by Bob Stovall

A short while back, I received an interesting email from an Internet Marketer in the Real Estate sector. The subject of the email, Are Websites Dead? caught my attention. I really wanted to see what he had to say on the subject.

If you are on any housing related email lists, you may have received this email with an invitation to download a report that would give you the evidence to support the Websites Are Dead theory.

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by Tim Saville

(Editor's intro: the response to Tim's first article prompted us to say, make it so! Give us another gem, Tim, and he has on this critical topic!)

I know everyone has been down this road, as part of a management team. You spend six months doing everything humanly possible to close the deal that's worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. You begin shipping product only to find out that your dispatcher just irritated a key figure within the organization, a customer who was necessary in filling that production gap of yours. This was a do or die proposition, yet you screwed the pooch. It seems that everyone behind you laid down on the job. You get the call from the new customer informing you of the situation, saying that his previous supplier didn't have these issues, and you politely acknowledge him, thank him, and hang-up and scream… say it ain't so!

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by Kent Stichter

(Editor's intro: Kent's title says a lot, and this gent came recommend to us, so listen up to this powerful concept!)

No one needs to tell you that it's a tough economy out there today. You know that you need every advantage you can get over your competitors. You also know you need to do that on a shrinking budget. When it comes to selling a manufactured home it is even more difficult. You want to market your model homes as cost effectively as possible. As a design professional, I wish I had a dollar for every client that said, "Make it look amazing without costing any extra." Perhaps the best way to achieve this is by enhancing your virtual model homes.

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by Dave Reynolds

(Editor's Note: This gent knows all sides of the community business, buying, selling, operating and more. So if you own or are considering investing in a park or community, consider the keen insights of this industry pro on this timely topic.)

Anyone out there can buy a mobile home park as there are deals you can buy with no money down as well as those in the millions of dollars. However, many of those that have purchased mobile home parks in the past 5 years are having second thoughts now because they overpaid for the park for one reason or another. Here are the top 5 reasons:

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MHI reports some 3600 manufactured home retailers and approximately 50,000 land-lease communities in the U.S.. Interestingly enough, this is roughly the number of new HUD Code home shipments that will take place when 2009 mercifully comes to an end.

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by Greg McClanahan

The first math skill I remember learning was addition. In principle, it was something I learned before I ever started kindergarten. I don't remember even talking about negatives until we were fully aware of the positives. For example, two cookies were always better than just one. Catching two fish was more fun than catching one. And, as the youngest child, I learned that if I told my mom that my brother and sister were picking on me, I could get both of them in trouble at the same time. Those were the good old days!

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by Tony Kovach, MHM

In some form or fashion, odds are good that we've encountered the dog-eat-dog mentality that can infect an office, group or organization. At the core of the dog-eat-dog mindset can be the mistaken notion that life is a zero sum game; meaning, 'if I win, you have to lose and if you win that implies I'm losing… so I better get you while I can!' When that notion spreads, it can be a cancer in any setting. How this applies to our industry should be obvious.

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by L. A. "Tony" Kovach

(Editor's Intro: this MHM Flashback article is being reprinted with some slight 2 word modifications, it still as timely topic today as when it was first published last May/June 2009 by Chris Olvera and the Merchandiser staff.)

"Your honor, may I approach the bench…?"

In the December 2008 issue of the Manufactured Home Merchandiser, attorney Marty Lavin aptly demonstrated his mental prowess by building a devastating case that forecast "the future" of the inevitable demise of the HUD Code sector of the factory-built housing industry. Lavin's reasoning is rock solid. So why would anyone foolishly challenge his logic?

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by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach, MHM

(Editor's Intro: while some of the stats have changed some since the was first written for the venerable Merchandiser, the tips and topic is as timely and on-target as ever! The plan is designed for the 'do it yourselfer' looking for a turn around strategy for their MHP/MHC. If you or an associate owns or manages a land-lease community with vacancies, you can't afford to miss this insightful article!)

