Say goodbye to the tin shed sales office

Say goodbye to the tin shed sales officeSales offices have evolved beyond traditional tin sheds as savvy developers recognise their central role in creating positive customer experience, drive sales and building relationships, says Fiona Jefferies from Diva Works.Fiona is chief executive officer of Diva Works, a consultancy that provides sales suites.She says sales office design is being influenced by the retail sector, which has been compelled to evolve as it faces the onslaught from online shopping.”Retailers need to give customers a legitimate reason to get up, get in their car and visit a bricks-and-mortar store. The same principles apply to sales offices. It’s all about the customer experience.”While a good sales office considers customer flow, interactivity, attention to detail and design, Fiona says ultimately it must address three key questions.”What do you want your customer to know? How do you want them to feel? And what do you want them to do?”We answer these questions through strong and intriguing messaging – whether that is a 3D architectural model, digital screens or augmented reality.”Fiona is cautious about high-tech wizardry in sales offices. “A lot of clients race towards technology as the ‘cure all’ – but it isn’t always the best solution. Companies can spend a lot of money on hardware, but if the content is dry and unengaging, it will be a waste of money.”For instance, she says virtual reality is, quite literally, “doing a lot of heads in” because the headsets can disorient people.”If your target market is an older age group or you are attracting people from a range of cultural backgrounds, VR can really put people off.”Instead, she says augmented reality – where customers can “hold up a screen to dive into a picture of the future” – can provide a more positive experience.Sometimes the tried and tested methods work best.”People understand 3D models very well – it gives them a sense of the scale of a development. They can understand the human scale by looking at the size of a tree.”Considering the target market is also important when choosing other elements within the sales office, Fiona advises.”There is nothing worse than installing funky furniture if your customers aren’t a bunch of funksters. Each choice needs to be in line with the rest of your marketing.”Fiona points to the sales offices for Stockland’s Altrove and Newport master-planned communities as good examples of how to “bring the brand to life”.”Each decision we made was geared around the customer experience by asking ‘what do we want them to feel, know and do?’,” she says.Customers aren’t bombarded with “wall to wall” messaging. There are no sales desks on the floor or “people looking expectantly at customers when they walk in”. Instead, customers are encouraged to spend time walking around – and to do so in their own time.The bottom line?”It might be tempting to forget about the sales office when the market is hot, but there is no better way to understand your customers. It’s here you’ll get real time feedback on your price and positioning. And it’s here you will start building real relationships with people.”Diva Works recently took home the ‘gold award’ for sales growth at the international Stevie Awards for sales and customer service, after posting 200 per cent growth in the last two years. The awards, held in Las Vegas in February, assessed more than 2,300 entries.Learn more about Diva Works.