Announcing the launch of HomeBuilders.com, the Ultimate Online Marketing and New Home Sales Resource Center dedicated to helping homebuilders and new home sales professionals succeed.

HomeBuilders.com is a free, non-promotional educational resource concentrating on the challenges that face homebuilders and industry professionals in today’s challenging market.

HomeBuilders.com is unique to the marketplace in that 100% of its content zeroes in on the three major challenges facing homebuilders and industry professionals today – generating enough traffic, converting that traffic to sales, and creating profitable sales. Going beyond a discussion group, HomeBuilders.com offers insight, advice and actionable know-how into what’s working and who’s doing it along with examples, case studies and feature interviews with leading builders across North America.

The landscape for marketing and selling in the homebuilding industry has changed so dramatically that we wanted to bring together a collective think-tank that captures the core elements for successful selling today — powerful marketing programs, building a motivated and productive sales team, creating websites that work, driving customers to your business online, integrating online marketing with onsite sales, and the key role technology plays in connecting with potential and existing homebuyers.

Learn how to create powerful marketing campaigns, drive customers to your website, capture leads and build a motivated sales team. Understand the components that make up a comprehensive marketing strategy and get real-world tips from the industry’s leading experts. HomeBuilders.com founders and editorial contributors include Myers Barnes of MyersBarnes.com, Mike Lyon, principal of DoYouConvert.com, Chip Johnson, CEO of BuilderDesigns.com, Jim Adams, founder and CEO of NewHomesDirectory.com, Dave Clements, founder and CEO of LassoDataSystems.com.

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Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Training

Tags: home builder marketing, homebuilders.com, myers barnes, New Home Sales Consultants, new home sales for builders, New Home Sales Management Training

One day Mrs. Cat and Mr. Fox were having a conversation. Mr. Fox, who had an ego roughly the size of Rhode Island, boasted about how clever he was when it came to promoting his new home community.

“I know of at least a hundred ideas that will get buyers to come to my new homes,” Mr. Fox said.

“Really? How many have you tried?” Mrs. Cat asked.

“None yet,” Mr. Fox replied with a yawn. “They are all such great ideas, I’ve had a hard time deciding which one to do first.”

“Oh. Well, maybe you could share some of them with me. I’ve just started selling new homes and could use some help from a successful mentor,” Mrs. Cat told him.

“Yeah, well, maybe some day, when I have the time, I’ll share an idea or two,” he said. Just then they heard “You’ve got mail” on Mrs. Cat’s desktop computer. As she was printing out her e-mails, her cell phone rang. She hastily wrote down a name and appointment time, stuck her Bluetooth in her ear, grabbed her camera, briefcase, laptop, contracts and brochures. As she clicked off from talking to a potential buyer, she waved to Mr. Fox.

“Bye!” she yelled. “Since I’m not as clever as you, I have to go out and work this sales process I learned. It’s the only way I know to get buyers.”

Mr. Fox waved a weak goodbye. “Poor girl,” he said, shaking his head. “Why put yourself out there like that and risk rejection every day … day in … day out? And for what? They’re no qualified buyers, competition’s tough, builders are demanding. That’s not for me. I’ll wait right here. Buyers who are serious will come to me.”

So, Mr. Fox sat silently at his desk waiting for buyers and wondering which idea to pursue first. Before he could decide, however, poverty overtook him.

He tried to parlay his profession into a nightclub act, billing himself as Jed Foxworth and telling jokes like, “You know you’re a new home salesperson if you think Sherlock Holmes is a gated community in Florida.” However, no one understood his humor and the last time anyone saw Mr. Fox, he was wearing a trench-coat and selling knock-off Rolexes. Mrs. Cat, on the other hand, was still working the new-home sales process and could afford as many real Rolexes as she wanted.

The Moral: Learn a sales process, follow it and diligently pursue buyers instead of waiting for them to come to you. A single plan you work is better than a hundred ideas you don’t.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Process

Tags: bluetooth, Marketing, mentor, New Home Sales, sales process

Back in my early days of the construction business, I worked for a builder of high-end coastal homes. He once told me, “I’m not necessarily a builder. That’s not my business. I’m in the sales and marketing business. Building is my medium.”

Medium is a means of communicating. Television is a medium. The internet is a medium. And building houses is a medium. Your houses communicate to buyers what you’re capable of doing. They show off your handiwork, your craftsmanship, your style.

