Designed To Sell - Model Home Makeovers

Just when you think you've heard and seen the worst customer experiences that you could possibly imagine, a company and it's representatives prove you wrong. I have written before about my disappointment with how I was treated at Best Buy, but that was nothing compared to what they put me through today.
I have just returned from a full week of travels where I met with great clients, got to work on fantastic projects and attended the Tunica Manufactured Housing Show. Today I spent the morning working with Champion Homes of Texas and one of their retailers. Champion understands what customer service is all about, and that's why I love working with them. They understand if the client is successful we will all succeed, and we are all in this journey together. I got to help put together a new model home that is going to be incredible, and also got great feedback as well. Be sure to stop by at Trinity Homes in Abilene and see our beautiful new home!
While I was in Tunica I had heard from Best Buy corporate. They apologized for all of the confusion and promised to call the store where I purchased my projector and have them resolve the issue. I was feeling good about things and thought Ryan handled the issue and my concerns well.
Then I made the mistake of ruining a perfectly good day by going up to the store to change out projectors. I thought it was only going to take a few minutes so I was going to call in my dinner order before I went in - fortunately the person that was with me wasn't as optimistic and she was right. We went to wait in the return line - there were two people in front of us. After standing there for about 5 minutes I asked the other people in line if anyone had been working there and they told me the woman who was working there walked away when they got into the line. I walked to the front of the store and asked if anyone could help us and he told me that three people were working in that area and I needed to just "go back in line and wait my turn".We gave up and ended up sitting on the floor - Tunisha who had left before I guess finally got the hint. Guess what - they had nothing in the system about my issues, and the manager said that no one from corporate had called about my issues and they couldn't do anything. I had Ryan's phone number with me and they called - not there. Then they informed me that what was on my receipt wasn't what I was bringing back, and the projector I brought back only sold for $349.00 and my receipt was for $649.00 so it couldn't possibly be what they sold me.
But wait! It gets even better. James the manager (who said that no one up there had talked to Ryan) calls corporate and puts me on the phone with Katie who was in Ryan's department. She informs me that it's impossible for what I bought to have been rung up wrong, I didn't buy the projector there and pretty much called me a liar. So now I have a 7 month old product that doesn't work that I paid for an extended warranty for that they won't honor. I wasn't sure what made me angrier - finding out I paid $876.00 for something that they said should have cost $349.00 or being called a liar.
So I come home, look up the suggested retail on what I have and it's actually $699.00 not $349.00. So sucker for punishment I am I call the Best Buy store. When I press 3 for sales help, no one answered the 2 times I tried so I called back on the Geek Squad line and got James. I told him the pricing he had for my machine was incorrect that it matched what was on my receipt, and he said that couldn't be right because their system showed it at $349.00. Trust me, there is pretty much no such thing as a $349.00 home theater projector, especially made by Epson. So the system that is never wrong was wrong, but Best Buy refused to even entertain this notion.

The moral of this story? The person with me found something she really wanted and was in line to buy it, and I told her that she would be walking home if she spent a dime there. I purchase a lot of electronics for my clients homes plus our Lifestylist® Designed recommends products for the home. You know that I will be very clear where anyone who asks should not make their purchases.
Then we have the other end of the spectrum where companies like Champion treat their clients how they like to be treated and respected. I had a million things to do today, but when Champion asked me to come and meet with their client I did because I appreciate their business and I want them to succeed. I will always be referring Champion Homes of Texas, Youngs Manufactured Homes in Hobbs, NM and Trinity Homes because I know that whomever I refer to them will be treated with respect, and they will get a great value for their money.

I would love to hear your customer stories - good and bad - and I'll share the best ones here. And if anyone would like a great deal on a projector that doesn't work, give me a call :)

The start of daylight savings is the perfect time for your home to "spring forward" with lighter accessories, accents and even window treatments. Slip covers for furniture and accent pillows are an easy way to change the look and mood of a space. Use a duvet on your bed and get a lighter color and fabric for the warmer months, and a darker, dramatic color for those cooler fall and winter days. These are easy to change out and store, and you'll feel like you are living in a new space!
Pottery Barn and West Elm always have great covers for pillows, and they are often on sale. They are sold with or without the pillow insert so when you aren't using them they don't take up a lot of space. I am also big on having my dining table set, and a pretty spring arrangement and fun napkins, placemats and plates can really put you in the mood.

