The name of the game is brand loyalty, a holy grail of marketeers like Tesco. Westbury is taking a lead in this industry by signing up manufacturers and services providers as what it calls “affinity partners” to sell specific products via Westbury Direct in a bid to establish an enduring and happy marriage with its homebuyers.
“If you were a homebuyer at the moment, you wouldn’t expect a housebuilder to do any more than sell you a house. But people move in and spend years doing things to turn a house into a home,” says David Simpson, managing director of Westbury Direct. Simpson knows what buyers want, as he has moved across from sales to head up the dedicated team that is hand-picking affinity partners. “In sales I noticed an increasing trend for buyers to say ‘I want a wood floor’ or ‘I want a patio’. People are setting themselves objectives. When housebuilders can’t deliver those objectives, it is disappointing,” he says.
“We see this as facilitating, so the customer expects and receives more from Westbury. It gives added value to the brand. We don’t want customers to forget they have bought from Westbury. The best we can do is make it a good experience.”
Affinity partners benefit by being able to sell their wares to the housebuilder’s database of homebuyers - 15 000 strong and growing at the rate of some 5000 names a year. Homebuyers benefit by getting a better deal on items they want. “Implicit in the name is that we buy direct and sell direct,” says Simpson. “By centralising buying we can drive the price of products and services down to offer good value, while our regions can concentrate on what they do best, building the homes. We will try and deliver things at a better price than buyers could get themselves. But it may not just be price - we could negotiate better terms on an insurance policy.”
We see this service as facilitating, so the customer expects and receives more from Westbury. The best we can do is make it a good experience
David Simpson, Westbury Direct md
Responses from 4000 Westbury customers in an in-depth survey provided the basis for the initial range of products and services. The company began in March by streamlining mortgage services so it now offers buyers the services of three large independent financial advisers: BP Financial Services, MPI Mortgage Solutions and Monaco Life and Pensions. “Our IFAs are geared up to make things happen in four weeks, so we benefit from knowing that buyers can move in on the day,” says David Pearce, group financial services manager.
Next came a garden landscaping service, using designer Mary Tapley, which is being trialled at four sites. About to be trialled is the supply of appliances like dishwashers and tumble driers that are not part of the staple white goods package, from affinity partner Hotpoint. Pickfords has been signed up as affinity partner on removal services, while suppliers of curtains, carpets, conservatories and garden sheds will be named soon. Negotiations are under way with a bank to provide the personal loans that homebuyers might need to afford all the extras it takes to make a dream home. And homebuyers might even be paying for their purchases with a Westbury affinity Visa card.
Planned additions to the service over the next two years include insurance policies to cover homes, contents and accident, sickness and redundancy, extended appliance warranties, a network of conveyancers and home furnishings. Further ahead, Simpson anticipates homeowners could be extending their house or refitting their kitchen via Westbury Direct. “We could offer pre-designed extensions for our housetypes. It would be simple because we know where the services run.”
Westbury’s 250 sales people in the field will keep Simpson up to date with buyer trends. “If we can engineer pricing, delivery and installation there’s not a great deal that we wouldn’t deliver,” he says. “But we’re first and foremost a housebuilder so we would not want to do anything that harms the Westbury name.” Simpson knows that if a homebuyer has a problem with a product or service, Westbury’s name could be tarnished. For that reason, affinity partners are being chosen with care and performance will be monitored. “Service standards are built into the contracts and we will make sure all parties meet them,” says Simpson. “It’s our responsibility to deliver a service that is totally robust. It is crucial we get it right. Any affinity partner needs to be a good fit with Westbury cultures and Westbury values. In a way we are passing our values to a third party.”
Source
Building Homes
