Predictability of the sales forecast and deep insight into the front log is as important as construction backlog, as the forecast has implications that go far beyond measuring sales reps’ activities or sales team performance. The sales forecast has major impacts on key business measurements like cash flow, bank lines and loan approvals, what gets built and when, trades, and much more.  A good CRM homebuilder software system, used across the organization on a daily basis, is a key foundation to predictable, accurate forecasting, which ultimately leads to better decision making.  You want to know things like:

• The names of the homebuyer prospects they expect to close
• The date they’re going to close
• The probability or stage of each deal (based on the builder’s sales process)
• The next step (defined by the sales process) that will ensure those deals close
• The dollar amount of those deals
• The unit details (model, plan type, etc.)

As a business owner and entrepreneur myself, I have always felt that I can deal with just about any problem if I know about it early enough and can get the facts.  While you can argue with the old saying that, “Nothing happens until a sale is made,” knowing both the best- and worst-case scenarios as early as possible makes for good leadership and a lot less stress.  Having the right CRM home builder software tools and a buttoned-up forecasting process goes a long way toward knowing what will close rather than what may hope to close in the next week, the next month, or the next quarter.

Keyword research is the foundation for all natural search engine optimization techniques. The objective is to know what search terms are reaching your target audience. A chosen list of keywords will ultimately be selected based on search volume and ability to compete for those terms. Don’t start optimizing until you know for sure what keywords you need. I caution you against taking this lightly. It does no good to optimize for something no one is looking for.

When researching keywords, you should:

Think Like Consumers

What would a normal person type in the search box to find your product?

Consumers may use several variations, but it most likely will include the location (this is called geo-targeting) alongside terms such as “homes,” “condos,” “homes for sale,” “real estate,” “condos for sale,” “foreclosures” or ”new homes.”

Other ways to think like your consumers:

Brainstorm and list every phrase that might be used to find what your site offers.

Ask friends and colleagues for suggestions.

Poll your consumer base and get their input. After hearing from these consumers, you may be surprised at the keywords they recommend. If that happens, resist the temptation to discard their input because chances are, the people you interviewed are the profile of your ideal customer. While the keywords they suggest may sound strange to you, bear in mind that most people use natural language in their searches. They don’t use the industry terminology you and I know. They just want to find a home.

Validate with a Keyword Research Tool

Use keyword research tools to confirm or deny your keyword list. Don’t move on without doing this. Many times, business people think they know what the best keywords are. Business people also are more familiar with industry terminology that consumers are not. Confirm your instincts with a keyword research tool before progressing to the next step.

Here are keyword research tools you can use:

Wordtracker Free Keywords (http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/) provides free keyword suggestions from Wordtracker.

Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com/) also has a more advanced paid version, and sells top keyword reports.

Google AdWords Keyword Suggestion Tool (https://adwords.google.com/ select/KeywordToolExternal) recommends keywords based on a keyword you enter or a URL you have the tool analyze.

WordStream Keyword Tool (http://www.wordstream.com/keywords/) allows you to export a list of thousands of keywords for free.

Keyword Discovery (http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html) is a free keyword tool from Trellian.

Trellian (http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/) also has a more advanced paid version of Keyword Discovery.

Yahoo! Research Tool (http://advertising.yahoo.com/smallbusiness/ysm)

YouTube Research Tool (https://ads.youtube.com/keyword_tool)

Is it half empty or half full?

You know the drill here. If you answer “half empty,” you have a pessimistic mindset while a response of “half full” means you’re an optimist. But I’d like to take this debate a bit farther. When you fill the glass halfway with water, the remainder is filled with air. Air, like water, is matter. It’s a scientific reality. So, the glass is always full, even when there is just a single drop of water.

When you’re in the new home sales profession, you need the mindset of an optimist. You must take the attitude that anything is possible, because once you fall into the “half empty” mode, you’ve compromised your potential for success. How many times have you encountered a prospect who is “just looking?”

Well, if you believe that there is no opportunity to convert a browser into a buyer, you’re fooling yourself. And the unfortunate result is that the opportunity will instantly disappear. It will resurface for another new home salesperson who is motivated and skilled enough to cultivate that browser.

I have taught new home selling techniques to countless people, but I can’t “teach” mindset. I can give you many reasons why you need to change your attitude but only you can make that shift. It’s all an issue of mind over matter. If you can convince yourself that the glass will never be empty, then I guarantee you will never go thirsty.

• Communicate financing in a language your buyer understands.
• Turn your buyer’s fear of financing into a reason to buy!
• Create financing incentives that, dollar for dollar, are 3 times as powerful as price cuts.

More information and registration information can be found here.

Create Intuitive & Active Navigation. When someone visits your website, they instantly look for a way to get to your products, homes or “what you can do for them”. Its important to name your main navigation correctly. Creating dropdown menus for less important pages is very appealing and a nice JavaScript interactive navigation keeps the user’s attention.

Write Comfortable Copy. Writing for the web is constantly changing and it is becoming more focused on the user. Writing casually and keeping in mind that they are in the driver’s seat by making them feel like they are in a comfortable environment. Always leave a way for them to contact you at their convenience. Read an earlier article about writing great web copy for your website.

