Pump Up Your Preselling Techniques Hope for New-Home Inventory The Power to Propel Your Business

February/March 2007 Pump Up Your Preselling Techniques Maverick marketing techniques are already a must in today's tight homebuilding marketplace. But now you also need to amp up your preselling campaigns and use the latest Web site technology to your advantage. With break through preselling techniques†,you can sell your new homes before you've broken ground and get new-home buyers hooked on your innovative designs. Show and Tell On-site banners and signs have long been a way for builders to share new-home features and provide contact information to passersby. Today, many builders are going a step further, using signs to create a unique identity and show what the community will be like when it is complete. For instance, you can try: · Placing large, attention-getting signs at nearby recreation facilities and shopping centers to introduce your community to the neighborhood. · Featuring ads with renderings of people living in and enjoying the community. · Referring homebuyers to your top-notch Web site where they can take virtual tours, view floor plans and maps, download podcasts and submit questions that will be answered within 24 hours. Learn more about the latest homebuilding technology at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Computer and Information Technology* site. Reach Out to Your Niche and Beyond Saturating your local market with “Coming Soon” messages is standard practice. Now, take your marketing to the next step by expanding your efforts to reach a larger audience. Do this by: · Advertising on billboards alongside heavily traveled roads and other areas where slow-moving traffic is common. · Placing posters and ads near commuter hubs, such as public transportation centers and on trains and buses. · Sending a free CD to new-home prospects that virtually walks them through the new community and your new-home designs. Convey Community with Creative Events Enticing prospective homebuyers to your new community with a simple open house is always a good idea, but it's no longer enough. Instead, create a sense of community from the get-go by hosting out-of-the-box events and activities. Some innovative ideas include: · Invitation-only champagne receptions on a Friday or Saturday night. These are great opportunities to showcase your homebuilding expertise and mingle with prospective buyers. · On-site cooking classes and wine-tasting seminars for new-home prospects in one of your model homes. These events help buyers imagine cooking and hosting parties in their new homes. · Family events, such as an afternoon barbeque, egg hunt or garden party. These help families visualize neighborhood events and feel like they're part of a thriving community. Breaking out of the standard marketing mold will help your new-home communities gain the attention they deserve. And with the right preselling techniques, you can create excitement, generate sales before your project is complete and succeed in the competitive market. Click here* for more tips on advertising, marketing and sales from the NAHB. †Based on “The Magic of Selling Before You Break Ground,” featured in Builder News Magazine, December 2006.