Success Stories

“Jane Meagher is truly one of the extraordinary professionals in the home building industry who is exceptional in her knowledge and commitment to her business in design studio expertise. Jane provides great insight into layouts, as well as great product knowledge. There are no surprises due to all the upfront planning and prep work when your design studio is complete. As a businesswoman, she understands the selling process, paperwork flow from design to construction to purchasing to accounting…

Jane has the tools and scripts to ensure a considerable (40-70%) increase in option sales. Jane provides you with materials for everything and anything you may or may not be thinking might occur in your design studio …if you allow her to guide you through this experience, you will reap the rewards year after year! As a seasoned VP Marketing for a large builder, I have worked with many vendors and sales reps for all types of marketing resources. Jane Meagher is a leader in her field and one of the most competent women I have met.”

Linda Kelly, VP Marketing, Orleans Homebuilders

Corporate Office

“I believe our flooring upgrade sales have increased 75% from pre-studio days. Over 100% of our customers upgrade their kitchens versus 45-50% before the new studio. Our average price in the kitchen option sales has risen approximately 60%. That’s right; we’re selling 60% more to everyone upgrading their kitchen.”

Brenda Gordon, VP Operations, Orleans Homebuilders

Charlotte, NC

“It has truly been an absolute pleasure to have you coach and motivate the Eagle team. I’ve personally been through a lot of different training programs and I believe that your training course has been one of the best – if not, the best – that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience, especially regarding new homes. Since your arrival, our team has felt inspired and more confident about leveraging our Home Gallery as a sales tool. We’ve worked hard to keep up with your practices – the design team chants every morning, we have fun correcting each other when we don’t use the proper Home Gallery terminology and we complement each other on our extraordinary use of adjectives. With your priceless training and your unforgettable hard work on our stunning Home Gallery, you’ve given us the tools to become a better sales team and a better representation of Eagle. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your contributions to Eagle and congratulations on all your success. We cannot wait to see you again for model home training!”

Josh Goldschmidt, Sales Manager,  Eagle Construction of VA

Richmond, VA

“In August of 2010, Quadrant Homes underwent a major brand change we call, Built Your Way. Since that time, Jane Meagher has been instrumental in helping us through the many details a new brand requires, including the training of our sales and design studio teams and implementing new internal processes for buyer personalization and customization. She is currently helping us create a brand new state-of-the-art design studio, which we plan to launch next year. Jane is truly part of our team here at Quadrant. She has a solid understanding of our new brand and what it takes to sell and market homes accordingly. Jane knows what homebuyers want and need, and has helped us maintain our focus in that regard. Our sales and design studio associates have embraced Jane’s philosophy and we’ve seen a year over year increase in sales, all while maintaining a 98% willingness to refer from our customers.”

Erin Fowler, VP Sales & Marketing, Quadrant Homes

Seattle, WA

“Honestly, it is difficult to pick out ONE thing that is best. I believe the synergy of doing it all and following all your advice in a multi-prong strategy to improve the entire selections process is what improves it both in terms of happier buyers and increased profitability. Just hire Jane and do it all. While we are pleased with the 92% increase in option sales which have resulted from our new Design Studio and implementing recommendations from Success Strategies, we are even happier about the smooth selection process that has resulted for our buyers. We are offering more options at higher margins, but have shortened the time buyers need to make selections, clarified their choices better, and have fewer mistakes in the field!Everyone’s a winner! Jane took the raw space available and designed the studio layout complete with vignettes, display and work space. … Her creativity and insight showed us how to incorporate adjoining underutilized space into the design studio literally doubling the size of the studio and revenue generating floor space. … We have received repeated comments from vendors and other builders that our design studio is easily the best in the state. We couldn’t be more pleased with how the studio has turned out! Jane has also provided a procedures manual and consulting to help improve our policies and procedures.”

Ron McArthur, Owner, McArthur Homes

Salt Lake City, UT

“In my 30 years in the homebuilding business I have worked with many consultants yet I can honestly say than none seemed to know their field of expertise better than you know yours. Needless to say I am very impressed with not only you, but each of your staff members that I have had the pleasure of dealing with. Thank you for what you have, and will be doing for us.

I seldom have the opportunity to work with someone as knowledgeable in their field as you. Your grasp of the homebuilding business and the sales opportunity is very impressive. Not only are you going to provide us with our prototype, but I believe we all picked up tips from you on how to better utilize our design studios to increase home sales along with increased revenues from option sales.”

