7 STEPS TO RAPID CRM SUCCESS CRM DEVELOPMENT GUIDE FOR HOME BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS

Transcription

1 7 STEPS TO RAPID CRM SUCCESS CRM DEVELOPMENT GUIDE FOR HOME BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS

2 INTRODUCTION Selling new homes has changed more in the last 5 years than in the previous Myers Barnes Two forceful changes have transformed how homes are bought and sold the widespread use of the Internet, and the explosion of online marketing. Buyers today are highly informed armed with facts and data long before they walk into your model home or presentation center. This shopping transformation has also radically shifted buyers expectations regarding response time, quality of information, and follow-up communication. They expect relevant information, now. For a long time, when these profound changes were just taking hold, CRM remained one of the best-kept secrets in new home sales. Today, CRM systems have become the norm with builders of all descriptions. How has CRM become like a best friend to sales team in converting more leads to homebuyers? We ll show you! 01

3 SECTION 1: WHY CRM HAS BECOME A BUILDER S NEW BEST FRIEND Injecting Science Into The Art Of Selling There is no question that selling is an art. The best sales professionals seem to possess an innate ability to connect with others. But there is a lot of science to selling, too. Numerous studies have confirmed that speed to respond and repeatable follow-up processes systematically drive improved sales performance. The building industry is making progress, but still has lots of work to do. The 2016 Home Builder Follow-Up Survey, conducted by DoYouConvert and Lasso, showed that 33% of new home communities did not follow up with an online lead via , and a shocking 80% percent did not make a single return phone call. A CRM can help eliminate these follow-up gaps so that every lead receives timely, relevant communications throughout the home buying process. Implementing anything new can be a challenge, but we have seven key steps to guarantee rapid results from your new CRM system. Only 3% surveyed made more than 1 phone call & sent more than 2 s in 45 days! * *From the 2016 Online Lead Follow-Up Survey 02

4 1. List Key Priorities Prior to CRM deployment, create a simple, 1-2 page list of your specific sales and marketing priorities and goals. This list will help you tackle the most important initiatives first, and become a yardstick for measuring success. EXAMPLES OF KEY PRIORITIES Respond to all leads within 30 minutes or less Pinpoint which marketing efforts are working A smooth hand-off to onsite agents Weekly updates on appointments Regular campaigns to ALL prospects 03

5 2. Identify Guiding Champions Establishing ownership to direct new initiatives is crucial to the process. Guiding champions have a stake in ensuring that all tasks for CRM deployment happen in a smooth and timely manner. Teams should identify three roles (though for smaller teams, one person may wear multiple hats): Resident CRM Expert Within sales, marketing, or operations Understands technical processes of the system The internal how to resource Executive Champion The catalyst for change A leader within the company who gets how people, processes and technology, work together Business Champion Knowledgeable about how sales, marketing and operations work together Makes sure the CRM system is personalized to work for the team 04

6 3. Get Buy-in From Users As you go through the CRM selection process, be sure to get a few frontline marketing and sales users involved and solicit their input and feedback during demonstrations and meetings. Getting buy-in from the sales team should not be underrated, as they will be the primary users of the system. If sales agents get the feeling the CRM is something that s being done TO them instead of being done FOR them, you are going to have a hard time getting them to use it. Having top sales performers and forward thinkers participate will help them see the bigger picture of how refined processes and a system will streamline their jobs so they can focus on more important relationship and sales-generating tasks. 05

7 4. Deploy In 30 Days Or Less Part of Lasso s approach to fast deployment is a kick-off meeting with the client s key stakeholders to determine if a phased rollout is the optimum approach, as it often is for medium to large volume builders or developers. Starting with a few communities or a single region allows the client and CRM provider to work together in a controlled setting to polish the process prior to company-wide rollout. If you use an Online Sales Counselor, begin the rollout with the OSC for a few weeks before getting the onsite sales team involved. Focusing on this key role first will help you stay focused, and work out any last minute items that need to be addressed before a larger rollout. Sequence of a Successful Rollout 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OSC Community Region Company 06

8 5. Integrate Your Internal Sales Culture Another element to Lasso s approach is to collaborate closely with each new client to fine-tune their sales terminology and standards. Having a few simple rules for the sales team to live by is fundamental to getting accurate information about lead sources, traffic, appointments, conversions, demographics and more. Standard sales ratings and defined follow-up processes that vary by lead source or client rating are two core elements of an effective sales methodology. A HOT 1 B WARM 2 OR OR C COLD 3 D DEAD 4 Personalize your CRM s rating system and follow-up messaging to match your internal sales culture. Staying consistent helps to make the transition much easier on your team. 07

9 6. Train, Train, Train! User training, either online or onsite, remains an important cornerstone for a rapid, successful rollout. Lasso recommends keeping training initial sessions short for salespeople less than two hours covering the basics of how the system will make their jobs easier. Follow-up sessions can be scheduled a few weeks later to review the basics and introduce more advanced features. Some builders have made great use of quarterly, one-hour refresher sessions during the first year of deployment to reinforce new selling habits. 7. Personal & On Going Support While most of the heavy lifting of deployment should be completed in the first few weeks, it s important to have a client manager who maintains an ongoing relationship with key members of your team. The client manager is an experienced resource that already understands your needs, your system configuration, and is vested in your success for the months and years to come. Our Client Services Team is always there to guide and support you in your success 08

10 SECTION 3: Conclusion Having An Effective CRM Is No Longer Optional Having a CRM in place is not the same as having an effective CRM in place. In today s digital world, this is no longer an area where you can simply check the box as it can mean efficiencies to so many different parts of your business. There is perhaps no other single change that you could make to your organization that can impact sales growth in a more positive way. Are you ready to take your results to the next level? Request a demo of Lasso to see it for yourself, or click here to watch videos of our clients share their success with CRM. Over 425 Home Builders & Developers See Real Results From Lasso CRM 09

11 Lasso s support team got us implemented quickly - which was huge! The #1 New Home Sales CRM Solution Kerri Woodward Sales & Marketing Manager Chesapeake Homes Wherever you go - we ll be there. Elegantly designed to work on the widest range of devices possible to keep your team productive wherever they go. Effortless to use. Easy to personalize. Our goal is to make CRM technology accessible, relevant, and more personal to you - and your customers. We re #1 in service, too. Current Lasso users are our #1 source of referrals. We re there for you throughout deployment, training, and beyond. LEARN MORE LIVE DEMO or call Sara Williams directly at