In this video, James Stroud explains the design process, and how having access to these award-winning designs help franchisees hit the ground running.
Video Transcript:
Sophie: There’s no denying that Stroud Homes have quickly become A-listers amongst the Australian building industry, and I wanted to sit down with James Stroud and find out a little bit more about his unique design process. So, James, obviously, it’s a little bit difficult for me as an outsider looking in, but how many awards have you actually won?
James: We’ve won levels at the state level… Oh sorry. Awards at the state level. We’ve won Best Display Home in Queensland two years in a row. They’re for different classes. Best display Home in Toowoomba, both HIA and the Master Builders. And also in New South Wales, we’ve won awards. It’s, obviously, a big part of our success is the design range.
Sophie: How does the design come about?
James: We start with a concept plan, which might be a collection of bits of feedback we’ve got from people, and we start to form that into a floor plan that we test with furniture buyouts. So, that’s an important step as well, because we’ve made a commitment at Stroud Homes to sell homes that furniture works on.
Sophie: Yeah, and it fits the needs of a family these days as well.
James: Because they actually work. And, you know, to sell a house to a family, Sophie, you have to find a house that fits the budget overall…
Sophie: Budget, that’s a big part.
James: …and the family. That’s right. So, that process is something that we train your sales team on, and that we work into everything we do. The quoting process, everything, to develop that solution that fits better for your customers than any other builder can offer.
Sophie: So, at the end of it all, all you’re thinking about is how do I change the designs? How do I make this more user-friendly, and more livable, and how does it feel like a home?
James: It’s not just technical data. People know when a house feels right. You walk into a house and go, this one feels right, that one doesn’t. They might all have the right shapes and sizes, but it’s that feel that we go for.
Sophie: And it takes a lot of time and money to develop that, and that’s what you as a company owner can provide franchisees.
James: Absolutely, very, very quickly.
Sophie: You know, I’ve noticed that within the Stroud brand that a lot of it is included. So, talk to me a little bit about that.
James: Okay. Well, what we’re really talking about is the zebra. So, the zebra is like a symbol to people that work at Stroud Homes, of our commitment to black and white quoting. And we believe the industry is going a little bit in the wrong direction in Australia where the builders have a non-transparent, a little bit of an opaque quoting process where it can be a little bit confusing.
Sophie: A surprise. Yeah. Yeah.
James: Yeah. So, we just simply give a quote for what the customer wants built, end of story. We don’t try to make the house seem cheaper than it really is. You know, Sophie, we’ve developed a following, and sometimes, it’s a little bit harder for a new builder who’s considering becoming a Stroud builder to understand that because it is quite different. A builder can walk straight in, put the keys in, and turn, and start a great business, sell building contracts.
Sophie: Building contracts, absolutely. Yeah. So, they’re not only getting that system, and that understanding, and that follow-up, and all of that backend process, the designs look great, and they actually sell, and they win awards.
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