Enhancing a presence and THRIVING in a softer market

 Enhancing a presence and THRIVING in a softer market

by Vanessa Besack 

Chris Alexander, president of Synergy Executive Education, says those in the real estate industry will have to evaluate their internal networks and create customer- driven cultures to survive. 

As the real estate market slows nationally and consumer confidence begins to wane, professionals in the real estate industry are being forced to evaluate their strategies in order to thrive in a softer market. 

Among the most important elements to focus on is creating a customer- driven culture that focuses solely on exceeding expectations, says Chris Alexander, President of Lake Forest, Calif.-based Synergy Executive Education and sought after speaker in the industry. 

“Great companies understand that a customer-driven culture is like glue that holds everything together and keeps loyal customers coming back during tough times,” said Alexander.  “To stay at the top of the market makes good business sense both financially and strategically and one of the major success keys is to build a cohesive team focused on exceeding customer expectations.”

Alexander, who has more than 25 years of experience in creating synergistic corporate environments, has been key in creating corporate change among big players in the home-building industry, such as Barratt American, Interior Specialists, Inc., Meritage Homes and Klang & Associates.  His clients have all been able to create corporate change, continue to thrive in slow economic times and have rated within the top 4 of customer satisfaction surveys conducted by J.D. Powers and Associates and Eliant, Inc. 

“For many companies, customer relations is hidden in the back of the company and viewed as an emergency room -- only meant to deal with defects as they arise,” explained Alexander.  “We need to bring an everyday practice of exceeding customer expectations to the front of the home- building industry and cascade the message of customer care in everything we do.”

According to Alexander, creating this type of culture starts from the inside out. Changing the operational structure and infusing employees with a common and shared vision of success is among the most important first steps. Everyone, from C-level executive to middle management to sales and operations must share the vision and must work together toward a common goal of customer satisfaction. Only once this is achieved will it spill over into a company’s customer interaction, he explains. 

“Employees have to buy into the idea of customer care being first and foremost,” Alexander says.  “This mindset can not be ordered or imposed -- it needs to come from the inside out.”

Barratt American, a raving fan and client of Alexander’s is an example of a company which changed its focus to achieve greater success. As a result of legislation enacted in 2003 detailing how the building industry was to deal with unhappy buyers, Barratt American President Michael D. Pattinson knew the company had to go beyond just fixing relationships to preventing dissatisfied customers in the first place. That’s when the company engaged Alexander to bridge the gap.

  “Our goal was to proactively maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and the method to achieve this began with a strategic shift in employee culture,” explained Pattinson. “It is not only about the product; it’s about the experience of buying a home.  Improving the home-buying experience requires customer participation and a dialogue –  of that there's no doubt."

Barratt discovered the rewards of superior customer service are far greater than just reduced litigation costs and increased brand awareness.  It found that customers who experienced exceptional service would refer six to seven people as opposed to one to two referrals from a satisfied customer and of those, one in five translated into a sale. Therefore, every 100 exceptional service referrals would result in 20 additional home sales at very little cost.

Interior Specialists, Inc. (ISI), a Carlsbad, California-based company which specializes in interior design and installation services for the homebuilding industry, also retained Alexander to help formalize its internal communication systems and create a culture change within its divisions.

From the very first meeting, ISI began experiencing positive change.

“There was a lot of interaction and a lot energizing, it was just what we needed,” said Scott Grugel, division president for California.

Overtime, Alexander’s work with ISI, created cohesion at the company and established a culture that was strongly present in every division of the company. These changes led ISI to open three more branches despite a weakening market.

For Lisa Klang, president of an interior design firm, Klang & Associates, creativity is the thrust of her business. But communicating her vision to her team in a way that they could make it into reality was a challenge. When the lack of communication created a high turnover rate within her firm,  Klang looked to Alexander for help.

“Chris has helped us hone in on (our visions), see the big picture and communicate our goals to one another. He has helped us come together and really synergize,” says Klang. “We are much more connected, our communications run more smoothly and there has been less turn over.”

Chris also worked closely with Klang to stop thinking and acting as an Entrepreneur and more like a CEO, helping her to foster creativity and leadership among her employees.

According to Alexander, Barratt American, ISI and Klang & Associates are just examples of three companies who have made the necessary changes internally to assist them adapt in this market, continue thriving and create quality work that produce raving fans.

But if more companies are to survive in this softer market, more will need to make changes and focus on customer satisfactions and internal synergy.

“Management’s role should be to present a clearly defined vision of what is to be achieved, teach the skills needed to reach the goal and reinforce the change with a strong set of believable corporate values,” he explains. “Only then will a company create motivated, high-performance teams that succeed. Companies are only as good as the people in them.”

Chris Alexander, M.A. (Org. Psych.)
Award Winning Speaker, Author, Coach, and Business Building Strategist. 

Alexander is an expert at building organizational culture, high-performance teamwork and world class customer service. He speaking topics are: 

  -World Class Leadership

  -The Synergy "WOW” Factor!

  -Synergy Team Power

  -Synergy Sales Power

  -Synergy Communication Styles

He also conducts Synergy retreats, custom designed workshops and ongoing culture change programs.

Contact info:

Tel. 949/838-4970  e: CAlexander@SynergyTeamPower.com 

www.SynergyTeamPower.com   --   www.AlexanderSpeaks.com