However, as great as your homes might be, if you don’t have effective sales and marketing, buyers won’t know about them. And if you don’t move your “goods out of the woods,” you could go out of business.

How do you get your homes into the hands of buyers? With 3-D marketing: Desire, Draft and Determination. Start with an unshakable Desire to implement a vibrant sales and marketing campaign. Then come up with a Draft … a plan of action to make it happen. And finally the most important element you need is Determination … the drive … the perseverance to see it through.

As Noel Coward put it, “Thousands of people have talent. I might as well congratulate you for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is this: Do you have staying power?”

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: builder, communication, economic downturn, internet, sales and marketing, television

When profits and sales drop, a naive mindset fills the void. Builders start thinking they need to sell more houses and offer more discounts to make up for the loss. So they offer jaw-dropping deals. Incentives. Promotions. Special sales. Discounts. Event sales. A whole bag of tricks to lure buyers. And what happens? They sell more homes, but make less money.

Most builders say, “Hey! I’m a builder. It’s what I do.”

I understand that, but you must also be heavy into sales and marketing or you won’t be around long to do what you do.

Building and selling homes at a discount isn’t a viable strategy. That’s why, at some point in your company’s growth cycle, you have to determine, “Is my company being market driven or sales driven?”

How do you know which one it is?

Think of your company as a boat anchored in the harbor beside 100 other boats. When the tide rises, all the boats go up. When it falls, all the boats drop with it.

The housing market is like tidal water. It goes up and down. If your company is governed by the market, it will follow the ebb and flow … rising and falling just like the other boats.

However, if your company is sales driven, you will pull anchor and leave for more favorable waters. Instead of trying so hard to steal buyers from other builders whose ships are anchored with yours, you will find buyers in areas that other builders have neglected. You will show in places where buyers least expect you. And you will attract buyers from the tidal pool because you have a superior sales and marketing organization.

Don’t be lured and lulled into believing that discounting is a smart marketing tool. If there’s a hole in your business that’s leaking profits, you won’t plug it by being gullible and thinking your can discount your way to profitability. That’s like rearranging the furniture on the deck of the Titanic when it’s sinking. It’s wasted effort.

Posted In: New Home Sales Coach, New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: builders, Deals, discounts, incentives, profitability, sales and marketing, selling homes

It isn’t easy to make a profit in the construction industry; but it’s next to impossible to make one if you start discounting your home’s price before you even try to sell it. And yet that’s what many salespeople and builders do.

Four years ago when the housing market was vibrant and hot, buyers would never have thought about asking for a discount. Today it’s a different story, of course. There are too many homes competing for the same buyers. So builders and their sales team start out on the defensive trying to justify their prices. They assume everyone is bargain shopping. Therefore, if they offer the lowest price, they will get the sale.

Despite what you may think, all home buyers are not shopping price. They aren’t looking for the cheapest house to buy. Deep down, they know they get what they pay for. If they pay too much, they lose a little money; but if they pay too little, they lose a whole lot more in terms of service, quality, warranties and property value.

What home buyers want is the best home for them and they would probably like to get it at a discount or with an incentive package thrown in. What you need to do is to illustrate how your home is the best one for them. Show off its features … sell its value … defend its price instead of justifying it.

Do it right and your buyers will wonder why your home doesn’t cost a whole lot more.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Training

Tags: builders, features, housing market, profit, profit and loss, value

There are, depending on the size of your business, somewhere between 10 and 1,000 people who care enough about your company to offer free advice, insight, and the unfiltered truth directly to you. Each month you can ask these people anything about your business that you’d like to and get back a response rate of around 70%. Get ideas for new products, feedback on new ad concepts, or simply ask for their solution to your biggest problem. It sure beats talking to the mirror where all you get are predictable answers to your questions. Wait. There is a catch though – the cost. It’s anywhere between free and $599 a year.

This is what I call a customer advisory board, and you can have one in four easy steps.

1. Invite your customers to join
- For my home builder, I simply added one statement to the end of the survey that is filled out at the end of closing. It states “I would like to participate in the customer advisory board to give critical feedback on a variety of issues. I understand that I will only receive one survey per month, and that there will be rewards for involvement.” Over the past year and a half about 40% of those surveyed have opted-in.

2. Choose your survey tool
- I recommend either www.SurveyMonkey.com or www.Zoomerang.com. Survey Monkey offers a $200 per year unlimited use plan that is perfect for medium to large companies and remains light on the budget.

