Every builder has a strong vision—but building beautiful homes is only part of the equation. Creating a thriving community means closing sales. Though demand is higher than supply right now, one truth about the real estate industry is that the tides are always shifting. Therefore, builders should pay just as much attention to their sales strategies as they do to the rest of the development process.

Decades in California and Nevada real estate sales and marketing consulting have shown us that a few key actions can provide builders with an immediate advantage.

Here are seven proven ways to strengthen your sales strategy, starting now.

Listen to your customers

The builder’s vision for a community might be exciting but the reality is: buyers don’t necessarily care. Buyers are focused on their own needs and sizing up whether a home or community can deliver.

Great sales teams are always listening for buyer pain points and finding ways to demonstrate how the home addresses those issues. Leading with listening immediately sets the tone for the rest of the engagement.

Your real estate sales agents begin their discovery the minute a potential buyer walks into the sales office. Though agents should always highlight your homes’ stand-out amenities, great agents tailor how they present this information to buyers. Simply running down a checklist of features may communicate information, but it can undermine the personal connection between the sales agent and buyer. Overlooking the emotional drivers behind the buyer’s decision is often a fatal mistake for the sale.

Instead, encourage agents to be flexible in communicating how your community is the perfect choice for each buyer’s next life stage.

Proactively provide education and guidance

While building homes is “business as usual” for builders, that same can’t be said for buyers. Buyers have a never-ending stream of questions and are often unsure where to find impartial answers. Great real estate sales teams take the time to break down the process for buyers, equipping them with helpful information during every stage.

Building a stronger bond with buyers improves their experience and increases their satisfaction with the process and finished product. Waiting until buyers reach out with questions or frustrations often forces sales teams into damage control mode.

Effective sales partners take the initiative to provide information and guidance to buyers in the form of email blasts, quick guides, pre-recorded Q&A videos, personalized emails, and phone outreach. Simply checking in reassures buyers they have an ally in your sales team.

Promote empathy

Buying a home is extremely stressful for buyers—even those who have gone through the process more than once. Great sales agents use empathy to drive their communication. They recognize the emotional toll on buyers and consistently demonstrate patience as buyers work through their own hesitations.

Though financial incentives do increase performance, the most successful real estate sales agents are also driven by a desire to connect buyers to a home that will truly suit their needs.

Recognize the “down the line” impact of design choices

New home sales aren’t just about delivering a finished product, they’re about creating a seamless process for buyers. Certain design or material choices can negatively impact timelines and cause buyer frustration.

Builders should contact their real estate sales consulting partners early on to discuss weighing the costs of specific design choices against the potential for completion delays. Your sales partners tour design showrooms and competitors’ projects in your area, keeping an eye on what buyers want. Their suggestions for trending design choices or other innovative solutions can minimize disruption to your schedule and keep buyers happy.

Simplify the process for packaged options

When buying a new home, it’s easy for customers to get overwhelmed. Builders are often tempted to offer robust programs, but semi-custom homes can create roadblocks in the sales process.

Too many choices can confuse buyers and cause even more stress. Instead, streamline your process for packaged option programs. Provide choice within limits. Let your customers choose from a variety of options—all of which you know you can deliver on time. Adding some guardrails to the process protects your buyers from overwhelm and reduces the chances of unforeseen completion delays.

Encourage autonomy while providing structure

Buyers are on an exciting and challenging emotional rollercoaster. Meanwhile, builders are focused on nuts and bolts and sticks and bricks. A wide gap between the two is often reflected in slow sales figures.

For many builders, the fastest way to implement a strong sales strategy is to partner with experienced professional sales and marketing teams. Proven real estate sales consulting partners like The Advantage Group bridge the gap between builder and buyer.

Good sales teams are confident in their processes and the customer will reflect that with their own confidence in the rep. Working with experienced real estate sales consulting teams alleviates builders from having to implement new technologies or develop new processes. Instead, your sales teams can lean on their proven methodology for success, so you can focus on completing the project.

Survey buyers and sales teams

Maintaining a strong sales strategy requires a willingness to refine your actions based on what works and where you recognize weakness. The best way to do this is to collect feedback from buyers and sales agents.

At The Advantage Group, we incorporate regular surveys into every aspect of our process, covering the full gamut of the buyer’s experience with the lender, title company, construction team, design center, and sales team. We also survey sales agents to determine where they feel they need more support. This information guides our strategies toward actions we know will produce positive results.

Many builders don’t have the time to implement a robust system for collecting feedback. This is another reason partnering with an experienced real estate sales consulting team can provide an immediate edge.

Sales strategies are never static. What works for one market or demographic may not translate to another. Successful sales teams listen and adapt, refining their process as they go to make buyers feel at home every step of the way.

Take your sales and marketing strategy to the next level. Contact The Advantage Group and we’ll show you how.