By Paul Foresman

Why should a prospective buyer purchase their new home from you? Unless you offer the cheapest prices in your market and always win the low price war, you need to be perceived as different and/or better than the other builders.

“We build quality homes,” you might say. In my 20 years in the business, I’ve never met a builder who didn’t tout the quality of their homes. Since buyers hear quality from you and every builder they talk with, it is rarely a significant differentiator. “We’re environmentally-responsible, ‘green’ builders.” Admirable, but again a lot of builders are claiming to be green.

As Jerry Garcia from the band The Grateful Dead said, “You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.” In this challenging housing market, successful builders are positioning themselves uniquely, becoming the leader within their target market. By truly focusing on the needs and preferences of that audience they are perceived by those buyers as the best builder, and “price — while always important – becomes a secondary issue.

One niche market that is rarely focused on is targeting the womenin your consumer base. “Women directly purchase or have controlling influence in the purchase of 91% of all new homes,” said Joan Smith, Smith-Dahmer Associates at the NAHB International Builders Show.

With that in mind, here are 10 things to address in designing your building business to appeal more to women buyers:

1. Take her seriously

At a minimum, she is at least an equal partner in the purchase decision. Salespeople need to understand that women don’t want to be treated differently. Eye contact and body language say more than words. Active listening helps her understand you care about her, not just her business.

2. Understand design is more than function + form

Whether it’s the home plans you offer or the products you include, design has meaning and value. Good design is practical, functional, and does what it is supposed to do. That’s easy. And, good design is aesthetically pleasing. It is eye-catching and attractive, evidence that we’ve moved beyond mere function to an appreciation of form. Think carriage-style garage doors compared to the raised panel doors you used on your last home. But it’s the social aspect of design that may be the most important. How does it make her feel? The home she will buy and the products displayed will both establish and reflect her self-identity. What will the home’s design, with its master suite courtyard, the landscaping package, or the stone countertops say about her? It should be a reflection of her personality.

3. De-stress everything

In her book Just Ask A Woman, author Mary Lou Quinlon reports that stress is one of the most compelling themes for women. Using the lens of de-stressing is essential in creating homes and a company she wants to do business with. Whether it’s low- or no maintenance products that give her back a little more time, understanding how she likes to unwind and relax, or not forcing her to walk past the dirty laundry room when coming in from the garage, all contribute to a less stressful home.

4. Get her talking about you (in a good way!)

Generally, with women, word-of-mouth is more influential than other forms of advertising. Women look to their friends, family, and peers for opinions and recommendations. A wonderful brochure is great, but she trusts what others tell her about you and your homes. Now, with the Internet, and particularly social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, word-of-mouth spreads further and faster than ever before.

5. Focus on value

Price is always important. But rather than simply purchasing the cheapest home, most women use price to establish the short list of builders they will seriously talk with. From that point on, best value typically trumps lowest price. There is tremendous value in the relationship you establish with her, and the information she gets from you and not from other builders. She values anything that saves her time – whether it’s convenient meeting venues or low-maintenance products. She values a builder who has done the research and makes the whole process fun, easy, and exciting.

6. Embrace a consultative sales approach

Give her the opportunity to consider things she may regret later not having chosen. For example, if they are a two SUV household, you suggest an oversized garage with an 18’-wide x 8’-high garage door. Help her manage her new home investment. Empower her with the information so that she can make wise, informed decisions regarding her home, within her budget. This helps her understand you care about her and earns her trust.

7. Become a great story-teller

There’s a story behind everything you do – the designs you build from, the included features, the way you work with customers. Stories are more interesting that the mere information, so she’s more likely to listen. You could simply point out that in this new home you don’t walk directly in to the laundry room coming in from the garage. Or you could relate your embarrassing story of the last time friends and neighbors traipsed through the laundry room – with piles of dirty laundry strewn about – in your home.

8. Design your customer experiences

Too few builders focus on this. They just assume that building a great home and having a savvy sales team are the keys to success. But there’s another key – the prospective buyer’s experience with your company at every touch point. What can you do to better establish and manage expectations so there are no surprises? What are you doing in your model home to appeal to her senses – all of them? How have you designed her final walkthrough/new home orientation to be remarkable?

9. Anticipate what she might want

The bottom line is that you must understand your female customers well enough that you can truly anticipate her future wants. This is pre-need marketing. Delight her with innovation in design, products, and your business approach. Maybe a pocket office option, or quiet products like bathroom exhaust fans and kitchen garbage disposals were not on her radar screen, but would she later regret not having had the opportunity to consider those things?

10. Don’t assume all women want to be treated the same

At Design Basics, we have identified four primary female buyer personalities – each with distinctive preferences in design, in products for the home, and in how they want to work with their builder. We gave each profile names. “Elise” is traditional, and puts her family’s needs, wants, desires ahead of her own. You can’t have too much storage in an Elise home, because she prides herself on a neat, orderly home. “Claire” is a planner – educated and discerning when it comes to her home.

Detail and quality are very important, and she’s the most likely to enjoy formal entertaining in her home. “Margo” is more individualistic, often preferring modern, contemporary design and an environment that facilitates lifelong learning. Margo probably won’t be interested in your “best-selling” or “most popular” because it won’t be unique or different. “Maggie” is fun-loving, very social, and activity-oriented. Maggie’s home often centers around casual entertaining spaces and flexible areas for her hobbies and interests. And be sure to offer her a travel center for those last minute getaways.

Paul Foresman is the Director of Business Development for Design Basics LLC, a nationally-recognized home design firm. The company specializes in understanding and appreciating women’s preferences in their homes. Paul can be reached at (800) 947-7526 or via e-mail to pforesman@designbasics.com