The ambulance is racing, sirens are blaring and lights are flashing their warning signs. The EMTs on board are communicating critical information to the hospital's medical team that awaits the arrival of their dying patient. The time for casual discussions has past - it is now life and death - and the clock is ticking…

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by Sue Frost

(Editor's intro: Sue's point is fundamental, so make sure it is part of your fundamentals for moving ahead too!)

The holidays often add pressure to business owners, as families celebrate time honored traditions and colleges express their esteem and appreciation for the activities of the past year. This year… give your business a boost, by focusing in and taking some time to plan for your success in the coming year.

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by Suzanne S. Felber, Lifestylist®

Recently I had the opportunity to work with an amazing chef on a dinner in New York. She gave me easy tasks to do, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime to get to work beside her in a kitchen. As a thank-you, she brought by an amazing assortment of goodies - her favorite things she wanted to share with me - everything from the ultimate knife to peanut butter cookies. It was so unexpected, and her thoughtfulness opened up an entire

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by Mike Dupure

(Editor's intro: As previously noted, Mike was part of a 3 man MH team that closed 75 homes this year in just 90 days. His sales management career continues to move ahead, which is why his friends refer to him as the Rocker Man!)

To be successful in sales, we all need or should want to do certain things routinely. For example, we need to read motivational and informational articles. We need to attend seminars, workshops and lectures on sales. We need to use internet resources, such as this website. We need to feed our minds, keep our bodies healthy so that we enter into each sales encounter with the very best attitude, skills and knowledge possible!

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by Tim Connor, CSP

(Editor's Intro: Would you like people to do business with you because they like you, trust you, owe you, believe in you, or for some other very important reason? All of these familiar reasons have varying degrees of importance and value when trying to secure and retain business in today's competitive world. The idea about to be shared with you makes all of them inconsequential. So let's get to it!)

If you had one single technique for ensuring that:

• people would buy from you again and again,
• or that your boss would promote you on your terms, not his or hers,
• or that your competitors would sit around their conference table at midnight, night after night, agonizing over how to successfully compete with you when you easily take business away from them while, at the same time, making it impossible for them to take business away from you

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by Tim Connor, CSP

(Editor's Intro: during lean times, making the right management decisions becomes more important than ever. Learn from this veteran who has some 100 factory built housing industry firms among his many clients.)

There are a number of vital areas where managers and leaders today are failing and the results of these failures can be evident in subtle areas of their organizations as well as their markets.

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by The CallSource Analytics Team

(Editor's Intro: Call tracking works! If you aren't using it in your sales operations, as this article demonstrates, you're losing business, period.)

Your sales or leasing professionals wield a great deal of power over leads they receive - they're your front line, your first interaction with these leads. Do they have the necessary skills to prevent leads from becoming lost opportunities and convert them to leases?

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by Paul Bradley

"ROC USA Capital is the only lender I have dealt with in 25 years that actually understands the MHC business," noted Marc Seigle, the seller of a 170-site community in Elbridge, NY who sold his community to the homeowners in December of 2008.

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by Rachael Biermann

(Editor's Intro: MH Associations and firms listen to this team, so should you!)

"A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time." --Henry Ford  

When companies go through tough times, the first instinct is often to cut costs. Advertising is usually one of the first areas to be cut. While every other company is reducing or withdrawing their advertising, continue yours and see the long term benefits that arise as a result.

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We are routinely looking for industry personalities, from firms large, small and in between, who have insights, success stories to tell and good perspectives to share. We have A Number of "A Cup of Coffee with…" interviews in the pipeline, so we hope you will enjoy these exclusive interviews with industry members you’ll find only at www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com! If you'd like a colleague or yourself to be interviewed, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and put "A Cup of Coffee with" in the subject line. In the body of the message include the appropriate names, email, www.linkedin.com profiles (if available) and contact info. Together, we can inspire and renew our great Industry! Thank you for your feedback, involvement, spreading the word and support!