In our second POV piece, we hear from Carol Smith, Business Development & Key Account Manager at Prospect Generator, on what she’s seeing across the market right now.
Across the housebuilders she works with, there’s a consistent frustration.
- Enquiries are harder to generate,
- Sales cycles are longer
- And buyers are more cautious and slower to commit.
In this environment, the instinct is often to focus on generating more leads.
But from Carol’s perspective, that’s not where the biggest opportunity sits. It’s what happens after the enquiry that really makes the difference. So if it’s not about more leads, where is the real opportunity?
The gap between enquiry and sale
From what I’m seeing, there’s still a significant gap between enquiry and sale, and a lot of that comes down to how well-equipped sales teams are when they pick up the phone.
With nearly 20 years in sales, from selling high-end property abroad to now working closely with UK housebuilders, I’ve seen this play out time and time again. The common thread is simple:
The more you know about your buyer before that first conversation, the better the outcome.
Too often, sales teams are going into calls with very little context:
- A name,
- An email address,
- And maybe a rough idea of what someone is interested in.
And that first conversation becomes a form of qualification rather than a meaningful step towards a decision, making the process clunky for both the homebuyer and the sales team.
Compare that to a conversation where you already understand:
- What a buyer can afford,
- Where they are in their journey,
- How ready they are to move?
It completely changes the dynamic. It empowers both the homebuyer and your sales team. So why is the industry still holding itself back by not asking the right questions at the right time?
Why aren’t we starting with a more relevant, informed conversation from the outset? One that actually helps homebuyers move forward, and helps sales teams convert?
Affordability is the barrier, and buyers know it
This matters even more when you look at how buyer behaviour has changed.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the median house price in England is around 7.6 times average earnings, well above the five-times-income level typically considered affordable, and continues to put pressure on homebuyers’ affordability.
At the same time, broader industry evidence shows that most renters want to own. Still, high housing costs are preventing them from saving for a deposit, with affordability the biggest barrier.
Put simply, buyers are doing more research, taking longer to decide, and trying to understand their position before they engage. And yet, too often, we’re still expecting them to enter a sales conversation before they have that clarity.
Why better data changes everything
This is where better data makes a real difference. Not just more leads, but more useful, usable insight.
Research from McKinsey & Company highlights that modern buyers expect more personalised, relevant interactions from the very first touchpoint.
Similarly, Salesforce findings show customers are far more likely to engage when communication reflects their specific situation and needs.
When sales teams have that context upfront, they can:
- Prioritise more effectively,
- Tailor their approach,
- Follow-up in a way that actually resonates.
And ultimately, convert more of the demand they already have. Given we are seeing stock plots piling up, longer sales cycles and more economic caution overall, the time to make these changes to how the industry operates is now.
The way buyers engage has changed
Buying behaviour has also shifted in how people engage.
Fewer buyers are picking up the phone early, and many are exploring multiple developers at once.
HubSpot’s 2025 State of Sales Report highlights how buyers are becoming harder to reach and more self-informed, reinforcing the need for more relevant, personalised follow-up. We’re seeing the same in our own research: in our recent white paper, we found that buyers are increasingly seeking clarity on affordability before engaging with sales teams.
So the question isn’t just: How do you generate the lead?
It’s: How do you stay relevant once you have it?
From more leads to better conversion
This is where I believe the focus needs to shift.
Not entirely away from lead generation, but beyond it. The biggest gains right now aren’t coming from adding more at the top of the funnel.
They’re coming from helping sales teams convert more of what’s already there. And that starts with better information.
When you understand affordability upfront, when you can see intent early, and when your sales teams aren’t going into conversations blind, everything else becomes easier.
Better conversations lead to stronger follow-ups, resulting in more confident homebuyers and ultimately, more sales.
Where this is making a difference
This is where we’re seeing tools like Prospect Generator’s suite of lead-generation and nurturing solutions make a real difference.
Not just generating enquiries, but capturing meaningful data from the very start of the journey, equipping sales teams with the context they need to prioritise effectively, personalise their approach, and move homebuyers forward with confidence.
Couple this with omnichannel activities such as on-site signage, direct mail print campaigns, and ongoing marketing communications, and sales and marketing teams can work together to nurture budget-ready homebuyers, giving them the information and confidence they need to take the next step in their homebuying journey.
It’s a shift from volume to value, from enquiries to understanding, from follow-up to informed conversations that result in new home sales.
The housebuilders who are performing best right now aren’t necessarily the ones generating the most leads; they’re the ones making the most of the leads they already have.
And that comes down to one thing:
Giving sales teams the insight they need to have better conversations from the very first interaction.
Get that right, and everything else, from engagement to conversion to revenue, starts to follow.
Don’t just take my word for it: with Q1 results in, 16% of client sales came from Prospect Generator tools, up from 9.2% in 2025.
Book a 15-minute call with Kelly or me to see how better upfront insight can help your sales team have more relevant conversations and convert more of your existing enquiries.