Great Southern Homes

WITH SEARS
COMMERCIAL
THERE EVERY
STEP OF THE WAY,
SINGLE-FAMILY
HOMEBUILDER
DRAMATICALLY
GROWS ITS
BUSINESS
AT A GLANCE
CUSTOMER: Great
Southern Homes (GSH),
Columbia, South Carolina
INDUSTRY: Single-family
homebuilder in business for
15 years
WORKING WITH SEARS
COMMERCIAL: 15 years
PROJECT: Great Southern
Homes built 300 homes in
2013, outfitted with $350,000
worth of Sears appliances. In
2014, the company expects
to spend $640,000 on Sears
appliances for over 500
homes.
OUR BRAND
HELPS YOUR BRAND.
GSH leveraged the best
models and styles of
appliances offered by Sears
Commercial to fit not only its
customers’ budgets but current
trends as well.
WE HAVE PRODUCTS
FOR EVERY PROJECT.
Sears Commercial provides
GSH with a variety of appliance
options for mid-range and highend homes, and outfits every
model home with a suite of
upgraded appliances to help
inform buyer decisions.
WE MAKE CLOSINGS
HAPPEN—DELIVERING
PRODUCTS WHEN YOU
NEED THEM.
Sears Commercial manages all
appliance installation. This frees
GSH to focus on other tasks,
while ensuring every appliance is
in perfect working order before
buyers arrive.
NO ONE TAKES BETTER
CARE AFTER THE CLOSE.
Sears Commercial’s Premier
Service coordinates returns,
exchanges, service requests,
parts orders, follow-up and
credit support.
SEARSCOMMERCIAL.COM | © SEARS HOLDINGS CORPORATION, 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WITH SEARS COMMERCIAL THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, SINGLE-FAMILY
HOMEBUILDER DRAMATICALLY GROWS ITS BUSINESS
BUSINESS CHALLENGE: Over the 15 years Great Southern Homes (GSH) has been in operation,
it has seen highs and lows based on the economy. The homebuilder’s initial surge in business was
followed by a steep decline during the recession. Now, the company is rebounding. Throughout
these cycles, it needed a partner who could support its ever-changing needs.
THE SEARS COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE: Sears Commercial helped guide GSH through the
good times and the bad. When business was booming, Sears Commercial made it easier for the
company to service clients by providing access to its Premier customer service. This provides a
single point of contact for Sears Commercial to take over the installation of appliances in GSH
homes as well as ongoing service to facilitate repairs and other needs. This helped to cut time, cost
and risk out of the equation. During the recession, Sears Commercial offered GSH discounts so the
homebuilder could make the most of limited resources.
IF WE NEED ANYTHING,
BILL, OUR ACCOUNT
MANAGER, IS ALWAYS
THERE. I COULD
CALL HIM AT 9:00
AT NIGHT ASKING
FOR AN APPLIANCE
UPGRADE, AND HE’D
HAVE IT TO ME BY
THE NEXT MORNING.
–KEVIN HOUSE,
PURCHASING AGENT AT
GREAT SOUTHERN HOMES
When Sears Commercial account manager Bill Boney knocked on Great
Southern Homes’ door in 1999, the residential construction company was
brand-new. It had a modest plan to build two or three single-family homes that
year. Boney helped GSH select the best suite of Sears appliances for those first
homes—and for every home the company has built since.
As the homebuilder grew, Sears Commercial stayed by its side.
“By their sixth year in business, they went from building a few homes to 500,”
Boney says. Boney was an extension of the team, helping to choose the best
models and styles to fit customers’ budgets and current trends.
GROWING PAINS
At the height of the housing boom, GSH was building over 600 homes a year,
exceeding $650,000 in appliance purchases. Boney provided the additional
security by making sure the purchase and installation process went smoothly
for each of those hundreds of homes.
“If we need anything, Bill is always there,” says Kevin House, purchasing agent
at GSH. “I could call him at 9:00 at night asking for an appliance upgrade, and
he’d have it to me by the next morning.”
As the business expanded, Boney made sure that the service he and Sears
Commercial provided kept up with the growth of the organization.
In the early days, for example, GSH handled all of its appliance installations
with an in-house crew. But when business got so busy that the company was
building 18 homes per month, Boney suggested that Sears Commercial take
over that process. “It took the pressure off of their team so they could focus on
other tasks,” he says.
SEARSCOMMERCIAL.COM | © SEARS HOLDINGS CORPORATION, 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
It also guaranteed that every appliance was installed
according to the Sears Commercial quality installation
standards. This includes making sure that appliances are
hooked up and tested, that all packaging materials and
messes are cleaned up, and that no damage is done to the
appliance or the home during the installation process.
“They have the right tools and they know how to make sure
everything is working properly,” House says. “That saves
my guys time, and all of the liability is transferred to Sears
Commercial.”
To add further efficiencies for the GSH team, Sears
Commercial installers include a decal on each piece of
equipment with a number for follow-up or maintenance calls. If
homeowners have a problem, they know to reach out directly
to Sears Commercial rather than GSH. “That takes us out of
the middle of maintenance scheduling,” House explains.
That means with one phone call or email, GSH can
complete order entries, arrange service visits, order parts,
customize billing and get answers to any other question
the homeowner may have. “The team gives Great Southern
Homes, and others like them, the best Sears Commercial
has to offer,” Boney says.
RECESSION RECOVERY
The dedication to customer service certainly didn’t falter when
business slowed during the recession and GSH’s building
boom came to a halt. The company struggled for years, yet
retained all of its employees, and did what it could to keep the
business afloat. Throughout this downturn, Boney and Sears
Commercial remained true partners to GSH.
“Bill worked the best he could to get us decent prices and to
help keep us going,” House says. Boney even worked out a
deal to provide appliances for GSH model homes for half of
what the company used to pay, to minimize the expense of
showcasing new developments. “We typically put upgrade
appliances in our models, so that really helped keep costs
down,” House says.
For Boney, the decision to offer GSH that discount was just
good business. “I believe that if we invest in our customers,
our customers will invest in us,” he states. “When they need
a little extra help, I want to do what I can to provide it.”
PREMIER SERVICE
Once GSH reached the threshold of building more than 250
homes per year, Boney set up the company with the Sears’
Premier ordering system technology. This service for larger
builders simplifies the appliance ordering process by offering:
• Retrieval of purchase orders from various customer websites
• Coordination of returns and exchanges
• Scheduling of service requests
• Parts orders
• Follow-up with customers to ensure satisfaction
• One-on-one interaction with a credit specialist
“The Premier Service provides the customer with a single point of
contact to handle all of their Sears appliance needs,” Boney says.
Surviving the dip in the economy, GSH is on track to hit near
pre-recession building levels. In 2013, the company built 300
homes, and in 2014, it’s projected to build 500, with Sears
Commercial remaining right by its side.
“Sears gives us what we need,” House says. “And if a
problem ever does arise, Bill is there to straighten things out.
He’s a great help.”
Account managers like Boney demonstrate that Sears
Commercial is the ultimate resource in home appliances,
helping homebuilders succeed in even the toughest of
markets. After all, the commitment to making businesses
stronger and building meaningful partnerships is what Sears
Commercial is all about.
To contact a Sears Commercial representative,
email [email protected] or call 877-578-0641.
SEARSCOMMERCIAL.COM | © SEARS HOLDINGS CORPORATION, 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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