Drew | Business Insights

Types of customers in the development industry: why is it important?

Written by Drew's editorial team | Jul 27, 2022 8:25:00 PM

In the construction industry, where development companies are framed, changes were seen in the way of managing customers. These are never the same but are classified into different profiles. It is important to differentiate them to know in which channels to capture them and how to reach them.

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General customer characteristics

At present, customers are no longer just looking to buy or acquire something, they seek to be taken into account by companies, to be heard, and to be able to satisfy their needs.

In general, in the construction industry, it is about making large investments that imply a great economic cost, so it is necessary to achieve the trust of the customer to achieve it.

The management model of development companies consists of attracting customers that allow them to carry out work and from this, generate profitability by selling them.

In this area, we can identify three types of customers: customers who are looking for their own home, the investors for rent, and the capital investors. Let's take a look at each of them in detail:

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1. Customers looking for their own home

Customers are looking for a house to live in, they are trying to achieve what may be the most important investment of their life. Therefore, they will pay attention to details such as the aesthetics and construction quality of the property. They pay attention to detail.

If we make a graph of the growth curve of the project, these customers are located at the end. If the purchase is made and they are satisfied with it, they may recommend the brand or buy something else again.

Emotionally, the purchase of a property means the realization and materialization of something that is generally highly desired. It symbolizes wealth growth, also security, and an investment you may have been waiting for for years.

2. Investors for rent

These customers want to acquire a property to rent, so the project is offered to them in the middle stage of development. First of all, they care about the quality of construction. It is an investment sustained over time but whose purpose is not the same as that of those who are looking for their own home.

Investors who are looking to rent know that this business is profitable. For example, in Buenos Aires, the rate of return on investment was 2,23% per year, while in Santiago de Chile, it was 5.5% and in Montevideo 4% in the year 2020.

Furthermore, it is believed that young adults prefer to rent before buying a house, or at least, start with renting before buying their first house.

3. Capital investors

They are characterized by buying the project before its construction. These customers look for a unit to be able to sell later, for more money than it was purchased, to generate the monetary difference that allows them to maximize their amount of money for future investments.

These customers are those who are looking for a serious company, so they investigate its trajectory beforehand since they must trust that the developer will comply with the agreement.

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What are customer types for?

Segmenting customers is important so that each one is approached at the right time. For this, useful information is collected from each of them and then ordered.

The data that can be collected is contact data, what type of investment they are looking to make and what they need. The development company can obtain the most necessary information even if customers do not show all their intentions at first.

Having the necessary information on each prospect will help you know whom the company will sell to and when.

In addition, the segmentation of developmental customer profiles is key to optimizing communication channels. Each channel produces a specific message to its target audience. For example, each social network has its particularities when it comes to selling a product or service.

It is important to reach the right potential customer through the right channel. Many times, the channel that works for one does not work for another.

The development company should investigate what public it has in each channel, and the interaction with them to improve communication and the way of capturing information.

The right message on the right channel is important so as not to waste resources. Furthermore, segmentation helps to divide the tasks and responsibilities of the marketing and sales teams.

In the marketing area, the actions must be aimed at branding, that is, giving prospects quality content in the right format and at the right time.

From there, it will be possible to determine which are quality leads and which are not. If most of the leads that arrive are of quality, it means that the actions implemented are correct.

Regarding sales, segmenting customers helps to generate or transmit certain trust that the customer needs. The development company must demonstrate that its word is valuable.

Quality customer information will allow the sales area to identify true customer needs and also identify business opportunities.