
Confidence β itβs a fickle thing. Since the recession, consumers have slowly grown more comfortable spending discretionary income. However, as pool builders know, sometimes it takes extra coaxing to get homeowners to commit to a big expense like a pool project. It can also take some coaxing to get them to commit to you.
βThe No. 1 fear of a consumer is, of course, lack of trustworthiness of the contractor,β says Noah Nehlich, founder of Structure Studios. βThey donβt want to be ripped off. But the other part of that fear is not understanding what theyβre going to get on their property.β
According to Nehlich, one way to overcome this fear is to take advantage of software that not only makes the design process easier, but also adds an impressive professional polish to your presentation. Here, Nehlich shares just a few of the ways you can use building software to win more clients.
1. Give βEm Everything They Want
When consulting with a homeowner torn between tile options or a bigger outdoor kitchen, a builder can use software to make on-the-spot changes to reflect those new interests. And as the design changes, the software updates material count, area, perimeter and other calculations accordingly to keep you within budget.
In particular, the ability to instantly show clients the full range of what you offer can help customers feel more confident in their final choices.
βThereβs no hesitation,β Nehlich says. βThereβs no problem if the wife says, βHey, instead of making the deck fit six people, letβs make it fit eight.β On the computer, they just stretch it out and they instantly have the material count calculations.β
This, of course, also saves the builder time and money.
βIn a traditional sense, contractors would have to go re-measure the property or go get cans of string or spray paint to try to communicate to the customer how big it is, and recalculate it,β Nehlich says. βItβs very time-consuming; it could take days or weeks to go back and forth, but now itβs instantaneous.β
2. Build Trust, Faster
Part of the reason homeowners are uneasy about a building project: the chance things will change. Thanks to meticulous calculations and careful data, builders can provide accurate quotes that homeowners can trust.
βIf the contractor or designer can be as transparent as possible up front and communicate, βThis is exactly what weβre going to be doing for this price,β the customer can look at it and understand what kind of enjoyment theyβre going to get out of that project, and that increases the professionalism of that contractor,β Nehlich says.
3. Tap into Emotions
βA lot of consumers have trouble visualizing what theyβre getting,β Nehlich says. βWhen we create 3-D designs, they have an emotional connection to that project before itβs ever built.β
Software can tap into those emotional ties, and itβs something Nehlich encourages his users to explore. (See the sidebar for more.) For example, when creating a design for a project, builders can use software to make the home look as similar to the clientβs as possible, which makes it easier to imagine the overall look and feel of the finished project.
βEven though builders are not selling the house, and they might not be doing anything to the house, thatβs the emotional anchor. The homeowner says, βThatβs my house. Anything thatβs added to it, I understand how that relates to my life.ββ
4. Put on a Show
The beauty of 3-D design software is the capability to provide client walkthroughs β as Nehlich says, βthey can do everything but get wet.β These walkthroughs present a valuable opportunity to wow your potential clients with a show-stopping presentation.
Some builders may take a laptop to an in-home consultation with potential clients and collaboratively design the project. Others may visit the property for measurements and a meeting with the homeowners and invite them back to the office for a design walkthrough in a special home theater.
βA lot of builders have theater rooms with big, fluffy sofas, big TVs with a wireless mouse and keyboard and surround sound, and theyβll walk clients through the backyard. With the speakers, they can hear the birds and the water and fire features. You get the whole family really engaged and into the environment while in the contractorβs office,β Nehich says.
Nehlich also adds that a theater room is a great alternative to a big showroom with example pools, meaning it can save money on your end.
Put it all together, and Nehlich says software can lead to greater close rates.
βFrom what we understand from our members, they close at least 30 percent more leads than they did before,β he says. βOf course, it varies from contractor to contractor and market to market, but we get emails all the time from contractors who say, βHey, my close rate is now 95 percent,β which is amazing.β
And not only are contracts getting signed more frequently, but the ability to instantly show customers extra features provides upselling opportunities, meaning the average cost-per-ticket is higher among those who use building software.
βOur customers tell us they see a 20 percent average boost in the price of a project because the homeowners can understand how theyβre going to enjoy it. And if we can understand how weβre going to enjoy something, weβre more likely to spend more money on it because it has more value to us.β
Emotional Side Effects
Noah Nehlich, founder of Structure Studios, shares a story of how software tools can help influence the size and scope of a project:
Last summer, we had a contractor who had an option to build a large project for a doctor. The doctorβs budget was $200,000.
So the contractor sat with them and designed everything, and the homeowners kept adding more and more to the project: more elevations, a bigger outdoor kitchen, bigger outdoor cover, more appliances, lots of steps and landscaping. It was beyond the scope of what the contractor had anticipated, and he wasnβt able to price it on the job.
He left the customer with 3-D screenshots of the project, because it lets homeowners put them on the fridge and dream about having that project in their backyard. Then he went back to the office to calculate the price, which came out to $300,000.
βSo he called the doctor and said, βWeβve got everything put together here, but the price is above your budget: Itβs $300,000.β
The doctor says, βWell, I canβt afford $300,000, is there any way you can come down on the price?β
The contractor says, βNo, Iβm running at bare minimums, but we can take some stuff off.β
βNo, I canβt do that,β the doctor says. βWhat if we go up to $250,000? Can you meet us in the middle?β
βIβm sorry, Iβm at bare minimums,β the contractor says. βWeβd have to make some changes because Iβm giving you the best deal I can.β
The doctor says, βOkay, let me call you back. Iβve got to figure this out, but we canβt take anything off of the project, thereβs just no way.β
The contractor was left to wonder why he couldnβt just take a few things off. As it turns out, the wife had taken the pictures the contractor left for them and posted them on Facebook. And all her friends and neighbors commented to say, βWhenβs the party?β βIs this going to be ready by the 4th of July?β βWhen are we coming over?β
She set an emotional bar of anticipation for all her friends and neighbors, and she couldnβt let them down. Ultimately, the doctor decided to work overtime to pick up the extra $50,000, and they signed for $300,000.
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