Day three at PCBC 2009 began with a motivating keynote by Seth Godin. His challenge to the home builders in the audience was to figure out how to build a home that will be lived in because the buyers like it, not becuase they will make a bunch of money when they sell it in 6 months. The home is more than the granite countertops, 4 bedrooms, the great room and a nice backyard. The home needs to be part of the community and that begins with communication. The builder needs to learn from the crowds that want to buy a home, identify a niche, design a home and a community that people want to live in, one that fits their lifestyle, allows them to live near people with shared interests, and one that people will tell stories about. It is those stories that will bring motivated buyers into the sales office. Stories that people identify with and stories about the people that will become neighbours. Telling stories is so much better than simply talking about how many bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet, and parking spaces the buyer will have in their new home.
If you are a builder doing something different, post a comment and let us know.
Here is a picture from the event.
