Tired of the same old marketing strategies?

Looking to “one up” your competition and sell more projects?

In this 2-part series of Conversations that Convert, we’ll explore how hosting events can become you’re main marketing strategy, giving you an ROI you’ve only dreamed about. This week, we talk about why you need to incorporate events into your sales process and what types of events you should (and shouldn’t) use.

This is a great opportunity for home improvement companies, remodelers, and home builders because it allows you the chance to dramatically improve your sales conversions with leads you would have missed.

If you’re interested in learning more about these topics or want help organizing an event that will drive business through the roof, watch the episode below! And if this sounds like something that might work well for your business too, make sure you tune into next week’s episode when we dive deeper into how you can get started using events in your own marketing plan!

Try Builder Lead Converter right now and see how we plug your opportunity leaks, capture leads, book appointments and help you increase your average sales price and margins. The only thing you have to lose is sales.

 

Transcript:

Rick: Hey, welcome to Conversations that Convert this week, we are starting a new series called Are you missing sales? And we’re gonna start off with how to sell more projects using events. This is part one of two. Let’s get started.

Welcome to Conversations that Convert every week. We’ll spend about 10 to 15 minutes tackling relevant lead generation, marketing, and sales topics for remodelers, home improvement companies, and home builders. Conversations that Convert is brought to you by builder lead converter, your perfect sales assistant. And now here’s Rick and Daiana. 

Rick: Daiana, how are you doing today? 

Daiana: Doing great. Fantastic. The fall is here. The weather is colder and colder. So wonderful. How about you? How are you today? 

Rick: Yeah, you know, the same thing I’m looking outside and I can see the colors are popping on the trees and it’s getting a little cooler here. It’s still not cold though. I’m pretty happy with how the fall weather has gone so far. And it certainly has made getting construction projects done well into fall before it gets so cold where it really slows us down or shuts us down, but, yeah, so far so good. As far as the fall weather goes.

Daiana: That’s very important. The weather when you build something and especially your dream house. So what are we talking about today? 

Rick: Well, we’re getting into a new series today called Are you missing sales? And we’re gonna focus on how to sell more projects using events. And so this is part one of two. And if you are joining us here for the first time or, for, the second or third, or fourth time, we thank you for that. Go ahead and say hi to us, tell us, and let us know you’re here. And I did post a question in the comments today, and the question is simply, have you used events to sell more projects? And if so, what were the results? So let us know, whether you’re watching the recording or watching this live, we would love to hear from you because I’ve been doing this for many, many years, and we’ve had tremendous success with it. And so we’re gonna share some of those successes, some of those tips with you today. But, if you’ve done it before too, and you know, something that works, make sure you tell us as well. 

Daiana: Yes, and let’s, let’s go ahead and get started on this. So why do you think it’s important to use events? 

Rick: Well, we came up with about five reasons why we use events. So let’s just walk through them here. The first one is a word I learned in marketing many years ago called TOMA. And, so, TOMA stands for top-of-mind awareness. One of the challenges we have with this industry is that we ended up with long sales cycles. From the time we first meet a lead until the time we actually convert them into a sale can be weeks, sometimes, months, or even years. And so, events allow us to stay top of mind with what’s the key word here is relevant information. In other words, your leads are looking for information so they can make a decision on who to choose to remodel or build their home.

So if you can provide relevant information throughout that sales process, you’re gonna have a better shot at converting them. So it’s called top-of-mind awareness, and it’s just a way to, to, to stay, stay up with your, with your lead. If it takes a few months to actually sell them. The other reason though, that top of mind is important is, it gives a sales team. A reason to follow up, okay. Cuz sometimes as a salesperson, you know, you can only say, well, Are you ready? so many times or you get to a point where you provide the information they need and then you’re like, Okay, what do I call ’em for again? So when you have an event or at least scheduled events, you can come up and say, Hey, by the way, we have this going on, and then you’re able to re-engage them and most importantly, get face-to-face with them. So that’s reason number one is, is emotional is excuse me, top of mind awareness. 

Daiana: Now, now it is the second one it’s emotional and I think it’s, it’s very important from, especially from my perspective to see the final resource. Sometimes, I, it’s, it’s very hard to see what they’re explaining and, for me, it’s very important to see what I’m, what I’m buying and what are the steps to, to reach that, that part. So, here a 3d will support me very well so that I can see, oh, that’s the end result. And something maybe to touch and to feel, to see, and to use all my senses with. I think that. 

Rick: Right. 

Daiana: That will be something, will you appreciate.

Rick:  We’ll talk about that, yeah. Talk about that next. And that you know, you hit the nail on the head. Its visualization is that our leads cannot visualize. They can’t visualize what is their, their project gonna look like when it’s completed or they can’t visualize their new home. So events allow us to create emotional appeal because we get to experience the desired result, which leads us to the next reason we do events is because we get to evoke five, the five senses. So, five senses, see, smell, feel, touch, talk a little bit about taste and, and here. Right? So the five senses. So number one is we, as we get to see, Yeah. Oh, what?

