December 14, 2012 |
We love when builders are open to progressive design concepts. So when we came across the Worthington Green website our response can be likened to that of a kid in a candy store! This luxury custom home community in Baltimore recently launched their new website and it came equipped with all the bells and whistles […]
Read More »December 12, 2012 |
It’s back for 2013! As builders work to maximize the full potential of today’s recovering market, everyone is looking for a performance edge. To that end, we are excited to announce The Pulse 2013, a leading edge survey conducted by ONeil Interactive and Shore Consulting. This annual survey represents hundreds of new home sales and […]
Read More »December 10, 2012 |
Continuing the conversation around the topic of onsite and online sales counselors, I recently spoke with Jeff Shore about this issue. This video originally appeared on newhomesalesleaders.com.
Read More »December 4, 2012 |
Can you believe a year has come and gone since we last conducted the Sales & Marketing Pulse survey? Well, Builder Web Apps and Shore Consulting are at it again and we need the input of all those new home sales & marketing professionals out there. Last year’s Pulse results shed light on marketing strategies […]
Read More »October 29, 2012 |
Part One of this series led to quite the discussion and debate. If you’ve not read that post, I recommend you start here first. In this part, I will continue to clarify and expand on my thoughts in hopes the discussion will continue. First, this discussion may be new, but I outlined the underlying issues […]
Read More »October 17, 2012 |
I recognize the ever growing popularity of the Online Sales Counselor role. I first saw it nearly ten years ago, and it continues with a slow and steady climb. It has always been my feeling, albeit unpopular, that the Online Sales Counselor role is a short-term solution at best, and at worst, a dependency drug […]
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If you’re not familiar with Yelp, you will be soon. Yelp is an online directory of consumer reviews. It’s most famously known for it’s restaurant reviews, but has expanded to support almost any business type over the last couple years. We’ve always recommended adding community locations to Yelp, as it’s free, and it’s part of a “cover […]
Read More »September 28, 2012 |
Google’s released some more studies about consumers and mobile behavior. While some of the study’s results are not-so-groundbreaking, there are definitely some noteworthy points. In a previous post we discussed how it’s important to plan for a multi-screen experience for the home shopper, but this report details more about the impacts of ignoring the trend. Here are some key […]
Read More »September 4, 2012 |
We’ve been a big proponent of mobile websites for home builders for many years. And some of our recent reports show how consumers are increasingly using mobile phones in their new home searches. A recent study released by Google backs up not only the importance of mobile in your web strategy, but the importance of […]
Read More »August 30, 2012 |
By now most of us know what “social media” is. We’ve created Facebook accounts, learned to Tweet, and started sharing the story of our business with anyone willing to listen. The lingering question is: Why the heck are we doing it? It would be great if the amount of Likes on our Facebook page equaled […]
Read More »August 21, 2012 |
Sometimes, the biggest challenge of follow-up is standing out. How does your phone call, your email, or your thank you card stand out from your competitors? Today, we stumbled across a great free tool to make your thank you cards excellent. The Next Web introduced us to MapEnvelope, a simple online tool that lets you print […]
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Every home builder has run into some resistance when opening a new community. There is always a level of community impact from new development, and those unhappy about new growth or redevelopment are often the loudest. While currently limited to commercial projects (and only in DC and Virginia), Fundrise.com is a new platform that has […]
Read More »August 15, 2012 |
We have a passion for the sales and marketing process. We have a passion for technology. And, like chocolate and peanut butter, we think they’re even better together. You may not be familiar with a pet project we cooked up a while back, NewHomeKnowHow.com. There’s a lot of smart people in our industry, and thankfully […]
Read More »July 31, 2012 |
Every six months the Builder Web Apps crew taps into Google Analytics in a BIG way. We collect thousands of points of data across builders of various sizes to update our Average Home Builder Website Performance infographic. Our latest update below shows the continuation of a few big trends and some additional crystal clear decision […]
Read More »July 24, 2012 |
It’s no secret we’re supporters of social media for home builders. One of social media’s rarely tapped strengths is its ability to scale a personalized customer experience. As salespeople, you have the ability to learn about your prospect. You can learn what their goals are, what they like, and what they don’t like, in order […]
Read More »July 24, 2012 |
Consider the the roots of the phrase “social media.” “Media” refers to a written, visual, or audible element. “Social” refers to the nature of the media itself and the method in which others can interact with it. “Social” means that the media both invites conversation, and in the best cases, evokes conversation and supports continued […]
Read More »May 8, 2012 |
Give more than you receive. If someone spent the time to complete that contact form or your website, spend more than 5 seconds on a lame email response. Always expect that you will, and should, give more to prospects and customers than you will receive from them. It seems like a common sense statement, but […]
Read More »May 4, 2012 |
If you’re not familiar with the concept of visual search, its the process of searching from information using a picture. Google Goggles is the most prime example. Google Googles lets you snap a picture of something using your phone’s camera, and then Google searches for more information about whatever you took a picture of. If […]
Read More »February 20, 2012 |
In early January, Jeff Shore and I began an ambitious project to survey nearly 300 new home sales and marketing leaders about what’s hot, what’s not, and what’s really happening in the marketplace. This in-depth survey asked leaders specific questions about topics including negotiating frequency, salesperson turnover, social media use, and online leads. Because of […]
Read More »January 24, 2012 |
Packaged offerings benefit the buyer. Canned offerings benefit the seller. When an offering is packaged, it’s done so with the buyer in mind. The package is a combination of products or services that affords the buyer additional value, often trading a little bit of decision making freedom for simplicity and that increased value. The buyer […]
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