3. Create your survey
- Both sites mentioned offer What You See Is What You Get survey creation. If you can create a word document, then you’ll be creating surveys like a pro in no time. Get creative and ask questions that help you solve problems for yourself and others in your company! You won’t believe the looks you’ll get when in the meeting of a meeting you offer “hey, why don’t we just ask 200 of our current customers what they think?” Try and keep it under 5 questions – show them you value their time.

4. Send the survey, and reward someone
- No more than once a month, send out the survey to everyone on your list. Then from those that respond select a winner at random. Be sure to announce the winner at the beginning of your next survey. It makes the winner feel good about being recognized, and it shows everyone else that you really do reward good behavior.

There you have it. Why not tap into this powerful form of research starting today? Stop talking to the mirror and break out of the corporate bubble. They may not say exactly what you want to hear, but aren’t you getting sick of listening to your own echo?

A couple of quick hits to keep you out of trouble:

- This is NOT quantitative research. Do not make the mistake of using this as THE decision making tool (keep flipping a coin for that). It only offers insights, and sometimes can raise as many questions as it answers. That is not a bad thing.

- Sometimes the customer isn’t right. Apple computer knows this – they don’t ask people what they want. Instead, they create something that people will want before they know they want it. If you ask the group to give input on something that’s never been done before, expect some puzzled responses. A more concrete example is this – don’t ask your advisory board how much profit you should make on a home. They will probably not give you a “right” answer (However, their perceptions may surprise you!)

- Remember that these people have already done business with you before! That’s good because they know how you operate, but it sometimes means you have to be creative with your questions so you don’t offend or alienate them.

- Two or three times a year let everyone on the board know how their feedback has caused change at the company. This helps them feel connected and keeps them excited, even if they aren’t winning the monthly prize.

Author Bio:
Kevin Oakley is a branding and marketing expert specializing in real estate. He is currently the Director of Marketing & Sales Training at Heartland Homes— a top 100 builder. You can interact with him on his blog at www.brandpossible.com.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: customer service, goals, Kevin Oakley, new home sale marketing, New Home Sales, New Home Sales Management, New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Training

Be sure to stop over at www.builderradio.com and check out my podcast interview with my friends at BuilderRadio.

Boost Sales by 30% With a ’1 in 3? Referral Strategy

Click Here to Listen Now >>

In this interview, we discuss how to build a predictable business by initiating a strategy that will give you a return of 1 in 3 – for every three sales that you make to a walk-in or to a Realtor, you can get one additional sale by following this simple 6 step strategy:

Step 1: Anticipate cancellations. Make two calls in 24 hours.

Step 2: Explain your customer care commitment. Your customer care commitment is going to involve three sub-steps. Customer care is going to be a weekly preemptive customer service call. In addition, it will be a weekly email and then you’re going to give them your scheduled days off.

Step 3: A weekly or biweekly photo of their home.

Step 4: Lunch on the day of their move-in and a gift subscription to the local newspaper.

Step 5: Anniversary card after they move in.

Step 6: Non-traditional holiday card campaign.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: builder radio, customer service, myers barnes, podcast, referrals

I had an interesting conversation recently with an image consultant. In spite of her apparent savvy ways, she didn’t grasp the true definition of branding. I think this word is tossed about so frequently these days that many people are confused, misled, or just oblivious to both the meaning of the word and its impact on a business.

So here is my quick insight into the four stages of branding.

1. Awareness. We’re all branded by the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the restaurants we frequent, the laptop and smartphone of choice, and every other consumer purchase that is part of our unique blend. You make that conscious (or perhaps subconscious) decision based on your awareness of a brand. Some have become so ingrained in our culture that the brand itself is synonymous with the product. Kleenex = tissue. Xerox = photocopy. iPod = mp3 player. Google = Web search. Let’s say for example, I ask you to name a brand of motorcycle. You might respond, Harley Davidson because it has top-of-the-mind brand awareness.

2. Recognition. This stage takes awareness a step further. You don’t just know that Harley is a motorcycle. You associate it with the thundering roar of the powerful engines. It’s the music made in Milwaukee. Unlike the Japanese imports, you probably know the Harley Davidson brand to be an American-made icon for free-wheelers: American by birth. Rebel by choice. It’s not the #1 seller, but the brand recognition is tops!