I don’t even know the hand, the hand gestures are, but yeah, visualization is so, is so important, that we get to see the event, get to see the event, see the project, smell it. You know, it’s like that new car we’re able to smell the new car. Well, new homes and, and complete a projects, have their own, have their own smell, feel, and touch the materials that are gonna be used. Taste, now this is a big one. I get this question asked quite a bit. Do you need to provide food and beverages for your events?

The answer is, no people do not come for the food and beverages, but it does heighten the experience, so if you, you do provide water or coffee or tea or certain events, you might even do like wine or, or, or a beer, and do little treats. That’s fine. But the thing that I would, I would caution you on is that don’t let the burden of providing food and beverages to your leads get in the way of actually doing the event. They’re not there to drink your wine or eat your food. They’re there to actually see something, and experience it. So the food is secondary. So don’t feel like you, you have to do it. 

Daiana: And I think the experience as, as you mentioned, it’s, it’s, it’s very important. How, how it makes me feel, how, how I feel after I leave the event. What’s the sensation in, in, in my body and what am I telling myself about that, that event? I think it’s, it’s very important. 

Rick: It goes back to the emotional appeal. Exactly. And that’s what it’s, that’s what it’s all about. So the next reason we do events is to create urgency. It’s very difficult once you engage someone to actually get them back in front of them again. So what an event does is it allows you to create urgency, such as using language, like one time only. And we’re gonna talk about types of event events here next, and which are the best ones to create urgency, but it’s one and done. So in other words, if you wanna be able to experience this, this is the day and this is time that you need to experience it. And if you don’t show up, you’re gonna miss out.

So, creating urgency and also, as my wife always tells me, she says, I have FOMO. I said, well, what’s FOMO? FOMO is fear of missing out. Do you know? So if it’s a really cool event, if you do a good job promoting it, people will do have that fear, as like, oh, I don’t wanna miss out on, on seeing that. So, they will show up. 

Daiana: All right. What’s. 

Rick: Yeah. The last one is believability and proof. And here is what each of your leads is questioning when they start to work with you. Can you remodel my kitchen? Can you build my home? Can you do it up to what I’m expecting in other words, meet my needs? And so an event allows you to showcase some of your projects, which can create believability and proof in your client’s mind that you can complete the project. So, Daiana, I have a quick question for you. Is it easier as a builder? Is it easier for me to down sell or upsell? Meaning is it easier for me to show an expensive project and then sell down a less expensive project? Or is it easier for me to show a less expensive project and then upsell to a more expensive project? What do you think? 

Daiana: That’s a very good question. So, I.

Rick: Trouble, please? 

Daiana: Yeah. so, I don’t know. What are your reflections on this question? 

Rick: Well, so the answer is it’s easier to down-sell. 

Daiana: Okay. 

Rick: And I’ll tell you what, yep. Down sell. In other words, you show a more expensive project and then you sell down. Now here’s the reason why. If, let’s say I’m gonna remodel my kitchen and I wanna do a luxury kitchen. I’m gonna spend $150,000 remodeling my kitchen. If I show a $50,000 remodel kitchen and my budget’s 150, I walk into that and I question. Well, you can do 50, but can you do one 50 versus if it’s the other way around, if I’m showing a $150,000 remodel kitchen and my budget is 50, I automatically assume and believe that you can do 50 because you can do 150. You went above and beyond even what I’m looking for.

So, that’s why believability and proof are so important in these events. And you wanna showcase your best stuff. You know, because you’re, you’re more expensive. You’re more elaborate projects. What has a lot of design, high level of finishes, that’s the stuff that you wanna show because then people will automatically believe that you can do a less expensive project. That makes sense.

Daiana: Yes, that makes sense. And, that makes, that makes me feel my own experience, they showed me how many great and complicated things and huge things they did. And now, it’s exactly what I thought. Oh, they can do a small thing that I, I have to, to repair if they, they are involved in such large projects, but I, I never thought about that before, so that’s very interesting. Yes. And you are right. You might be right. Yes. 

Rick: Goes to believability, exactly. If they can do a big one, they can do a small one. So let’s, let’s shift gears a little bit, and let’s talk about types of events. If you have not done events yet, or even if you have, I’m gonna share with you the most. I would say a successful type of event.

There are different events you can do. And at the end of the video, I’m also gonna share the type of event you should not do the ones that absolutely don’t work. So, we’re gonna kick it off with what I call a construction tour. So, a construction tour is not the best type of event to do, but what happens is, is that it is probably the best-producing type of event. And what I mean by that is, is that if you take one of your job sites that are under construction, and typically what we do is we wanna do this before drywall.

So, take a job site where you’ve got electrical, rough, done plumbing, HVAC, your low voltage, and maybe even insulation, especially if you’re doing like a spray foam type insulation and you showcase that project, you’re gonna find people that are more engineer oriented that wanna see that because they’re interested what goes on behind there but also people that are serious that are farther in their decision making. They will come on a construction tour. So it’s a less attended event, but it’s a higher quality of prospect than I go that and you might be thinking like, well, who wants to see a construction site? Well, the answer is people that who are very serious about making the decision, wanna see a construction site.