David Tucker, Division President NC/VA, America’s Homeplace, Inc.

Statesville, NC

“Your ‘Opt4Excellence’ program was one of the best organized and executed presentations we have had from any consultant. We came away from your presentation with two important and critical tools: A comprehensive action list and a customized policies and procedures manual. … Thanks again for your inspiration and enthusiasm!”

Lloyd Poe, Owner, Lifestyle Builders & Developers

Richmond, VA

“Without Jane’s professional assistance our design center would not be what it has become…a world class showcase and retail environment. From assistance in the design stage, merchandising, systems/process and procedures as well as attention to detail, you are absolutely the best. As a consultant we recognize that it was not easy for you to absorb our culture, interpret goals and objectives and then help us execute in such a way as to attain those goals and objectives allowing us to have a world class design studio and create an unparalleled customer experience. Your professional guidance and influence no doubt was a key if not the key ingredient in clearly creating just that…a world class Home Creation Studio! Additionally, your attitude and enthusiasm made the process fun, fresh and invigorating – another must for anyone tackling a culture-changing project like this.”

Robert F. Sorensen, President-Lakeshore, Eastbrook Homes

Grand Rapids, MI

“Thank you for being a part of the 1st Centex Homes [National] Design Conference. You were instrumental in making it a great success. …We have also implemented many of your suggestions with regards to process improvement, which has helped us become internally more efficient. Bottom Line: you helped me improve on the process, experience, and help better manage the customer’s expectations. Kudos to you, your team and your program!”

Kelly Hansen, Design Studio Manager, Centex Homes

Las Vegas, NV

…In fact, she (Jane) and her firm have had a tremendously positive impact on our division, and they have played a vital role in enabling us to raise our design studio operations to a very high level. The ideas Ms. Meagher shared with us, and the practical ways in which she helped us implement them enabled us to streamline our processes and obtain the results we were seeking.”

Ron Covington, President, John Laing Homes

Colorado Springs, CO

“Success Strategies helped us to plan our site selection, organize our internal brand projection, create efficient department-by-department space use, ensure smooth customer traffic flows, prioritize all sight lines, and maximize our profit potential. They nurtured our company’s culture at every turn. Before our project was fully in-process, Success Strategies made sure that they totally understood our organization, brand position in our local market, existing internal processes, current and future selling needs, and our dreams for how we wanted customers to use our Design Studio. Jane was very careful to confirm each element of this critical information-gathering step before committing our project to any specific direction. We were very impressed with her clearly well thought-out process.

We are totally thrilled with the Design Studio plan that Jane supplied to us. We can’t imagine a more professional, confident, or productive company exists in this field.”

Barbara Hoover, Director of Design Studios, Adams Bros Interiors

Tempe, AZ

“To put it succinctly, the benefits we’ve received from implementing the program are as follows:

• Increased Customer Satisfaction through decreased promises/expectation issues
• Increased Salesperson knowledge –many didn’t realize all that was involved when an option was offered
• Decreased costs/time – Time and money spent in the past to either track down information OR re-work incorrect options (or expectations) decreased
• Capture of lost revenue – the Program forces you to really think through an option-and, as a team, you think of things that get missed individually. It helps you remember to add cost items easily overlooked and price accordingly.”

Bradley Haubert, Haubert Homes

Camp Hill, PA

“In brief, your visit has exceeded our expectations. We are excited to the challenges we face, armed with the information and policies you have identified for us. We are confident that our success will only be magnified by implementing these strategies and we will continue to lead our market and industry in providing to our customers the best home buying experience possible.”

Chris DeGuentz, Vice President, Fischer & Frichtel

Chesterfield, MO

“Jane’s insights are invaluable. We could not be doing this without you! You’re the best!”

Ed Toole, President, Grand Home

Dallas, TX

“As our market is not a huge growth area, we felt we had to add the Design Studio to allow our average sales price to increase. That way, even if our volume does not grow much more in our area, we still add profits to our bottom line. It also sets the tone in that our competitors either have to step-up and invest more to grow – or fall back and let us take the lead. … it would not have been the same without her (Jane’s) input as we went along.

She guided us on the flow from room to room, the visual order of selections, how to place the higher end selections in better view of the public and our included features more along the back walls, the public/work areas, etc. She also was very helpful in the smaller details, the systems to be able to sell our APC’s at a profit. Like with a best selling floorplan, the details are what make it. She provided the details for us so we did not have to learn from our mistakes, and provided us with a whole new vocabulary—which has been very helpful in selling more Available Personal Choices.”