You would be amazed how many times I'm asked this. Not because as a Lifestylist I am a professional, but because if you are going to make the investment to build a model home, advertise and market it, and have a sales professional there to sell it, why would you trust your model home merchandising to someone who isn't trained and doesn't do this for a living?
The times are a'changing. In years past many merchandisers only bid doing homes by charging according to the square footage of the home. As someone who teaches merchandising for the National Association of Home Builders IRM courses we tell our students in every class this isn't the way to bid or budget a job, and at the Home Idea Factory we don't. Until we do a study figuring out who the buyer is, what the demographics are and how much that buyer can and should spend, and of course what their lifestyle is we won't give a quote. The other big question that many builders are reticent to give up is budget - how much the builder can or will spend on merchandising. They think if they give a budget the merchandiser will spend every penny even if it isn't necessary. I was amazed when I builder that I'm currently working with told me that I was the only firm that was willing to work with him and his needs not on a sq. ft. budget, and even though he doesn't have a lot to spend we are doing innovative things that will save his company money while still giving a home that will stand out and sell homes. Doing some partnership merchandising with the Ashley Homestores is one of the ways that we will achieve this and also help him with his marketing dollars.
This has been a really busy week and I love it! Color selections were made for 3 different builders and communities, and we were also finally able to finish up interiors selections for one of our builders. This was when I realized how working with firms that understand professionalism, have a system that works and are able to guide not only the builder but their customers through the process seamlessly can make all of the difference. This particular builder was a new to this market so we were deciding who the other partners were going to be on his team as we went. And I love this builder - American Custom Builders - because they understand the value of a strong team and include all of us in the decision making. Mike Land of Plans by Land designed amazing homes that I couldn't wait to get started on, and getting his feedback on what he envisioned these homes looking like has been a huge help. But when it came to partners that would supply flooring, tile, etc we hit some roadblocks.
So you know, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who don't return phone calls. Especially when they have bugging you for your business for months, then you give them the opportunity and they disappear. Or they are 9-5, even though that may not work for your homeowners who need to make selections. We wasted almost two months making selections with companies like these that once you offered them the business they suddenly became too busy to return your phone calls.
Enter the perfect missing link to our team - Creative Touch Interiors. Shame on me, I hadn't heard of them before, but I promise that won't happen to anyone else because I'm going to spread the word! Paul of CTI found the owner of ACB Homes and contacted him making promises he kept! When prices were needed we got them by the next day (if not within the next hour!), when appointments were needed they happened - at our convenience, not necessarily theirs. They wanted the business and made us feel like they appreciated it.
When it came time for me to make and finalize the interior selections on the four homes ACB had started I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Shannon who works out of their beautiful design center in Dallas. She made it so easy, knew her products and gave me the opportunity to design amazing homes for my builder and stay in budget - I didn't have to sacrifice a thing! It was an absolute delight to work with another professional, and as I told the builder I am comfortable putting his customers into Shannon's very capable hands.
So back to the original comment - when to hire a professional. Why would you not hire a professional? When working with the other companies I was working with sales people who sold carpet, and tile, and wood, but they didn't seem to grasp the fact that we were working on something that could not only make or break the builder, it also could make all of the difference in the potential buyers lives. There was no way they could work with potential home buyers, and I wouldn't want them to - it might have jeopardized the sale. I'm thrilled that we now have Creative Touch Interiors, Paul, and Shannon on the American Custom Builders team. I'm comfortable with the fact that their professionalism will make a difference in the homes they help my builder's buyers with and now I can concentrate on our model homes! We are shooting for a May 1 grand opening so I have a lot of work to do!

