Hello everyone,
I was recently asked why I don’t offer monthly day seminars for prospective homebuilders. My counter-question was: “Why should I? The building authorities as well as some well-known associations already offer similar courses regularly.” The reply was: “If it’s free, it’s worthless.”
Since then, my mind has been actively working to piece together the scattered fragments into a coherent whole, as well as to examine the truthfulness of that reply. Have I come any closer to a satisfying answer? Very clear: No; at least not yet; I’m still owed an answer myself.
Above all stands the question of how receptive people really are. Such a seminar should last at least—as with a good initial consultation—3 hours or more, since a seminar _also_ benefits from spontaneous discussions. I mostly hold consultation meetings in the evenings and know that this is no small task; most participants are noticeably exhausted afterward. Still, it takes several repetitions for basic knowledge to really settle in. So maybe 2-day seminars?
Slowly but surely, my personal mental movie is starting to give me a headache, so I’m putting some of my fragments out there for open discussion and hope for helpful answers and experiences that might hopefully clear the fog of my operational blindness.
Thanks for reading + clearing the fog
Best regards, Bauexperte
I was recently asked why I don’t offer monthly day seminars for prospective homebuilders. My counter-question was: “Why should I? The building authorities as well as some well-known associations already offer similar courses regularly.” The reply was: “If it’s free, it’s worthless.”
Since then, my mind has been actively working to piece together the scattered fragments into a coherent whole, as well as to examine the truthfulness of that reply. Have I come any closer to a satisfying answer? Very clear: No; at least not yet; I’m still owed an answer myself.
Above all stands the question of how receptive people really are. Such a seminar should last at least—as with a good initial consultation—3 hours or more, since a seminar _also_ benefits from spontaneous discussions. I mostly hold consultation meetings in the evenings and know that this is no small task; most participants are noticeably exhausted afterward. Still, it takes several repetitions for basic knowledge to really settle in. So maybe 2-day seminars?
Slowly but surely, my personal mental movie is starting to give me a headache, so I’m putting some of my fragments out there for open discussion and hope for helpful answers and experiences that might hopefully clear the fog of my operational blindness.
- What should be included in a seminar for prospective homebuilders?
- Which information is outcome-oriented?
- What must distinguish a seminar from other similar offers?
- Are alternative offers even necessary?
- Why offer another option at all?
- Should the working methods of home salespeople / salesperson training be part of the seminar?
- Added value?
- Duration?
- Timing? Evenings or rather weekends?
- What are prospective homebuilders willing to invest in such a seminar?
- Are printed materials needed as a giveaway, so participants can review what they’ve learned?
- And much more.
Thanks for reading + clearing the fog
Best regards, Bauexperte
@ypg or rather your experience with document inspections is not entirely wrong.
This is what I meant by people of different backgrounds. Those who most urgently need advice, because they either do not want to or cannot take care of things themselves, are less likely to use the service or may criticize your seminar due to their insistence on their “solid half-knowledge.”
People who actively seek information on their own will be quite resourceful. They are also willing to spend money on contract reviews or construction supervision. Whether they will additionally invest money in a seminar—if they know the speaker's expertise—maybe. Because it would save them a lot of research work. However, most people do not know you and are unaware of your knowledge and intentions.
We visited three show home parks before we had our first conversations. We talked to seven construction companies. I challenged our general contractor in over 10 conversations before signing the contract. I attended several building exhibitions and various lectures there (although the entry fees were quite reasonable). We used police advice. We also had a free initial appointment with an energy consultant. However, I could not bring myself to hire the energy consultant for further services—not because the consultation was bad, but because of budget constraints.
I would certainly have appreciated having ONE person to answer all my questions and point out various pitfalls. But—would I have trusted you (as an unknown speaker) or would I have gone out to verify your statements afterward? Based on my experience with the “consultation” at the municipal housing office, probably the latter. Then the effect of “knowledge from a single source” would have been lost.
PS: Now that I know you, I would book your seminar. But I have already been active here for almost three years.
This is what I meant by people of different backgrounds. Those who most urgently need advice, because they either do not want to or cannot take care of things themselves, are less likely to use the service or may criticize your seminar due to their insistence on their “solid half-knowledge.”