Ensure Readability. When your copy is in place, check to see that the height between lines is nice and readable. Headers should be tightened up closer to the intro paragraph without a huge gap between. Grouping items closer shows association and entices the reader to read more. Have others take a look and give feedback on how easy it is to read your copy.

Make clickable links larger. Adding more space around links adds to ease of usability, especially since so many users are browsing from their mobile phones. It can be frustrating when trying to click a tiny link with your smart phone’s touch screen.

Be Responsive to Users. Not only do you want people to browse your site, but you want leads too! Once users have the information and tools they need to spark enough interest to contact you, make sure that you get back to them immediately. Remember that your competitors are just one click away so the quicker you respond, the more likely you’ve converted a web user to a lead and on to an owner of one of your homes or products.

There are two types of SEO: on-site optimization, and off-site optimization. This is also referred to as internal optimization and external optimization, or on-page and off-page optimization, respectively. On-site optimization has to do with site components such as title tags, description tags and the content of your website — things you can control. Off-site optimization deals with other websites that link to yours; you rarely have control over this. Both are of equal importance in the complete SEO picture.

Successful professional selling is remarkably like successful pro sports.  In pro sports you seldom hear the coach talk about the end result – it almost always is about the process and managing the details so that the end result is more often a successful outcome for their team.

In new home sales, CRM software is a cornerstone for consistent processes, activities and measurement, but it all starts with effective sales leadership.

In this day and time when every minute seems to be accounted for, you can’t afford to compromise someone else’s busy schedule. A few minutes could cost you the sale of a new home, because lateness is a sign of disrespect. The ultimate way of gaining respect is by delivering on time, whether that means showing up a few minutes ahead of schedule or providing the follow-up when you’ve promised it, not a few hours or even minutes later.

Too many people have become casual about promptness. I’ve seen this problem with salespeople in model homes. They show up 10 or 20 minutes late to open the sales center, or leave a half-hour before the posted closing hour. These times are promises to your prospects. When no one is there to greet the potential buyer, you’ve already broken a promise and compromised your respectability. As a manager or developer, this is crucial for you to understand because every person on your sales team reflects you and your brand. Even if you are vigilant about timeliness, one slip-up with a salesperson at your model reflects poorly on you.

Can you afford such a cavalier attitude? You’ve invested millions on developing your project, including the infrastructure and model, as well as countless hours of your own. Why would you then ignore the lack of consideration your team is extending to your potential homeowners? I guarantee that while a few might tolerate it, they will not accord you the respect you should command.

If you are hearing the kind of statements it may be time to really ask a lot of questions as many many leads just don’t get the attention they need. As you all know…leads don’t come cheap…in fact I consistently hear from home builders that the cost per lead is $250-500. And those cost metrics are typically for leads that actually make a visit to the model home or sales center.

Quite simply, by making assumptions you’re killing many “would-be” sales. It may seem unrealistic, but unless every one of the lead follow ups has resulted in a qualifying or disqualifying conversation with the prospective buyer the sales agents work is not done. And even in the case where the lead said, “ I’m not interested right now” keep in mind they did take time to register so periodic scheduled future follows up by email or a call should be part of the nurturing process.

From personal experience, we find in our company Lasso, that we acquire at least 5-6 new customers every year that initially would not have been considered a ‘qualified’ interested lead. So in a nutshell, just because a lead isn’t being responsive it doesn’t mean the home builder or the sales agent should give up – I know it is simple stuff but persistence and process really does pay off.

The growth of mobile web users is estimated to grow to 134 Million users next year and surpass desktop users. Over 50% of consumers use their mobile devices to shop online in a range of activity from comparing prices to downloading product photos.  If you are a homebuilder, having a mobile website that gets consumers straight through to your models, quick-move in homes and directions to your communities is crucial. And that is just the beginning. To effectively steer your mobile marketing strategy, here a few tips that will help.

1. Start Fresh and Fast. Your current website may be visible on a mobile device but it may not effectively deliver the information that mobile users are looking for. Design a new site based off of your existing site that is optimized for mobile. Speed plays the biggest part here. Make sure that your mobile site loads in less than 5 seconds, focusing on the main drivers for consumers (communities, plans, inventory & contact) and always provide a call to action that gets them in touch with you.
2. Analyze. If you already have Google Analytics installed and are utilizing SEO then pay very close attention to your mobile traffic and behavior. Track keywords, usage visits and peak times to better able targeting your audience and content.
3. Text Away. Using SMS text messaging to reach your mobile customers gives you a direct link to them. Research shows that 90% of text messages are read by the recipient. You’ll be connected in seconds to every lead and you can be sure that all your messages are read by motivated prospects and customers who have signed up to receive them.
4. Mobile Apps & Video. It is projected that over 99 million tablets will be purchased next year with Apple expected  to ship 45.5 million iPads. Giving your sales team and consumers the ability to use special apps designed to view your homes and communities gives you a definite edge over other builders. Having professional videos made that you can post online is also growing as more consumers view video on their mobile phones and iPads. Many marketers are putting more of their funds into online video than TV.

Getting behind the growing mobile technology trend will most definitely keep you ahead of the game, will keep your business looking current and your product at the consumers’ fingertips. New technology is helping sell more and more.