“They tour the apartment — and never sign”
The developer thought it came down to price and payment plans. The interviews uncovered the real barrier — fear of an unfinished build and distrust of the developer itself.
Company. A developer selling apartments at the excavation stage. Good location and price, plenty of viewings, but deals drag on for months.
Interest is high, but only a few make it to a contract. Sales reps blamed “too expensive” and asked for more discounts and payment plans.
“We're short on price and flexible payment plans.” That's what the reps believed.
The full question set (9)
- 01What actually kicked off your apartment search right now?
- 02How did you picture the perfect option before you started looking?
- 03Why were you even considering a new build still under construction?
- 04What did you like about our property when you toured it?
- 05What raised the biggest doubts or fears?
- 06What was on your mind at night after the viewing?
- 07Who did you consult, and what did the people close to you say?
- 08What would've had to happen for you to sign the contract?
- 09If you chose another option — what felt safer about it?
The AI doesn't read these off like a list. It moves through the questions and, after every answer, follows up naturally until it gets to the real point. Here's how it actually sounds.
Interview excerpt
Analysis of 20 interviews
sonarum pulls 20 conversations into a single report: which themes come up most, real quotes, and what it all means.
“I didn't need a discount — I needed to be sure they'd finish it.”
“Show me what's delivered, not pictures of the future.”
“Handing over money for something that doesn't exist yet — that's what's scary.”
- The main barrier is fear of an unfinished build and distrust of the developer, not price. Discounts got people no closer to a decision.
- They were selling the future — renders — while buyers were looking for proof of the past: completed buildings, escrow, deadlines met.
- Pushing on price only deepened the anxiety instead of easing it.
Change the sales flow: proof of reliability first — a portfolio of completed buildings, escrow accounts, deadlines met, a trip to a finished property. Price comes later. Rewrite the reps' script from “discount” to “confidence.”
They stopped pushing on price and started easing the fear of an unfinished build with proof — nearly doubling conversion and halving the deal cycle. And handing out fewer discounts along the way.