A common roadblock many business owners encounter is that they rush out and build a Web site for their company and then are shocked that their business does not increase as a result. This common misunderstanding in Internet marketing is shared by many businesses worldwide. There are a number of factors that play into the success and profitability of Internet marketing beyond just having a Web site.

A site that provides only basic information, such as address, phone, hours of operation and location information, is nothing more than a glorified Internet Yellow Pages ad. Instead, your Web site should be the foundation on which you will build your Internet marketing campaign. Its basic framework should be a destination where customers can visit to learn about your business and participate.

Your Web site should clearly identify your branding and provide helpful information for customers. At the very least, it will need to tell customers how to find you, contact the sales team, and find the available models.

Internet Rankings - It is extremely important for existing and potential customers to be able to find you online when using one of the primary Internet search engines. They should see your new homes listed when they type in "new homes" followed by a city name in which you are located. If your site is not visible during online searches, you stand to risk losing potential customers to nearby competitors.

If you expect the GPS generation to find your site, then make sure you are registered with the Local Business Center on Google Maps.

Provide Reasons to Visit the Site - If you are not giving customers incentives to visit your Web site on a regular basis, you risk reducing its impact to nothing more than an Internet Yellow Pages advertisement.

Professional Appearance - Remember that your Web site is a reflection of your business.

Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression because consumer confidence is incredibly fickle.

New home buyers are willing to pay more for "green" related as well as "energy" related items. It is true, however, that when asked they will pay more for energy related items than just green items.

First, energy related items typically have payback periods because of reduced energy costs over time. (Energy Star appliances, better insulation, better windows, PhotoVoltaic, PV water heaters, etc.). Home buyers, being pretty rational, buy the argument that any investment in these items will pay them back over time.

Second, "green items" (aka sustainable products) typically payback in terms of the livability of the house like better indoor air quality by using products that use recycled content (wood, flooring, decks, etc.) and/or don't produce gasses (low VOC paints, insulation that doesn't use formaldehyde, floor adhesives that don't use toxic ingredients, etc.) and/or reduce waste (recycling programs for construction materials). These items induce buyers on two levels: one, many people are going or leaning "green" because they feel like they are doing their small part to "help mother earth" and two, many buyers are becoming informed about the bad stuff these things do to their health over time (this concern is especially true among houses where children are present and/or where there are baby boomers who are leading the craze about healthy living).

Third, indoor air quality, for example, is surprisingly ranked as one of the biggest concerns among home buyers and new homes give them assurances that their air is not contaminated. Combine this with the fact that many of the green items are getting mainstreamed and add little or no costs to the builder.

The percent of people who are in the market shopping for a home and actually prefer a new home is ~60%. That number varies between 56% and 64% and has stayed consistent for almost 8 years. One of the primary reasons for preferring a new home is that they are more energy efficient. ~50%.

When we asked home buyers in the last two years if Solar panels for generating energy were important - 44% indicated they were Very Important and 19% indicated they were Essential

The shopper entered the sales center and was left alone for about 5 minutes. In the meantime the shopper looked at the site plans on the walls.

The sales person entered the sales center from the model and introduced herself. The shopper mentioned that he just came from another community nearby and wanted to compare the homes and amenities.

In the home, the shopper mentioned that it was very similar to the other home that I saw. She said that everyone offers that same model here but that they do a better job. She said that when market studies are done in the area, this model was very popular and that's why it was offered. The shopper mentioned that there was a lot of hardwood and would rather have ceramic on the 1st floor. The sales rep glossed over that and said that there was an optional 2nd floor on this home. She said that they build a quality home and although we are on the main street we cannot hear the cars. She said that they do not overcharge for the options. She said that she will price out the home the way I see it.

In the sales center the rep handed the shopper a brochure and a registration card to complete. She asked how long the shopper has been looking and the shopper said about 6 months. She asked what the thoughts were on the basement and the shopper asked to price out the home with the space unfinished. She sat at her desk and started pricing out the home. The shopper asked about the builder and was told where they are based but no other information.

For the next 45 minutes the rep went though very detailed pricing. She talked about the incentives and extra discounts for writing a contract before the end of the month.

Overall this was a pretty normal shop. The problem is that this was a beach house in a community with a ton of amenities, yet the sales rep never mentioned any of them. The shopper liked the rep personally, however, the rep never closed for the sale or a future appointment. The lifestyle sell was never used and because of that, the sales rep missed the most important part of the presentation.

The New Home Sales Connection works over 60 National and Regional builders, providing mystery shopping services, personalized sales training and consulting services to generate impressive sales results.

Jay Schulman, founder of The New Home Sales Connection, has spent his 25-year career in sales, management and training. Over the last few years, The New Home Sales Connection has shopped hundreds of new home sales professionals. Jay has provided team training and one-on-one coaching to hundreds of community sales professionals and managers as well as provided consulting services to numerous builders. His work with his clients in identifying needs, creating urgency, handling objections, closing the sale, and following up, has resulted in increased sales for their builders.

Contact us today!

1603 Edmondson Ave, Suite 200

Catonsville, MD 21228

443-341-6821