The world of construction is one of big vision, big dollar buy in, and longer term projects. The coordination and relationship between homeowners, homebuilders, and remodelers is one built on trust. If you are aiming to make a name for yourself, building a construction or design business that stands out, you will need to grow your network and your relationship as a reliable provider. From the team at Cedreo, here are some valuable tips for how to establish and build trust with homeowners and colleagues as you move your own vision for the future forward.
What Areas are Important in Building trust?
As you sell home building and remodeling projects, homeowner trust is a must. From your very first (beautifully designed and rendered) project pitch to the finished product, homeowners need to have faith that you can do the work you say you’re going to do.
Reminder: In such a referral heavy business, this isn’t just about the customer in front of you; it’s about your reputation and whether each client’s experience inspires them to tell the world about your talents.
There are four key areas to building trust:
Cost
The way you scope out and price a project will either build or deteriorate trust with a client. Experience goes a long way in helping you anticipate and plan for costs, but it’s important that your markups and other pricing factors are within a reasonable, ethical range, and that you are transparent about your costs.
Quality
All of the friendliness in the world won’t overcome quality issues. It’s essential that you continuously refine your skills and are dedicated to always doing your best for clients. The quality of your work will speak for itself, and is proof positive that you can deliver at a high level.
Compliance
Construction, building, and remodeling projects are all subject to rules and regulations. Depending on the state or even country in which the work is taking place, it’s important that you understand all of the permitting and operate in a way that is perfectly in compliance. If a homeowner or building owner has any doubts about the matter, it will erode trust.
Measurements
If you’ve been in the interior design or construction game for any length of time, you know that if you miss by an inch, you miss by a mile. You also know to “measure twice, cut once.” From the risk of material waste to the risk of an actual building defect or design error, accurate measurements are essential. You’re the expert, and homeowners will trust you to get this right. It’s part of why tools like Cedreo are so popular, giving you an extra checkpoint and safeguard against making any errors.
You can actually get started on Cedreo for free (that’s how sure we are that you love it). Get more info on our home building software here.
What Homeowners are Looking for in a Trustworthy Homebuilder
Every leader in this space — home builders, remodelers, interior designers — is essentially in a customer service role. Your ability to exceed customer expectations will determine your success. Because of that, it’s important to know what a “trustworthy homebuilder” looks like to the typical homeowner, and the traits you can cultivate to become an obvious choice.
Reputation
There are plenty of ways to showcase a positive reputation from building or design work well done, and here are some of the best:
Word-of-mouth — People trust people they know, so if you can become a referral of choice, you will have a great and reliable source of leads.
Online reviews — When was the last time you bought something online, or hired any kind of contractor or service, without looking at online reviews? That’s our point here.
References — On your website, on your sell sheet, on your social profiles: make sure you have references from previous customers to support your reputation.
Local home builder’s associations — Being in a network of other trusted professionals gives consumers a vote of confidence in your competence.
Local real estate agents — Professionals related to the world of home building, such as real estate agents, and construction will be able to refer or recommend you, which gives you a reputation boost.
Experience
Most people will dig a little, but more likely will ask you to “show me.” Being able to illustrate your expertise in a refined, tech-friendly way supports your reputation as a capable professional. That’s one way Cedreo helps you build a good reputation as a home builder, remodeler, or interior designer. Cedreo renderings can offer a “before” picture, then beautifully showcase how your design resulted in a picture-perfect end product. Create conceptual designs and close more deals without hours of effort or advanced knowledge. We help you generate photorealistic 3D renderings in less than five minutes: learn more here.
Flexibility & Listening Skills
Soft skills go a long way in any profession where you deal with customers, and home design and home building are no exception. Learn to listen to customers, empathizing with their situation, connecting to their vision, and guiding them into the right choice, even if it means course-correction or adapting as you go. Cedreo is useful for that, enabling you to change things throughout the process and easily update drawings or plans within minutes. This will affirm to customers that you truly care, and create a mutually positive experience for everyone.
Great Communication
Communicate proactively, communicate early and often, communicate what you’re doing and why: you can rarely over communicate to a client as you are working on their home. It is probably on their mind most of the day everyday, and so you need to answer as many of their questions as you can and leave time to give progress updates so they trust the process.
Honesty
With supply chain delays and other unavoidable challenges in construction these days, it is important that you are honest with clients. Bad news is hard to deliver, but it is far better than evasion and always better than half-answers. Lead with honesty, and people will trust you. It’s as simple as that.
Building Trust is Mutually Beneficial
When homeowners trust their home builders, remodelers, or interior designers, everyone wins. You earn this trust by being responsive, responsible, flexible, and honest. When you have the right tools, adjusting to a homeowner’s needs is a breeze. You don’t have to rework entire floor plans by hand, or struggle with inflexible software that can’t accommodate small changes. Cedreo is here to be an essential resource for you as you continue to delight customers.
You can start using Cedreo as soon as today. And, with homeowner trust and your reputation on the line, you have everything to gain. Go here to sign up now.