3. Insistence. You’re convinced that a particular brand will serve your needs. Nothing else will do!

4. Loyalty. The brand has proven its worth to you. You continue to return to the same automobile manufacturer because you know the brand is reliable. You fly the same airline, even if the rate is a bit higher, because you are confident you will travel in comfort, hassle-free, and arrive on schedule. You pass by three other coffee shops on your way to get your grande mild with room at Starbucks. And you are so loyal to your Harley that you tattoo it on your body. How many Yamaha riders can say the same for their brand?

Your brand is much more than the name on your business card. When done properly, branding conveys a comprehensive picture of the product, service, integrity, and ownership. Don’t be short-sighted. Invest in your brand to the fullest. Understand your brand essence and be sure that you communicate its core value to everyone in your organization. Rev it up!

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: awareness, brand essence, branding, google, Harley Davidson, ipod, loyalty, recognition

Ignite your selling power and blow past your goals to achieve blockbuster sales! Join New Home Sales Expert Myers Barnes and NDG Communications President Tom Nelson at the 2010 International Builders Show for a fast-paced, results-oriented sales and marketing session that will get your adrenaline pumping and deliver over-the-top results.

At Red-Hot New Home Sales and Marketing Solutions you’ll receive hard-boiled advice, tried-and-true tips, sensible solutions, and a bold line of attack for your sales and marketing organization. And, you’ll learn pure-genius techniques that will propel you to success, along with remedies for overcoming hardship economies.

Click here for more information.

Red-Hot New Home Sales and Marketing Solutions
Date: Wednesday, January 20
Time: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: South 220
Speakers: Myers Barnes, Tom Nelson, Jim Adams

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing, Real Estate Courses

Tags: IBS, Jim Adams, Marketing Solutions, myers barnes, new home sale marketing, New Home Sales Training, Real Estate Courses, tom nelson

I’ve blogged in the past about the importance of creating a "magical experience" for the home buyer and compared the feeling to a Disney vacation. I recently talked about this strategy with a woman who had never been to the happiest place place on Earth. She couldn’t quite grasp the magic I was describing.

So I asked her to tell me the difference between a magical date and an ordinary one. Her eyes sparkled as she clearly recalled an event that exceeded any other in her memory.

While she reveled in her reverie, I said, "That’s what I’m talking about. You remember the magical evening while all those less memorable dates fade away behind the better memories." And she understood immediately.

Now imagine if your customer could fall in love with the new home you’re selling. By helping them discover the magic of living here, you can. Court them with the enthusiasm and passion of a suitor. Make the extra effort to put them at the center of the experience, one where they drift into the unrivalled joy of buying and living in a new home. You can do that by putting their needs, interests, and desires at the center of the discussion.

Just as with a Disney vacation and your magical date, it’s about the overall experience, not the individual bits and pieces. The bouquet of flowers, the starlit boat ride down the river, and even the discovery that the two of you share the same favorite movie are the separate ingredients that contribute to, but don’t make, a magical experience. Each, on its own, is special but not exceptional. It is the sum of the wonderful parts that create the stellar buying moment.

As a new home salesperson, court your buyer with the goal of delivering the magical, memorable experience that not only sells the home, but also creates a happy homeowner who will make happy referrals.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: home buyer, magical experience, myers barnes, new home, New Home Sales Management, new home salesperson

I watch QVC. I admit it. But it’s not because I’m a fan of gadgets or a collector of costume jewelry. I tune in to see the selling expertise. QVC should be required viewing for any salesperson. Every day, you can receive valuable sales training. Here are seven lessons I’ve learned from this home shopping cable network:

1. Always Create Urgency. On QVC, there is always a clock in the background. Tick tick tick. "Here’s a one-of-a-kind collectible." Tick tick tick. "You never know when we’ll have this again." Tick tick tick.

2.  Be a Great Storyteller. Don’t sell the product; sell the story behind it, the experience from it, and the excitement surrounding it. Use the power of third party testimonials. QVC gets call-ins from satisfied buyers who sweeten the appeal of the item on the selling block. "I bought that spatula that holds bacon while it flips the egg and it has made cooking breakfast a breeze."

3. Be Enthusiastic and Have Fun. Selling is the transfer of emotions. Energy levels are infectious whether they are high or low. Animate your presentation and your buyer will be carried along on the wave of excitement.

4.  Build Value. Many viewers switch on QVC as a distraction. They’re "just looking." But within minutes, they’ll frequently find themselves drawn into making a purchase on impulse because the salesperson has made it irresistible. Price is secondary when the appeal is sufficient to the buyer.

