only a small percentage of
new home builders in the US
but every day they have to compete one on one with larger site and panelized builders.
Finding the perfect factory to build your
homes is only one small part of the puzzle.
You must also have a way to beat your competition for every dollar that’s
out there.
A lot of builders, even site builders, usually only have one
bullet in their arsenal of weapons…being cheaper than their competitors. That works sometimes but not for the vast
majority of new home buyers.
Buyers are strange animals.
You never know exactly what will trigger their buying a home from you
and if you don’t ask them some basic “why” questions, you may never have
anything to offer them but a cheaply priced house.
If you compete on price alone, great. But if you can’t, get those new home sales
with any combination of these:
BETTER QUALITY. This
is one way to fight off those cheap builders because it makes your higher price
justified. Picking a modular home
factory that also stresses quality over lowball pricing is a big part of that
quality you want to be known for.
AVOID MASS MARKET. If
you were a mobile home dealer, you would be happy to see small changes in
design but they still look like boxes.
Choosing a modular home factory that offers current house plans and can
build custom homes is a lot better than going with a factory that still uses
house plans from the 1960’s.
MORE EFFICIENT. Have
information at hand and on your website about all the Green and Energy saving
materials and processes both you and the modular factory use every day. Remember, modular factories offer a lot of
inherent ways to help keep your customer’s energy bills down.
BETTER DESIGN.
Something as seemingly superficial as appearance can dramatically alter
a buyer’s perception of worth. Show all
your floor plans and 3D renderings with brick fronts, high pitch roofs and
upgraded appliances. They probably won’t
want to buy all those things but it sure looks better than a rendering of a plain
box.
REFERENCES. Getting
endorsements from your former customers is essential. Put them in your literature, on your website
and if you do press releases, use them there too. People like to know that others have been
there before them with great results.
MADE IN AMERICA. Check out all the materials sold in your
homes. If they are made in America, brag
about it. Knowing that your drywall wasn’t
made in China
will have an effect on your prospective new home buyers. If your modular factory hasn’t stepped up and
begun using more American made materials, speak up and tell them to get on
board with something that will increase sales.
JOIN THE NAHB.
Belonging to this association gives you immediate credibility. Once you belong, attend the meetings and look
for ways to use the Modular Home Building Council and what they provide to
increase your sales.
BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE.
This is such an easy one…and it’s free.
Smile, be polite, build relationships with your buyers and respond to
complaints quickly and calmly. It’s that
simple! But it’s something that your
bigger competitors find impossible to do.
FASTER BUILDING TIME.
Only talk about the time from delivery of the modules until you turn the
keys over to the new homeowners when you discuss when they will get into their
new home. Up until the foundation is in
the ground, both you and your site built competitors are on equal footing. After that it is no contest.
IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE. I can’t say enough about this.
Websites are the key these days. Get
a good one and you look professional and encourage people to visit you for
extended time. Look better than your
competitors. Always include a "call to action" button.
PROPER DRESS CODE.
This is such a small thing but make sure all your employees are wearing
something that announces they work for you.
Give every one of your subcontractor’s workers either a hat or t-shirt
with your name on it and demand that it be worn when they are on your job. It makes you look trustworthy to new home buyers.
GET IN BED WITH A BANK.
If you have a bank in your corner, preferably a local one, that
understands modular housing, your unique draw schedule and is competitive with
the big banks, you have to marry them.
GET REALTORS ON YOUR SIDE.
Offer a very lucrative incentive if a Realtor brings you a prospect and
you close the deal. Pay more than they
will get from any of your competitors and they will beat your door down.
KEEP YOUR OFFICES NEAT AND CLEAN. This is another easy thing to do. People won’t eat off dirty plates so why
would you expect them to buy a new house from a builder that can't keep his or her offices clean?
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