David Weiss, Owner, Weiss Homes

South Bend, IN

“The ability to revamp our paperwork using some of your sample forms, incorporating some of your policy and protective language was invaluable. Your manuals, policies and procedures served as guidelines to compress what would have probably taken 3 months for one Design Center manager to accomplish into a two day process.”

Michael A. Rich, General Partner, Harbor Hills Development L.P.

Lady Lakes, Florida

“In addition to better managing our operations and options, we’ve realized an increase in customer satisfaction, an increase in upgrade option revenue and an increase in the behavioral vitality of the Design staff. These by-products in addition to the efficiency afforded by proper processes have proven priceless.”

Vanessa Smith, Manager, The Style House by John Laing Homes

Colorado Springs, CO

“I employed the services of Jane Meagher and Success Strategies earlier this year to generate some new exciting ideas for my remodeling showroom and to develop a strong, customer-oriented culture for my staff. …She provided valuable tools for improving both individual and team performance related to our specific market demographic, community trends, client base and consumer targets. Her professional and motivated approach to shifting the focus in my office resulted in an immediate elevation in the creativity and implementation of customer experience initiatives and policies.”

Anthony Cammallere, President, T and K Contractors

(winner of Remodeling Magazine’s Big 50 Award), Freehold, NJ

“Three ways to describe Jane: Energy, Passion, and Excellence in Design!”

Matt Salerno, General Manager, CEO, Home Design Studio

Rochester, MN

“In an increasingly difficult time in our market we have found the need to buckle down yet increase our level of customer service. Your guidance has been invaluable in accomplishing that goal. The Touchstone Homes Design Studio is a place where our customers can get lost in the dream of their new home. Our preview nights have been a powerful tool in persuading our prospective homeowners that they have found the right home and the right builder. Your recent review and consultation has us focused on those tools which will continue to make us successful and increase our sales.”

Bryan Cohen, President, Touchstone Homes

Atlanta, GA

“As we rolled out an option manual that included prepriced option packages that could be easily sold, we vowed to follow your program and we were able to generate an additional two net percentage points on our net profit using prepriced option packages. The end result is that our houses are generating higher profit margins with less stress on our estimators, architects, field construction personnel, and the buyer. There is no longer a breakdown in communication between what the buyer envisioned and what we understood them to mean. We were able to provide point of sale pricing on all of our options. We now receive contracts in a shorter time frame and also are able to start a house quicker in the field because there is far less lead time in generating custom plan changes for every house. Jane, your hard work and dedication to our project more than lived up to what we expected upon first meeting with you. The forms you helped create became valuable templates for us to utilize and you were always available to answer questions and guide us.”

Jim Leonard, Vice President, Sitterle Homes

San Antonio, TX

“I just wanted to let you know that I am still using the information and the work book I received from your seminar last year. The work book has been especially helpful. I have been going through it step by step and using it to draw up working sessions for myself and my team. We review each stage together and do exercises as a team drawn from the book. I have also used it as a reference guide.”

Teresa Westlake, Senior Customer Care Representative, Tridel

Toronto, Canada

“I must tell you, I felt we accomplished more on Friday than I have in weeks! The truth is, we should have hired you the day we decided to open the design center. I want it to be perfect…in order for this to happen…we have to listen to you…step by step.”

Philadelphia, PA

“Your energy and enthusiasm was infectious and spilled over to the Design Center Consultants, especially with the role playing segments. You led them to step out of their comfort zone. With your constant encouragement, they discovered that “stepping out” doesn’t have to be uncomfortable and serves to increase their competency and confidence. Mission accomplished.”

Michael Taylor, Design Center Manager, Burgoon Berger Homes

Melbourne, FL

“Thank you for your absolutely phenomenal seminar you presented for the BuilderRadio audience. Your topic “Think Like a Consumer, Act Like a (World-Class) Retailer” was spot-on for our audience. The right information at the right time, and your lively and engaging presentation blew us all away. I’ve produced a lot of webinars by some very dynamic speakers, but none have been more thoughtfully composed or enthusiastically presented than yours. Your professionalism sets a very high bar for the rest of us who speak and teach for a living.”

Scott Stroud, Co-Producer, BuilderRadio Media Network (a division of J. Rouleau & Assoc)