5.  Have a Scripted and Planned Presentation. Look at QVC sales stars like Warren Popeil and Suzanne Somers. They aren’t salespeople by profession. They follow a prepared script and understand which "touch points" turn a browser into a buyer. They don’t just wing it.

6. Use Thoughtful Language. Words are powerful tools. Weave a colorful tapestry that inspires imagination. For example, QVC doesn’t sell costume jewelry. A cubic zirconia on this channel is described as "diamonique,” bringing with it the essence of a valuable jewel. The setting isn’t gold-plated; your exquisite 2-carat, diamonique solitaire is set in 24-karat layered gold. Elevate your words from ordinary to extraordinary. Sell a homesite, not a lot, and a home, not a house.

7.  Close Throughout the Presentation. Count it. Every 120 seconds, the QVC pitch person issues a close. Time is running out. This exceptional leatherette case is easy to care for, yet has the look and feel of buttery soft Brazilian leather. I’ve just been told we only five left. Look at the compartments. And look how easy it converts from the shoulder to the hand strap. Doesn’t this look better than the case you’re carrying around now?

Analyze your selling process and you’ll realize you can learn a lot from QVC.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Training

Tags: myers barnes, New Home Sales Management, New Home Sales Marketing, New Home Sales Training, QVC, Real Estate Courses, sales training, satisfied buyers

I’d like to share an excellent new article with you from Tom Nelson of NDG Communications. Tom’s a respected industry expert on new home advertising and marketing, and this article is from the NDG communications blog. Tom believes there’s enough evidence to think the bounce in home prices and values is right around the corner, and provides four marketing fundamentals we should all consider and practice in preparation for the bounce. –Myers

From the Washington Post:
"The battered housing market appears to be on the mend, with sales climbing nationally and prices leveling off, even rising in some spots. On Tuesday, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller price index, a closely watched gauge, showed that single-family-home prices rose 0.5 percent from April to May, the first monthly increase since 2006. Earlier this week, the Federal government reported an 11 percent rise in new-home sales from May to June, the largest monthly gain in nine years."

So, according to a key indicator of the housing market, for the first time in nearly three years home prices actually rose month-over-month across the nation. Foreclosures have slowed as well as lenders address new loan-modification programs, and economists think there’s now enough data to show that the housing market is recovering and even bottoming in some parts of the country. Even the conservative Wall Street Journal reports this indicator data as a possible “change in momentum” for the housing market.

Now that reliable data shows that the bottom is being reached across the nation, it’s time to prepare for the bounce in your market. But your budgets are still tight, and you’re not even sure how to prepare after such an extended downturn. Here are the four marketing fundamentals every homebuilder or real estate brokerage should be doing to prepare for the bounce, with little cash expense required:

1.  Follow Up: Odds are, you already know the person who’s going to buy that house. They’ve likely already visited the community if not the very same unit. Go back to your prospect list and follow up.

2.  One Person’s Inventory is Another’s Content: Utilize the free and low-price targeted online advertising available to you, including trulia.com, zillow.com, newhomesindex.com, move.com, craigslist.com, realtor.com, google base, and others to give the right online searchers numerous opportunities to encounter your offerings, all at incredibly low cost or, at some sites, for free.

3.  Reach Out: Nationwide, more than 50% of all new home sales in 2008 were through a realtor. In fact, some builders saw this figure rise as high as 90% in the last year. It’s not enough to have just an introductory event and send out an occasional postcard. Your outreach must be coordinated, consistent, and actually connect create events that encourage realtors to bring their clients to experience what your products or communities have to offer, stay up-to-date, and boost the frequency of your contact with them. Get more solid advice on Realtor Outreach from the NDG Blog.

4.  Start Listening: All those nifty social media tools like facebook and twitter are just the means to an end. We’re not just using them to be using them; we’re using them to have a new kind of conversation. Social media channels aren’t like the old, 1-way, broadcast channels where you just yelled at people, frequently. Online, people are talking back, and you must hold up your end of the conversation by genuinely listening and honestly responding. Listening will give you incredible insights; not listening will become dangerously reckless.

Commit to doing these four marketing fundamentals, and you’ll be cost-effectively connecting with your prospects and opening new channels in preparation for the rebound.

Posted In: New Home Sales Marketing

Tags: bounce, facebook twitter, housing recovery, myers barnes, NDG Communications, social media tools, tom nelson, trulia, zillow