It also allows you to bring in one of your vendors that might have been involved with some of your, like say you have somebody that does low voltage wiring for you, and you wanna talk about home automation or home technology. That’s a great opportunity to bring in one of them and talk about it from a behind the scene standpoint of look what’s, we’re putting in behind the drywall in order to provide home motivation for your, for one of your clients. So, the construction tour is again, low attended but really a high-quality tour.

Daiana: That’s true.

Rick: So the next one, and this is the best, the best one is what we’re gonna talk about is a completed home or a completed project tour. So this could be something that is for sale, like say a spec home or a model home, or it could be something that is already sold. So a completed kitchen, bathroom, lower level, if you’re doing them, exterior, additions or living areas or porches or additions, that sort of thing. So something that’s, that’s completed. Now, when it comes to a completed project tour, the number one type of event as far as getting people out to the event, you will have no better attendance than showing something that you’ve already done.

And if you do not build model homes or spec homes, or don’t have a showroom. These are a way for you to showcase your work and ideally, you’re gonna take and have one of your clients there. So that’s gonna, that that’s going to, add to the believability, add to the social proof. So you have a client that’s very happy with the work, they are there at the event and then they’re gonna sell for you more than you could ever sell. So they’re gonna talk to all your prospects and tell you how great you are and don’t go with anybody else but you need to choose you as your, as your builder, of, of choice. So, the best possible event to do. 

Daiana: They are the best indeed. They will do all the work for you. 

Rick: Exactly. And the emotions are the highest because they’re like, wow, you help this person. And they’re just like me. And so again, right, goes down to believability. Another type of event you can do is a showroom. So maybe you don’t have a good project to show right now, but maybe one of your vendors has a showroom event. And, Daiana, you had a, I thought an interesting concept with this, at least in your experience with your remodel, but why don’t you share that?

Daiana: Yes. It was a very educational and very informational visit to this showroom. So basically what he did, he created for me, let’s say, a visual and I got the chance to experience and see the technical parts of the project. And, he actually positioned himself as a trusted advisor. So that he knows what he’s doing and he showed me, look, if you do this technology, if you try it, it’ll have this impact on your house. If you try this technology, it’ll have an impact on your house. And they had small, how to call it samples. And I could really see how the ventilation work and how the technical parts are arranged and I can see in, how to call it in, in, in small pieces. What will happen to my house? So that was very powerful. And I said, okay, I believe you, you are my trusted advisor. Let’s go ahead and sign the contract. So that was very smart. 

Rick: Yeah. When you find it, when you get to a showroom and, and smart guy, you obviously he sold you. If you want to, you can use education. And the nice thing is, is that you could actually bring in the vendor themself, what’s their showroom. So do an educational component as it relates to say, appliances or kitchen cabinets or countertops, or you could even get into like I said, home automation technology, that sort of thing. Lighting, plumbing, fixtures, there are really endless opportunities to use showrooms. Now they’re not as popular as a project but you still will get people out. So I would say, you know, take a chance, try it and, and, and see if it works for you.

Now last but not least is Facebook or YouTube live at, excuse me, we use this during COVID, so when everybody’s in lockdown, it’s like, oh, we can’t do events, we’ll say yeah, you can. So we would start doing Facebook live where we would walk through a completed project and it worked. It was not really as effective. I wouldn’t recommend doing it unless you absolutely have to but now what, what we found is here’s another medium that let’s say we get a homeowner that does not wanna have people in their home, but would allow you to do a Facebook live event. So this will be like a down-sell. If you’re trying to use one of your client’s projects to showcase it.

If they’re hesitant about inviting people to the home, ask them if you can do a Facebook live event or a YouTube live event. I said I would end with what’s the one event you should not do? And that’s a realtor event. If you are catering to realtors, back in the day, we used to do these realtor events where we would invite realtors to come out and look at say a new community or a spec home, or a, or a model home. And over the years with technology and just the way realtors operate. They just do so much now virtually that it’s nearly impossible to get them on-site. So instead of doing a unique realtor event, I would suggest that you do a realtor event combined with say where you’re inviting your own leads.

So invite them in because the mere fact of inviting realtors that they don’t show up, still allows you to stay top of mind with realtors. If that’s one of your target audiences and you’re trying to network with them and maybe showcase a new project you have or a new spec home for sale. So again, avoid those realtor-specific events. And today again, I really encourage you guys to take our 30-day lead in the booking challenge and, you know, look at this technology that we are using to host events and get referrals and build believability with due database reactivation. All the things that we’ve talked about in previous episodes here, but start selling an extra one to three jobs every month without lifting a finger. So Daiana what’s up next week.?

Daiana: It’s all about missing sales. So we continue this series with part two and we will talk more about how to sell more projects using events and how to set up an event, how to follow up, how to, what to do before the event and.

Rick: execute during the event. 

Daiana: Yeah. And many other tips and tricks around that. 

Rick: So thank you for your time. Thanks for joining us here today. If you’re watching the recording, remember, to go ahead and put a comment down below there. If we use your comment or question in a future episode, we’ll make sure we give you credit for my brothers and sisters in Christ made the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God and the fellowship of the holy spirit. Be with you all. We’ll see you next time. Bye bye. 

Daiana: Bye. Take care.