I asked building professionals about working with salespeople …
Here’s what they told me.
By Mike Guarino, Superior Hearth & Spa
Salespeople, sure we can measure our success with sales numbers, but I don’t think numbers can tell the whole story. I wondered what if, in an informal setting, I could gain some insight into that story? Why not just ask building professionals what works for them regarding sales and salespeople, and what they need most from us.
So I reached out to Johnny Carrier of Carrier Group, Matt Gilchrist and DJ Harris of EG Home, Chris and Mary-Ellen Nelson of Nelson Construction, as well as Rob Powers and Roland Bolduc of Nelson Construction and Eric Santini, of Santini Living. I was thrilled they all agreed to give me some time.
I asked them to think about a rockstar salesperson they worked with, and to let me know what was it about that person that made them stand out to them. I got some terrific responses, far more than I can squeeze into 1000 words.
First, Eric Santini and I spoke on the phone. Here’s what he had to say:
“I like the old school style salesperson that is about customer service versus just getting the sale. Sometimes a salesperson is 100% focused on getting the sale, and when it comes to actually supporting the sale, they sort of disappear on you. The job is not over once you make the sale … you’ve got to support that sale. That is what builders are looking for, and that’s where you get loyalty from a builder. To me, there is a huge value to that. Mistakes are going to be made, but you want to know that there’s someone that can handle that situation for you… Another thing is to be visible on the job site. I think it’s important to have a connection to the job, there’s nothing like actually seeing it for yourself.”
Next, I met up with the Nelson team at their office, we talked a lot about products, and then communication and accountability. Mary-Ellen Nelson kicked it off and on the top of her rockstar wish list was somebody that knows their products well, we all agreed, Chris Nelson added this about new products.
“When there are new things that they feel maybe we should be using, introduce us to those products. I think salespeople sometimes feel guilty, like they are wasting our time, or they are acting like a salesman when they come in and ask if we’ve thought about this new product, but if you guys don’t tell us, we may not know about it. There is a certain amount of education that we rely on from strong salespeople to help us with products that would be a good fit for our way of building.”
Rob Powers continued, and asked this of salespeople.
“To keep us up to date on new products and trends that might be more cost effective or do a better job, it’s nice to keep us up to date on new products and offerings, and when things are deleted too! We like to know what’s going on at the supply level.”
Which led us right into communication, when there is an issue on availability. On backorders or other logistical situations Chris Nelson told me.
“Be proactive about issues … get us the answers and give us options. A rockstar gets us the information.”
Roland Bolduc, Nelson’s veteran job site supervisor let me know how important communication is for him. Roland is in the trenches, and he knows how frustrating it can be if salespeople don’t keep him in the loop with the schedule.
“Tell us when you are going to be late with a delivery or installation. When we’re trying to finish a house, and nobody calls to let you know about backorders, we need to know if we need to go another route, be there for us.”
Mary-Ellen Nelson is one of the most accurate at putting schedules together I’ve seen. So when a scheduling issue arises, she hopes salespeople will be straightforward with her. here’s what Mary Ellen said is the best way a salesperson can help.
“Be honest about things, because not everything goes perfectly, but you’ve got to be honest and own up to mistakes as well as good things.”
Next, I met up with EG Home at their office and design center. DJ Harris and Matt Gilchrist shared with me some things that their best salespeople do for them that makes them stand out. DJ, EG Home’s purchasing manager began with scheduling and proactivity.
“I want a salesperson who is regularly following up with us, looking at our online schedules to see if we have houses coming up. He sees we have a purchase order, and asks if we need that design. A salesperson who is much more proactive in making sure that we stay on schedule, rather than needing to be contacted by a construction manager asking, ‘Where we are on this?’ “
Matt stressed the importance of the relationship salespeople need to have with not just the office team, but also the team out in the field.
“Having that relationship with not only the purchasing department but also with the construction team is so critical, because we drive it from here, but they schedule from there. Having that real relationship to insure that the materials show up on time, and if it’s materials and labor, that the labor team is ready to go, and they know what they have to do when they get there.”
When I met with Johnny Carrier, he split his sales people into two categories. His salespeople that speak directly to his customers need to be very service oriented, because they have face time with homebuyers, who can be overwhelmed at the sheer number of choices they need to make. They may not realize how critical it is to make decisions to keep the house on schedule. The other category of salespeople are more behind the scenes, and deal with operations, and don’t interact with the homebuyers.
Johnny focused on one of his rockstars who meets with all of his homebuyers.
“The person that stands out for me is the one I get constant feedback from my customers on. They say what an amazing experience, he is the best at what he does, we were blown away, he was attentive and organized. Within a day he sends everything they’ve picked out in an email with all the spec sheets, so that our office has everything it needs to get the custom designs done.”
Echoing Chris Nelson’s thoughts on communication, Johnny brought up backorder situations during the pandemic, and what salespeople need to know to handle it and be helpful.
He mentions a not so helpful answer he got:
“Some companies would give us notice, like they’re hearing that the window lead times are about to go up. The salesperson will tell us he’ll keep us posted, but at least now we just went to check all our window orders to see where we are. I have had others that when we went to put the order in I hear, “oh yeah, we haven’t been able to get that for three months.’ That is not helpful at all”
Matt and DJ from EG Home also appreciated salespeople who would send them information on current market trends, the lumber index, and other industry updates. They seemed genuinely glad to receive emails like that. That type of messaging from salespeople is an easy way to stand out, and gives added value to your clients.
There were a lot of common themes that came up across all the people I interviewed. Loyalty, value, communication, accountability, honesty.
At the end of our meeting, Chris Nelson said that price didn’t really come up. I kept that in mind as I met with the other builders, and noticed that either price was not mentioned, or it was only a small part of our conversation.
Of course, price is important, but if you give a fair price, and pay close attention to loyalty, value, communication, accountability, honesty; and find other ways to be valuable to your clients, you’ll be a better salesperson. That will make your job and your builder client’s job easier, and make us all more successful.