Earlier this year Pantone named blue, or turquoise to be exact the color of the year. I'm wondering if the winter Olympic committee had consulted with them because blue is definitely a color we are seeing a lot of as we watch the winter games. I love the shades of blue and green that were chosen for the Olympics -it just goes to show how much of a difference the right colors can make in the appearance of an event, branding campaign or even a room. Using navy vs. aqua on a wall makes all the difference, even though they are both blue.
@home Builders hired The Home Idea Factory to merchandise a new model for them, and shades of blue were used in various rooms. This home was around the corner from the previous model which was in different colors, but the challenge was to use as much from the old model in the new one to keep costs down. Everything from the old bedroom was recycled in the new one but we added new bedding and headboards. The kids bath was merchandised with accessories from Target that were on trend and budget conscious. Buyers could actually go out and buy the items they saw and fell in love with in the model home. This new model home has character and personality and lookers became buyers - a community which only sold a few homes a year had 8 sales in snowy November and they now have a waiting list for the next phase.
Color  can affect your mood, and happy colors create happy customers.

Earlier this year Pantone named blue, or turquoise to be exact the color of the year. I'm wondering if the winter Olympic committee had consulted with them because blue is definitely a color we are seeing a lot of as we watch the winter games. I love the shades of blue and green that were chosen for the Olympics -it just goes to show how much of a difference the right colors can make in the appearance of an event, branding campaign or even a room. Using navy vs. aqua on a wall makes all the difference, even though they are both blue.
@home Builders hired The Home Idea Factory to merchandise a new model for them, and shades of blue were used in various rooms. This home was around the corner from the previous model which was in different colors, but the challenge was to use as much from the old model in the new one to keep costs down. Everything from the old bedroom was recycled in the new one but we added new bedding and headboards. The kids bath was merchandised with accessories from Target that were on trend and budget conscious. Buyers could actually go out and buy the items they saw and fell in love with in the model home. This new model home has character and personality and lookers became buyers - a community which only sold a few homes a year had 8 sales in snowy November and they now have a waiting list for the next phase.
Color  can affect your mood, and happy colors create happy customers.

Using color is one of the least expensive, most terrifying but also most rewarding ways to change a room. When I'm designing a new model home most builders will encourage me to use memorable colors, but when they first paint the room and see it without any accessories or furniture I often get a call wondering if they have the right information.
These rooms are a perfect example. You can imagine the call the builder got from the superintendent the first time they saw these! This is a model for Canoa Homes in Tucson, and they trusted me enough to wait and see what happened. This is also a great example of designing for your buyer, not yourself - we were targeting families with school age children. A Lifestylist targets in on what the buyer is really looking for, even when they may not realize it themselves.Once we had a few families go through the home we found that almost every female from 2 - 50 wanted that room with those paint colors. It was something the buyer might not have been brave enough to try on their own, but when they saw it completed they loved it.
This is also a great example of Partnership Merchandising. The Home Idea Factory had a great relationship with Home Interiors and Gifts - a direct sell company that we had done styling and product development with. Many of the accessories and "wallies" - the decals on the bath wall - we theirs and we identified them as such so buyers could reproduce what they saw in the room at a price they could afford. The bedding was from Bombay and the furniture from Ashley so all could be bought at local stores or from a Home Interiors and Gifts consultant.
Let your child have a say in what they want their room to look like. It might not be a color you would chose or a style you would like but by letting them be a part of the decorating decision they'll take ownership of their decisions and be even more proud of what they accomplished.
Happy Valentines Day from all of us at The Home Idea Factory!

What a crazy week in Dallas! This town is all about the NBA All Star Game which is this weekend, but mother nature decided to steal the show and dusted us with over a ft. of snow!

The is the largest amount we ever had so we decided to take advantage of it and declared a snow day. The Lifestylists were all out playing in it trying to outdo each other with snowball fights and snow sculptures and when it got dark out I realized I had the opportunity of a lifetime to get some really unique shots of the Home Idea Factory. Fortunately I share the factory with the very talented Lisa Stewart of L.a.S. Photography and we headed out to see what we could find. After she used her magic and skills I love what we ended up with, and to me these really capture the personality of what The Home Idea Factory is all about - Your Life. Your Style. Your Way.