People who actively seek information on their own will be quite resourceful. They are also willing to spend money on contract reviews or construction supervision. Whether they will additionally invest money in a seminar—if they know the speaker's expertise—maybe. Because it would save them a lot of research work. However, most people do not know you and are unaware of your knowledge and intentions.
We visited three show home parks before we had our first conversations. We talked to seven construction companies. I challenged our general contractor in over 10 conversations before signing the contract. I attended several building exhibitions and various lectures there (although the entry fees were quite reasonable). We used police advice. We also had a free initial appointment with an energy consultant. However, I could not bring myself to hire the energy consultant for further services—not because the consultation was bad, but because of budget constraints.
I would certainly have appreciated having ONE person to answer all my questions and point out various pitfalls. But—would I have trusted you (as an unknown speaker) or would I have gone out to verify your statements afterward? Based on my experience with the “consultation” at the municipal housing office, probably the latter. Then the effect of “knowledge from a single source” would have been lost.
PS: Now that I know you, I would book your seminar. But I have already been active here for almost three years.
The construction company we worked with regularly offers a seminar like this in Hamburg, called “Bauherrentalk.” It’s obviously filled with the company’s advertising but also provides a lot of useful information about building. The course is free, and there is a generous spread of food and drinks. All the trades involved with the builder are present and ready to answer questions from potential homeowners. There is also an accompanying program.
A paid seminar would only make sense if it essentially became an interactive Q&A session. People don’t want to listen for hours to vague topics like whether building makes sense or the general pros and cons; they want their specific problems and questions addressed and clarified.
A paid seminar would only make sense if it essentially became an interactive Q&A session. People don’t want to listen for hours to vague topics like whether building makes sense or the general pros and cons; they want their specific problems and questions addressed and clarified.
B
Bauexperte14 Apr 2016 12:52Hello everyone,
I finally have the time to thank you for your very helpful comments: thank you!
Basically, you confirm what I have always known deep down; I experience it every day. Of course, I understand that competitors offer their services for free. However, I dare to say that these offerings are far from being impartial advice. That distinction is more fitting for well-known organizations, even though, in my opinion, they tend to create fear scenarios. Not exactly what I hope for or envision.
This is new territory for me—the messages I received via private message about seminars. Users pointed me to "webinars" or "online seminars," arguing that my content could then be accessed nationwide (I hadn’t even considered this before). I can’t really imagine sitting in front of a webcam or Skype, filming or conducting a full seminar—that has always stopped me from accepting offers like those from Haufe®. On the other hand, isn’t there a saying, “If you don’t keep up with the times, the times will leave you behind”? I will do some research, look at examples, and hopefully find out if this could work for me.
It’s quite crazy—prospective homebuilders need and seek a lot of information, and in my opinion, at the very least, a contact person who collects this information and separates economic sense from nonsense. But they don’t want to pay for that, or at most, only as much as a movie ticket. On the other hand, it costs a lot of euros to gather knowledge, keep it updated, and especially to have the experience to share the knowledge that is effective for the individual, rather than causing more uncertainty.
Best regards, Bauexperte
I finally have the time to thank you for your very helpful comments: thank you!
Basically, you confirm what I have always known deep down; I experience it every day. Of course, I understand that competitors offer their services for free. However, I dare to say that these offerings are far from being impartial advice. That distinction is more fitting for well-known organizations, even though, in my opinion, they tend to create fear scenarios. Not exactly what I hope for or envision.
This is new territory for me—the messages I received via private message about seminars. Users pointed me to "webinars" or "online seminars," arguing that my content could then be accessed nationwide (I hadn’t even considered this before). I can’t really imagine sitting in front of a webcam or Skype, filming or conducting a full seminar—that has always stopped me from accepting offers like those from Haufe®. On the other hand, isn’t there a saying, “If you don’t keep up with the times, the times will leave you behind”? I will do some research, look at examples, and hopefully find out if this could work for me.
It’s quite crazy—prospective homebuilders need and seek a lot of information, and in my opinion, at the very least, a contact person who collects this information and separates economic sense from nonsense. But they don’t want to pay for that, or at most, only as much as a movie ticket. On the other hand, it costs a lot of euros to gather knowledge, keep it updated, and especially to have the experience to share the knowledge that is effective for the individual, rather than causing more uncertainty.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Bauexperte schrieb:
I really can’t imagine sitting in front of a webcam or using Skype to record videos or conduct a full seminarNice idea.
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