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Home visits – you either love them or you don’t. Some sales people reap tons of value from home visits while others view them as a waste of time and resources. So which is it? Are home visits really effective? Here are four real-life stories from Solutions Advisors’ clients about home visits that may convince you of their value.

A couple was proving unusually difficult to close. The sales counselor decided to try a home visit and discovered that their poodle, Clifford, was key to their decision. Clifford loved to run outside and chase squirrels and they feared that Clifford would dislike being cooped up in an apartment. The sales person immediately found a suitable first floor apartment that had a poor parking lot view but good access to the outdoors for Clifford. As a creative follow up, a name plate with the words “Clifford’s Place” was mounted on the door and the couple was encouraged to bring the dog on their next tour. They were delighted and soon deposited.

Without a home visit, the sales person may never have learned about Clifford!

At a community in Chicago, one of the marketing counselors had been working with a client for many months. Recently widowed, he lived in a very large apartment with an extensive art collection that he and his wife had acquired over the years through their travels. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving all the art behind but doubted that it would fit in a new apartment.

The marketing counselor teamed up with the design coordinator and arranged for a home visit where they measured each piece of art and assured him they would find an appropriate apartment to accommodate his collection. He was still not convinced until meeting a resident who had an extensive art collection herself – and the exact same-sized apartment. After the home visit and attending the event, the deal was sealed.

The home visit enabled the sales team to personally view the artwork and select an appropriate apartment to accommodate the entire collection.

A prospect was experiencing a health problem and unable to make a return visit to a community to select an apartment. Knowing that the view was especially important to her, the sales counselor took photos from the balconies of several apartments and offered to share them with the prospect during a home visit. He also took along a batch of freshly baked cookies from dining services. As they munched cookies, the sales counselor opened his laptop and showed her the variety of views and exposures from available apartments. The visit resulted in her selecting an apartment – sight unseen – and making a 10% deposit. Later, she was able to visit personally and fell in love with the selection she had made during the home visit.

Without a home visit, chances are the prospect would have delayed a return tour and possibly never made a selection.

So there you have it. Three home visits, three revelations that might never have been learned without a home visit and – more importantly – three deposits.

Do you have a home visit story of your own to share? Send it to us and we’ll share it in an upcoming e-newsletter.

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