ReNews -- Remodelors Council News - 12/19/2007 (Plain Text Version)Mike Nagel, CGR, CAPS View Graphical Version | Subscribe to NAHB Publications | Email our Editor... In this issue: Luxury Consumers Want More Than Bells and WhistlesLuxury customers vary greatly in age, interests and style preferences, so remodelers have to understand their clients’ particular perceptions of luxury, according to Jamie Gibbs of Jamie Gibbs and Associates, an architect based in New York City who held a marketing workshop at the Remodeling Show in Las Vegas last month. What luxury customers have in common, Gibbs said, is that they are all looking for unique features in their home remodel and all appreciate professionalism and attention to detail. Aspects of Luxury Items Common to All Customers Although cutomers' definitions of luxury differ, Gibbs said that consumers hold many aspects of luxury in common that remodelers should be aware of when marketing to luxury consumers. These include:
Market and Promote Luxury Aspects of Work Gibbs recommended that remodelers hire professionals to photograph their work for their promotional and marketing needs and to use those photographs on brochures, collateral material and on a Web site for prospective customers to view. He also recommended that remodelers work to get articles about their work or particular jobs in national or local taste-making magazines. To broaden market outreach, Gibbs suggested that remodelers partner with the architects and designers they are working with on a project to ensure referrals after the job is done. Maintaining a solid referral network among luxury consumers is crucial to finding new business, he said. Gibbs also recommended working with younger clients who might not be luxury consumers yet. Younger clients are a relationship worth nurturing, he said, because eventually they will want a future remodel. Finally, Gibbs said educating customers is important when marketing the luxury remodel. Be prepared to spend quality time with the client, he said. Walk them through options, educate them on different issues and help facilitate their decision-making. There are three details about each project that should be discussed — and touted — when educating customers about a planned luxury remodel:
“Appearance and professionalism are crucial to recruiting and maintaining clients,” Gibbs said. For more information or to contact us directly, please visit www.NAHB.org | ©2005, National Association of Home Builders |