I’m OK, But It’s Not OK

Marketing and branding experts are masterful at creating a connection between the heart and mind that makes consumers want to buy their products. Take Nike’s deceptively simple tag line “Just Do It.” Experts have lauded its empowering message, mentioning how it resonates with consumers on an emotional level and taps into their aspirations for greatness.

Remodelers similarly need to understand consumers and the emotion they have when it comes to making a major home improvement investment. I think that a strong slogan might help them make sense of things, communicate their understanding of the environment, and enable them to become a stronger voice of reason for their clients.

One that I’d suggest is “I’m OK, but it’s not OK.” What does it mean?

Consider, are your clients OK (financially)? Around 80% of consumers with a household income of $150,000 or more revealed in a recent survey that they are much better off financially now than they were two to three years ago (they are OK!); however, when you consider the current political environment, global unrest, and climate change disruptions, it does not feel OK. And when things do not feel OK, people typically wait for the other shoe to drop, hunker down, and consider pausing major financial decisions.

Remodelers in this situation have three choices:

1. Sit back, watch it happen, and cross your fingers that things will be OK.

2. Freeze like a deer in the headlights and wonder what just happened.

3. Take control and be the voice of reason for your clients. If you can get one or two out of 10 to clear the “no man zone,” you can create the joy in their lives that comes from a beautiful remodeling project.

If you chose option 3, then I have a few tips for you:

• Mix data with emotion. A message that may resonate is, “Over the last five years we have seen a 10-20% annual increase in remodeling costs, and we anticipate this continuing. A year or two from now this already big investment of $100,000 likely will cost $120,000 or more.” Another option is saying something along the lines of “During the past 25 years I have never heard a client who completed a project say ‘I wish I had put this off,’ however I have heard many say ‘I wish we had done the project earlier while my mother was alive (she would be proud) or when my kids were home to enjoy it with us.’”
• Have these data-emotion conversations early in the relationship. There’s nothing worse than being blindsided at the closing table. Sharing stories and being more of a friend to your clients from day one can help you better predict whether they’ll get cold feet and you’ll know how to keep them warm.
• Sell down, not up. When clients are in the design and selection process, they can act like kids in a candy store—you need to wrangle them in. Have them take on smaller phases of the project, which come with smaller financial bites and are more comfort for them to digest. Show them options that make the investment more palatable in these uncertain times.

You didn’t get into the remodeling business to be a therapist, a marriage counselor, or an investment advisor, but that is what you must be in these times. Doing so requires new strategies, skills, and mastery so you can successfully guide your prospects to a beautifully finished project.