4 Top Tips for Converting Home Builders to Your Brand

One question we hear a lot from building product manufacturers looking to sell to home builders is how to convert seemingly brand-loyal builders to a different product. While it's easiest to swoop in when there’s an issue or negative experience with another brand, that’s not always how it plays out. So how do you differentiate yourself? 

We recently wrote the multi-part series, “HomeSphere’s Exclusive Guide on Selling to Home Builders,” to address questions like this while pulling from our 20 years in the residential construction industry. Today, we’re excerpting a portion of it to bring you some of the top ways to differentiate yourself as a sales rep — particularly for pitches in which the builder hasn’t indicated they’re displeased with their current product usage.  

Helping us out is our CEO Glenn Renner and one of our regional market specialists, Kyle Ott, who works in the Florida market.  

[1] Start with data 

Data’s a big word, but you’re going to need to do some foundational research to know how to approach a builder. Ideally, you should learn: 

• How many builders are in my target region? 
• Who are those builders? 
• How many other brands am I competing with in this region? (Both national and regional) 
• How many houses do these builders typically construct?  
• What kind of houses are they constructing? Custom? Production? Entry-level or luxury? 
• Do my products fit their projects? 
• Who are the local suppliers, distributors and installers?  
• Who else makes up the subcontractor network?  

We know the real world is busy and some of these questions will be easier to answer than others. In fact, you might not get some of the answers until you start a dialogue with a builder, but it doesn’t hurt to try. 

[2] Let the home builder pitch to you 

Once you’ve targeted a home builder as a good prospect and have a meeting set, it’s time to use advice our Regional Market Specialist Kyle Ott once received: “You have two ears and one mouth. Use that ratio.”  

Sit back and let them tell you what solutions they need. Now, you might not receive good answers from the direct question, “So what solutions do you need?” if their immediate response is likely to be, “none, I don’t have any issues with my current product choice.”  

But that’s where you need to get creative with consultative selling techniques. In a nutshell, you’ll want to act as an investigative reporter trying to draw out a builder’s pain points by asking open-ended questions that allow the builder to get thoughtful and honest.  

For example, one way to understand their values is to ask what drew them to their current brand. You can also identify needs that aren’t currently being met by asking why they agreed to meet with you in the first place. Just make sure your questions are conversational, empathetic and don’t seem canned. 

Along the way, you might find that special something about your brand that appeals to the builder.