The quality of the Kirkwood brand could not be achieved without our hardworking and passionate sales team who are at the very heart of a buyer’s journey, often going above and beyond to help customers secure their perfect home, expertly guiding them through every stage of the process.
We recently caught up with Michelle Kidd, Senior Sales Advisor at our prestigious Ury Estate development in Stonehaven, and our popular Charleston Grange development in Cove. She explains why she is dedicated to creating an exceptional experience for her customers, what quality really means to her, and shares some insights into her favourite features in a Kirkwood home...
Tell us about your role - what is it that you’re striving to achieve?
“The role is not purely dealing with clients when they reserve their new home - I strive to deliver a first class experience for all my clients - from the point of reservation and through their journey until it’s time for them to move into their new home - and this is what I gain the most satisfaction from.
“I’m very much a people person so I absolutely love building relationships and helping our customers through this exciting, albeit sometimes daunting process.
“Before I started with Kirkwood, I thought after a client reserved their new home that was the end of our involvement with them, but we are an integral part of the entire journey - from helping them select the home that fits their needs best and assisting them in selecting their kitchen and tiling choices, to advising them in elements of the buying process and legalities, and providing regular progress updates throughout the build of their new home, right up until they move in. It is such a great part of the job to be so involved and invested in their journey.”
What are your responsibilities?
“My role is incredibly varied, involving a whole range of tasks from sales, working closely with the site team to obtain updates on build progress so I can update my clients, keeping them involved throughout the build of their new home and adding to their buying experience. I can also be found on site in plots during the build to liaise with the site team with regards to installation of each client’s choices for their home. I also spend time getting to know the local areas around my developments.
“I really enjoy meeting clients who visit the development - and learning about them as a family or couple, their lifestyle and what they are looking for in a new home, and advising them on what locations and housetypes would best suit them. My ultimate goal is to find them the perfect house.
“My own children are now grown up and have homes of their own - and with the recent experience of assisting them on their journey, coupled with my own home purchases over the years, this enables me to better understand the requirements of each buyer. I often advise clients on aspects they perhaps would not have originally contemplated, ensuring it’s not just their home for the present, but for the future too.
“I also carry out the client’s walk- through, which is when they see their new home for the first time prior to handover. It is so rewarding to see their excitement - then once again when it comes to their actual date of handover!”
What does quality mean to you?
“When I first joined Kirkwood, I was new to the industry, and unfamiliar with the different products on offer out there to clients, and the specification and quality of interiors. However, having moved to another housebuilder, it became obvious that Kirkwood has one of the highest standards of quality and specification in our industry.
“As quality is of the utmost importance to me, I decided to rejoin the company in 2018. Having had a wealth of experience in buying property and enjoying internal design experience, this was absolutely the right path - and company - for me, I really need to be invested in the product I am selling!
“Kirkwood offers an exceptional level of specification, from the internal quality of homes to the overall build and finish - everything about our homes is focused around quality including top brands such as Hacker, Siemens and Villeroy & Boch to name a few.
“The attention to detail in our homes is unmatched. We often get clients from technical, trade and engineering backgrounds commenting on the high standard of finish.”
How important is quality in your role?
“It’s all about detail, honesty and transparency. As a Sales Advisor, we are the sole person a client will see from start to finish, so we play a huge part in their journey. They have to be able to trust me, and I want them to be comfortable. People buy from people, so the quality of the relationship you build with a client is one of, if not the most important aspect of my job.”
Why is quality so important at Kirkwood?
“We’re not a volume builder - we strive for excellence and want our brand to be known for that. A significant number of our home buyers are returning customers who love the product and the build, which I believe is testament to the brand, and enforcing our mission statement of “Bringing Quality to Life.”
What is your favourite Kirkwood housetype and why?
“On the smaller end of the scale, my favourite housetype is ‘The Craig’, which is a 3 bedroom detached home and really versatile for a family dynamic. On the larger end of the scale it would have to be the 5 bedroom detached ‘Melville’.
“However our ‘Lyon’ housetype is also a new favourite of mine - it’s an outstanding house, one of which we have just launched at Ury Estate in Stonehaven as a showhome which is now open for the public to view. There are numerous fantastic features within this home, however I particularly love the dedicated study area upstairs which is very desirable in these current times, with one if not both homeowners working from home.”
What is your favourite feature in a Kirkwood house and why?
In our most recent developments, I’m really loving the new grey crittal style windows which create a lovely modern, and most importantly maintenance-free home.
“Another feature that a lot of our clients comment on is that there aren’t any repetitive street scenes. When you drive into our developments, you don’t see multiples of the same housetype on the street - we intersperse the different housetypes, therefore it doesn’t feel like you’re in a new housing development.”
What is it like working for Kirkwood?
“Kirkwood is a constantly evolving and dynamic company to work for, and one that values our clients’ input so we can better understand the needs of our potential customers and the market trends. This leads to our architects designing new housetypes and re-evaluating existing housetypes to continuously grow and enhance the Kirkwood portfolio. I think that this is very much the result of us being a close-knit team - there’s no huge corporate structure where staff are quite disconnected from other areas of the business, at Kirkwood we’re all working closely together to create homes that our customers really want.”
