Project Advisor - Residential Construction & Remodeling Salesperson
Role Qualities:
A successful candidate is organized, focused, and goal-oriented. They are an intuitive and active listener and a highly skilled communicator. This role requires the successful collaboration and partnership with others, a high level of accountability, and the ability to self-motivate and work independently. A successful candidate balances multiple priorities and perspectives, while maintaining prompt communication and strong relationships with our clients and team. A successful member of the Lewis Creek Builders team is kind, flexible, and dedicated to providing excellent service to our community.
Role Summary:
This is a residential construction and remodeling sales position. The Project Advisor is responsible for bringing qualified clients into Lewis Creek’s Design-Build process and building and maintaining strong, lasting partnerships between clients and Lewis Creek. The goal of the Project Advisor is to successfully close design-build construction and remodeling projects that meet and fulfill the company’s established goals, sales targets, and values. The Project Advisor is required to understand Design-Build methodology and to communicate the value of our services to prospective clients. In addition to closing new business, this position acts as the liaison between the client and Lewis Creek’s systems, working closely in a peer-to-peer relationship with the design, development, and production teams.
This is a full-time position expected to work 40 hours per week with 30-40% of those hours billable to clients as consulting time. This position reports directly to the Sales Manager/Senior Project Advisor, and operates within the guidance of the President and Senior Leadership Team.
Principal Job Duties
Sales and Revenue Growth
Close project sales of Lewis Creek’s Design-Build services, executing base contracts and scope-of-work agreements for Design, Preconstruction, and Build.
Create a closing forecast for each project, by understanding client tolerance for risk, and the series of decisions required to reach “closed”. Create an appropriate sense of scarcity and urgency internally and externally, moving toward closing at a pace that is mutually beneficial to the client and the company.
Pursue client commitments by making progress toward closing at each meeting. Consistently work to reduce the amount of “open” time a client has, both on the calendar, and in billable hours.
Request deposits to confirm work at a pace that is in the mutual best interest of Lewis Creek and the client.
Identify and confront client objections using a deep understanding of Lewis Creek’s processes.
Drive revenue growth through the acquisition of new clients and the expansion of existing accounts.
Monitor sales performance and adjust strategies to meet or exceed sales KPIs.
Manage sales objectives within the context of the overall pipeline and targets/goals set by the company.
Effectively match client goals with company schedule gaps and availability, setting mutually beneficial expectations about schedule. -Update client expectations as schedule changes occur.
Client Intake and Qualification
Execute an average of seven project intake calls per week.
Qualify contacts, always discussing budget, schedule, and viability (the “Big Three”). Schedule consultations for qualified contacts.
Generate preliminary ‘sales estimates’ utilizing company pricing tools and past project data.
Generate useful and meaningful rapport from the start of the relationship. Make every prospect glad they called Lewis Creek, regardless of whether or not we move forward.
Speak to company vision and values, organically create opportunities to share LCB Value Statements.
Document relevant contact/project information from all discussions using company systems.
Act as backup for new contact intake when the Contracts Manager is out (responding to new contacts to set up the next step).
Project Consultation
Make effective use of consulting time, conducting an average of 2-3 consults per week.
Consult clients toward mutually valuable solutions addressing the problems in their home.
Identify complexities and simplicities in projects, as well as similarities to previous projects and clients.
Structure value propositions based on understanding of the client and their goals, using Client Personas to help inform the approach.
Continuously discuss and update expectations on cost as new information is generated. Actively maintaining budget qualification and creating alignment between client's resources and project cost projection.
Conduct a preliminary viability analysis by applying a high-level understanding of building means and methods and typical project hurdles, such as permitting, wastewater, etc
Identify clients who will benefit from Design, and sell Design through Design Consults (or other means with buy-in from the Design Team), executing 20-30 Design contracts per year.
Describe Lewis Creek process in simple terms, using examples when relevant. Represent our team, values, and boundaries, setting realistic and helpful expectations for how we work.
Sales Administration
Maintain key client/project information in company systems from start to finish, ensuring information is documented and shared effectively within the LCB team and accessible throughout the project lifecycle.
Track and Monitor expectations such as anticipated start dates, critical client expectations, project budget boundaries, and evolving project information such as design scope increases; change orders; scope reductions.
Use technology to improve the quality and efficiency of the sales process.
Collaborate with colleagues to consistently improve sales and contract information systems and processes. Proactively contribute to a functional feedback loop to improve tools, outcomes, and efficiency.
Project Stewardship
Provide ongoing consultative facilitation in discussions between the client and the LCB Team to continually deepen Project Discovery, build mutual trust, and manage expectations.
Act as the liaison between the client and LCB’s internal systems, and vice versa.
Speak on behalf of the client’s interests and perspective during internal discussions.
Assist in crafting narratives and presenting information that is clear and approachable for clients, as well as tailored to their communication needs/preferences.
Understand our systems better than our clients do and help proactively bridge the gaps in their understanding. This includes reviewing and understanding project documentation (drawings, budgets, schedules, job site updates, etc).
Follow the project alongside the client, staying current with the project from the client’s perspective and helping to generate a meaningful shared narrative between the client and the LCB project team.
Discuss the project with the client outside of group meetings at least monthly in order to check in and gather candid feedback.
Restate shared expectations regularly with both the client and the internal project team.
Inject excitement and perspective into the project at every phase, celebrate project milestones, key client decisions, etc.
Conduct regular site visits every two weeks on active build projects, attending Progress Report meetings with our team and the client at least once per month.
Identify and facilitate opportunities to improve the client experience.
Post-Project Client Care and Marketing Support
Act as caretaker for the company’s valuable client base, helping to nurture a long-term partnership with each client and their home.
Solicit actionable feedback for the company. Assess outcomes versus initial expectations. Provide feedback and analysis to project team.
Follow up with clients at reasonable intervals. Quarterly for the first year after project completion, annually after that.
Request marketing assets such as online reviews, written or video testimonials, and agreement to be a reference for prospective clients.
Provide feedback to the marketing team on the quality of new leads, observed trends, upcoming pipeline needs,etc.
Initiate and participate in marketing and PR efforts as the “face of LCB”, such as attending networking events.
Qualifications
8+ years sales experience, reflecting sales achievements and quota performance.
Strong computer literacy as well as a working knowledge of Google Docs and Sheets, Microsoft Word, and Excel.
Exceptional listening and communication skills.
Superior interpersonal and trust-building skills.
Presentable, professional appearance with a warm and helpful demeanor.
Ability to work and communicate respectfully with a diverse group of people with different skills, backgrounds, and identities.
A qualified candidate will have or will be independently motivated and able to quickly gain:
An understanding of the Design-Build process and fundamental construction means and methods.
Ability to understand high-performance and code-compliant building assemblies.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation is a base salary plus commission structure, with potential earnings from $80,000 to $190,000.
This position is full-time and expected to work 40 hours per week. This role is based out of our Essex Junction, VT office and is expected to frequently travel to client/prospect meetings within an hour of headquarters, with 30-50% of working hours expected to be traveling to and attending such meetings. This position has the option to work from home 1 day per week, and options for flexible scheduling.
Benefits include:
Health insurance, 2 competitive plans to choose from
$1000 company-funded healthcare FSA, option to put aside your own additional funds pre-tax
Dental insurance
Disability and life insurance
IRA with contribution matching up to 3%
10 days paid vacation, 15 days after 3 years, 20 days after 5 years
5 paid sick/personal days
6 paid holidays
$250 equipment allowance that increases with tenure
Support for work-life balance and flexibility
Opportunities for continued learning & professional growth