Once your valuable leads reach the bottom of the funnel (BOFU), do you have a plan in place for closing them into new home sales? This is your time to shine as a new home marketer using the following funnel basics to prove your worth as you build up the bottom line and increase revenue for your company.
By following the tips below, you will be focused in the right areas and can improve on your closing rates - the ultimate reward that your hard work is paying off.
Reading time: 5 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Key Takeaways:
- following best practices in the other areas of your funnel will give you the best chance at attracting high-quality leads that are looking to buy a new home
- setting up internal workflows will keep your sales and marketing teams on the -same page so you can follow up with leads faster and move them through the funnel
- why maintaining good relationships with your leads after they become customers is so important to the long-term success of your home builder business
The Key to Closing is Quality Leads
As you read through our previous posts on Funnel Basics for New Home Marketers in the Top of the Funnel (TOFU) and the Middle of the Funnel (MOFU), you'll see a common theme.
The tips covered are all designed to help you increase the quality of your leads and nurture them through the home buying journey.
When you begin filtering out your leads and focus on being a helpful resource in every interaction, whether it's a personalized email or a great CTA on your website, you'll start to see an upward trend in the amount of sales-qualified leads who end up buying a home from you.
Now, let's dive into the bottom of the funnel and the best practices for increasing your closing rates, to continue to delight your customers after they get the keys to their new home.
Internal Workflows Are a Must
When a lead takes action on your site, like downloading a new piece of content, you need to have workflows set up internally to send an email and notify your sales team in real-time. This prevents leads from falling through the cracks and not being followed up on in a timely manner.
When a new sales-qualified lead comes in, the sales rep assigned to the contact can check their internal email notification and learn more what action they took. This way when they reach out, they can use personalization to their advantage showing leads they took the time to understand the specific information they're looking for.
If a lead is marketing-qualified (meaning they aren't quite ready to buy just yet), these same internal emails can help your sales team to reach out appropriately and gather more information about their contact. From there they can determine what needs to be done to move them into the sales-ready column.
Prepare for the Questions & Pushbacks
More often than not, there will be a few questions or concerns to overcome before your sales-qualified leads come to the decision to buy a home from you. The good news is you've done a lot of the work already, lead nurturing in the other stages of your funnel and this is where you can prove to your leads, yet again, that you are a knowledgable resource that's here to help.
Take a look at your home buyer persona(s) and brainstorm some common questions and pushbacks they might have. Connect with your sales team and ask them what they hear in their interactions from prospective buyers. A few common themes will pop up and the easiest way to address it is by adding it right into your marketing funnel.
Let's say, for example, you've heard of quite a few leads whose main concern is they already own a home and want to have it sold before they buy a new one. Or maybe, they want to know which communities you build in.
Your first step should be to publish an informative blog post about the topic. If it's a post designed to address a common pushback your sales team hears, reframe their concern and provide some insight showing why they don't need wait to buy a new home. By offering a solution they might not have thought of, they're again thinking of the possibility of buying a home.
For your common question posts, the primary purpose is education and continuing to be a resource to your leads. They may not have any pushbacks and answering a few more questions in a convenient way is just the push they need to reach out again or step into a showhome, ready to buy.
Try coming up with three-five pushbacks and questions and then write about them. From there, create email sequences that encourage your sales-qualified leads to engage when it's related to their situation. Having an automated drip campaign will be there to nudge every lead as they reach the bottom of the funnel so you can convert faster and focus on those who are serious about buying a home.
Think Long-Term When Closing New Home Sales
A successful home builder with repeat business and customer referrals knows the importance of maintaining strong customer relationships.
After a lead turns into a customer, make sure you're following up with them as they get settled into their new home. This is the perfect time to ask for an online review in exchange for something as simple as a gift card. They are happy to be moving in and you'll find the feedback will reflect that more often than not.
Think of each new client as an opportunity to add to your reputation where other people can see it when they search your company up online. More positive reviews means a better chance of standing out over your competition!
Providing great customer service should also be a top priority because it is something you can control and a better buyer experience means they are talking about that with their friends and not complaining about what went wrong.
You should also be sending your customer contact list relevant emails to keep them engaged and let them know you're thinking about them. For example, set up a customer referral program and email your customers about it. Ask them to spread the word! If they know anyone who wants to buy a home, a referral that turns into a closed sale could earn them cold hard cash. That's an incentive that will turn heads, especially when your customers have had a good buying experience.
Consider Working With a Home Builder Growth Agency
You don't have to manage your marketing funnel all on your own. Marketing Ninjas specializes in home builder marketing and can set you up for long-term success with a customized plan that works to achieve your goals. Ready to automate your sales and marketing processes so you can generate more leads, sell more homes, and grow faster? Contact us today to learn more!
