Buyers Bring More Than Questions 02. When people shop for homes, they bring more than budget and timing. They bring personal history, family influence, social assumptions, and whatever they have heard over the years from people they trust. That is especially true in manufactured housing. Some buyers are reacting to outdated language or labels that no longer reflect the quality, design, or role of today’s manufactured homes. Some are reacting to old product categories such as mobile, modular, or pre-fab - that no longer reflect what is being offered today. Some are carrying around fear about quality, permanence, financing, or resale. Others are not even sure what they believe. But they know the category makes them uneasy. What looks like a product objection is often something much more personal underneath. When we treat these moments like opportunities to display our expertise, we may miss the larger opportunity. To be curious. This is the time to gain greater understanding into the why behind the why that causes them hesitation or creates their misperceptions. If a perspective home buyer says something inaccurate and our first instinct is to correct them, we may just think we are being helpful
There is a big difference between answering a question and earning the right to influence how someone sees the answer.
prospect who is already unsure cannot be met with vague messaging, delayed follow- up, generic automation, or team members who sound disconnected from one another. Buyers notice all of it. And they do not separate the product from the process nearly as much as our industry sometimes assumes. If the process feels clunky, cold, or unclear, the product starts to feel questionable too. That is why customer journey matters so much here. You can pick up hesitation on that first phone call, a pause before someone books an appointment, a brush off phrase like, “I’m just looking.” These phrases can immediately stop the discovery process when handled incorrectly. That’s why we need to be consultative in our approach at the early stages of our interactions, no matter what we are selling. In categories where misconceptions are strong, trust must be designed into the process on purpose. It cannot be left to chance or personality. It is baked into how:
Why This Is a Customer Journey Issue There is a big difference between answering a question and earning the right to influence how someone sees the answer. 03. Manufactured housing is often discussed as a perception problem, and that is true, but I would go one step further. It is a customer journey problem. in giving them the right information. But more often we miss the larger opportunity to find out where that incorrect idea came from and actually connect with our prospect. Most buyers do not want to be educated in a way that makes them feel small. They want to open a dialogue, not be sold-to or feel smacked-down for their beliefs. If a buyer enters the process with hesitation, then every part of the journey either reduces that hesitation or reinforces it. The website, the first call, the speed of response, the tone of the email all makes a difference. The handoff from one team member to another definitely does. This is where businesses lose ground without always realizing it. A
People are welcomed Information is delivered Teams communicate Consistent the experience is from beginning to end
39
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator