How to Sell to the New Traditionalist Homeowner
By Mary Shafer
The trend was already there before September 11, but a new emphasis on valuing relationships and strengthening family ties since the terrorist attacks on America is certain to reinforce the return to classic home design aesthetics reported nationwide among aging baby boomer homeowners.
According to Bob LaMont, head of the remodeling division of the Somerville Lumber Company in Bridgewater, New Jersey, this market segment is characterized by married couples with an average age range of 35-55, combined income in the six figures (though this varies by region), with two or three children. They have either recently purchased a good-size home and wish to add some personal “flavor” to it, or want to remodel and have a vague idea of the look they’re after, but don’t know where to start. One other possibility is a couple that has purchased architectural plans and are acting as their own general contractor, usually looking for a significant amount of custom work.
The trend seems to have begun with the arrival of baby boomers into the vagaries of middle age, having traded the angst of youth’s self-searching and discovery for the stress and time deficit associated with personal identity and career establishment. Though largely successful on the career and financial fronts, these boomers are now turning their attention to what’s lacking in their personal lives: a sense of emotional connection, balance and psychological comfort, which they’re addressing by creating a physical sanctuary in their homes. Two other possible triggers for the trend are the sustained popularity of the “country” decorating aesthetic and a renewed interest over the last decade or so in historical building preservation.
Regardless of its pedigree, what this trend means to building and home centers is the need to cater to the tastes and fashions of a newly nostalgic market. We’re not talking about the already-established historic home restoration segment, but about a segment that may or may not be completely hands-on in the actual work, but is definitely passionate about and involved in turning new and remodeled homes into the ultimate “nests” to return to after a day in the increasingly threatening, uncertain world “out there.”
Establishing the Comfort Zone
Gone is the largely European influence of the futuristic Bauhaus Sixties, the overdone pop psychedelic Seventies, Eighties punk kitsch and the uniquely American but cynical grunge-inspired, anything-goes Nineties. Today’s active home improvers are building their comfort zones on the wholesomely American styling of colonial, New England saltbox, Victorian, country cottage, Arts & Crafts bungalows, and southwest mission/craftsman architecture. The overriding theme of all these styles is detail, detail, detail, whether that means lavish and decorative or more reserved and simple.
Of course, your contractor customers are providing the new construction currently in demand, but those homeowners now expanding or remodeling present a huge opportunity for you to supply the materials and services they need to bring their visions to fruition. First, you need to know exactly what those materials are, so a good approach would be to monitor the discussions going on around such home improvement.
A good place to start might be a visit to The HomeStore online, which features an area on its website called The American Spirit at Home (http://homestore.com/Specials/America.asp). Its opening headline says, “In these unsettling times, you can make your home a refuge.” Beneath it are links to follow for tips to make your home feel cozy with such things as warm colors, inviting textures and mood lighting; recipes for comfort food; and an article titled “Discover a Slice of Urban Zen,” touting the calming effects of a backyard water garden. These three areas alone suggest sales-building potential for dealers to showcase select paint, wall coverings, area lighting, retro appliances and exterior improvements for lawn and garden.
You may also want to check out any of several online discussion boards (see sidebar) where homeowners post questions, comments, problems and solutions concerning each other’s home improvement interests. Aside from getting a handle on where the interest lies, visiting these sites may also be a great way to generate new business from near and far. The public relations value alone of participating in such discussions is immeasurable, but helping out a struggling homeowner with a dilemma may actually garner you a loyal new customer.
Somerville’s LaMont has noticed that although remodeling was always a good market in his region, there has been a noticeable increase in New Traditionalist traffic and sales since about 1996.
“We got away from traditional [home design] for ten or fifteen years, and it was ugly… just ugly. Now, people are returning to the warmth and comfort of wood, soft colors, the classics.” He believes that, like clothing fashions, classic home designs never go out of style, which makes them a great investment choice he reinforces in his customers.
Trend Identifiers
Some particular requests you may begin noticing along these lines:
• Windows – True Divided Lights (TDL) now preferred to previously popular removable grilles over a single large pane; also, an increase in purchase of custom styles or standard lines with customizable details at the lower price points.
• Roofing – Real slate gaining popularity despite significant cost premium in areas with houses that can support the weight.
• Gutters – Original copper gutters increasingly being maintained instead of replaced; more built-in Yankee gutters for major overhauls, old original mass-market case style systems being replaced more often with classic groove design channels and decorative hangers.
• Doors – Real wood storms with swappable glass and screens, in styles such as raised panel and spindle decorated.
• Kitchens – More cherry wood being used in cabinetry, a trend toward granite and other natural material countertops with under-mount sinks, real interest in classically detailed faucets, handles and other plumbing hardware. Use of specialty drawer pulls and cupboard handles, including hand-forged wrought iron, cut glass, cast bronze and ceramics.
• Bathrooms – More complete demolition, with walls ripped out and re-furred in older homes, floors leveled before fitting out. More call for clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks, freestanding showers with decorative faucets and handles. Plumbing accessories leaning toward brass, and chrome with rounded lines and ceramic accents. Lots less Formica and other synthetic surrounds in favor of tile and stone; also becoming much more popular for floors.
• Common Rooms – When they’re carpeted, plushes and berbers in natural shades; when hardwood is used, flooring much more often from re-milled, reclaimed wood from barns and other old structures. A return to functional fireplaces as symbolic gathering spots, and finely crafted furniture built-ins such as bookcases and desks.
Other decorating trends can be identified through a survey of relevant direct-mail catalogs (see sidebar) offering traditionally styled items, and a regular look through home decorating magazines. Right now, hot items are:
• While steel is on the upswing underneath, on the outside it’s siding styled like traditional clapboards and shakes or shingles, but made from more durable engineered materials
• Synthetic decking that still looks like wood but outperforms in strength and longevity
• Serious attention to yard and garden hardscaping, such as brick paver or decorative stone walkways and stone retaining walls
• A return to wood fencing, wraparound verandas and generous-sized porches for visiting, permanent stone or brick barbecue pits and a renewed enthusiasm for gazebos, cozy decks and other areas that encourage intimate gatherings
• Cork and other insulated or heated floors, quiet and as physically warm as they are aesthetically
• A return to interior detail using decorative wood mouldings, stairway accents such as turned newel posts, more intricate profiled nosings, wood or cast metal air registers
In-Store Efforts Emphasized
Asked what techniques dealers can employ on their sales floors to capitalize on the New Traditionalist trend, LaMont shares some tips about what’s been successful for Somerville. Without hesitation, he says he can’t emphasize enough the importance of providing an in-store custom design division and showcase. Such an entity as Somerville’s own Cornerstone Remodeling gives tangible, visual form to customers’ nebulous ideas, provides a point of departure for further development, and supplies the knowledge and experience to take those ideas into usable building plans and then to finished form.
Somerville built the 7,000 sq. ft. showroom to display high-end projects for all areas of the home. It is staffed with professional designers whose training and experience bring customers’ dreams to life with properly laid out, proportionally pleasing plans and again, attention to all the details that make so much difference in the end product. LaMont is proud of their designers’ knowledge of proper window reveals, bevel angles, when to use multi-piece cornice work on ceilings instead of pre-made mouldings, and similar small but critical decisions.
The veteran remodeler also stresses the need for dealers to get on board with installed sales, which allows you to control the quality of work and materials, and therefore the customer experience, from beginning to end. He feels it adds to customers’ confidence level and thereby their end feeling of satisfaction. He allows that this high-margin type of venture is costly to the end user, and that the current economic downturn or lower income markets may limit the ability of some dealers to make a successful foray into installed sales right now. However, he believes that as long as the economy holds out, it’s an almost certain profit center for most operations.
Tell A Heartwarming Story
Another in-store tactic to increase sales to New Traditionalists, especially for those stores that can’t support a full showroom, is the use of more limited project mockups on endcaps or in large aisle areas. The easier you make it for your customer to envision the finished improvements in their own homes, the nearer you move to closing that sale.
Such smaller displays might include a “cutaway” kitchen corner that shows a dark wood wainscoting installation against a warm, earth tone wall covering and attractively detailed chair rail. The flooring might be a coordinated hardwood, laminate or resilient, on which sits a single bench seat and table next to a window that looks out on a backdrop depicting a fenced yard.
Including a throw rug with a dog dish on the floor, and a place setting or two with a folded newspaper on the bench will evoke a subliminal story of family warmth and connection, the desire for which is at the heart of the New Traditionalist’s ethos. Portray that in these mini-dioramas and, like a good museum exhibit, you’ve told a tale that has your customer longing to be part of it. If you’re really ambitious or can anticipate a particularly high-traffic day, take a cue from real estate agents who appeal to all the senses. Give close attention to the kind of lighting you use (incandescents always warm while fluorescents impart a cold, industrial feel). Bake fresh bread or cookies and set them there, or simply light a spice-scented candle on the table and watch the magic begin.
Make sure to support this momentum with a helpful, attentive associate who gives the viewer enough time to imagine him/herself inside that story before approaching with a friendly, low-key greeting.
Other “diorama” ideas might include:
• a young adult bedroom partial of a built-in bookshelf/desk or bed unit with a backdrop of dusty Williamsburg blue paint and decorative wood-framed sport prints on the wall
• a cozy bathroom sink and vanity made of a freestanding antique or reproduction bureau with a custom decorative deep bowl and antique reproduction hardware
• partial fireplace with mantel, showing half the grate area, hardwood floor, braided area rug and fireplace accessories. Complete with appropriate wall covering, ship’s clock on the top mantel, etc.
• mud room or breezeway with fishing or hunting tackle and a boot mat
Icing on the cake
Don’t miss any “bounce” you might gain from the viewer’s emotional participation in your display. As long as you’ve got them there, remember the add-ons. Attractively merchandise any accessories near the diorama that are either in the scene or would be logical extensions of the story. For instance, within easy reach of that fireplace scene, you should locate starter logs, aroma enhancers, extended lighters and matches, floor protection mats and screens, etc.
A less well-defined but equally important role the successful dealer must play to the New Traditionalist is that of consultant. Once the right items are on the sales floor, and plans for their installation made, customers must be assured of constant guidance in the right direction. If you don’t offer everything your customer would like to put in their new room, perhaps you could offer assistance in finding the items you lack. Keeping a file of vendors for potentially requested related products or services could turn you from sales person to trusted advisor in your customer’s eyes. If you don’t offer installed sales, or perform only limited installations, help your customer locate a qualified contractor who will do the job right.
Going this extra mile by maintaining good rapport with contractors whose work you respect will not only increase your value to your customer, but may also help you develop, retain or expand your supplier status with that contractor.
Remember also to support these efforts with a consistent schedule of marketing, including advertising in and regular press releases to the local media, stuffing flyers promoting upcoming special promotions, and direct mail campaigns when appropriate. After all, the most beautiful displays on Earth won’t be appreciated if you don’t drive traffic to your sales floor.
Following these guidelines should aid you in making your own valuable connections while you help your New Traditionalist customers develop theirs.