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Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013

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June 2010

A Journey in Successful Marketing - Seniors' Sales Obstacles

by Joe Adams

Seniors' Sales Obstacles
Part 1 – Introduction

Joe Adams photo Last month we discussed The Buying Motives of Seniors. This month the focus will be on providing community owners proven marketing programs that help alleviate a few common objections customers proclaim for not buying. If customers aren't buying, there is always a reason, and it may not be due to sales errors, but a lack of targeted marketing programs. Remember, as stated in an earlier article, the role of marketing is to create the right environment that causes customers to want to purchase.

The Four Pillars of Retailing - Pillar II - Getting the Deals Right

By Chad Carr

Chad Carr photo Editor's Note: This continuing series, The Four Pillars of Retailing, explores four key areas that retailers must master in order to sustain profitable operations over time. For previous articles in this series, click here.

There is nothing more important in running a retail business than having the ability to put together a good deal. And yet, this one simple element of business can cause more confusion and frustration than just about any other area.

Do you have a lost-sales strategy?

by Tim Connor, CSP

Tim Connor photo Welcome to the real world of selling: You win some and you lose some. Poor salespeople lose more sales than they make and exceptional salespeople make more than they lose – it's not complicated. This, as I am sure you are aware, is common sense. What isn't so common is:

Training - Investment or cost?

By Tim Connor, CSP Tim Connor photo During the years, many of my clients have chosen to see investing in their people as an investment and not as a cost. Others have cut back on training when the economy was spiraling down out of control. Their rationale was: Cut back, we will invest in our employees when there is more cash available.

"You're Ugly" - Neologisms and Protected Classes

by Nadeen Green

Nadeen Green Most of us who write about fair housing issues take a universal approach: We discuss the seven federally-protected classes under the Fair Housing Act. But many state and local governments have added other groups that are protected. So let's do a bit of Q&A and see what other protections you may have to consider in your housing decisions.

Finally: Title I HUD Code Home Financing Reform?

by Edward Hicks

Eddie Hicks photo A Title I loan is a FHA-insured home improvement loan which can be used several purposes: for the alteration, repair, or improvement of an existing single family structure; preservation of an historic residential structure listed or eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic places; or alteration, repair or improvement of an existing manufactured home (HUD Code) and/or mobile home classified as personal property or real estate.

Upgrading Your Manufactured Home Community, Part III

By Chrissy Jackson

Enter your Community…
Chrissy Jackson photo Next, look at what your customers see when they enter the manufactured home community. If you have a lot of trees, does it make you feel like you are closed in? Is it depressing? Is the community full of overgrown trees that need trimming? For aesthetic reasons as well as safety, trim all trees such as oaks and maples (but not firs) so that there are no branches or other growth below a sight line of six feet above the ground. That really opens up the community. It allows the sun to shine in, and the line of vision sends a subliminal message that this community is larger than it first appeared. Closing in the line of vision or diminishing it with overgrown trees makes a community and the space within seem smaller than it really is.

Be the Change

by Greg McClanahan

Greg McClanahan photo Brian Klemmer explains that, 'If you don't change, crashing is certain. This is true in business, marriage and any other pursuit. The world is a constantly changing road, so if you don't continually adjust the steering wheel, you will eventually crash.'

Overcoming Challenges and Difficult Times: Bullet points from the WHA May 26, 2010 Meeting

by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach, MHM

The May 26, 2010 meeting of the Wisconsin Housing Alliance (WHA) featured Tim Connor as their keynote speaker. Tim's message was focused on the theme of Overcoming Challenges and Difficult Times.

Buyers and Sellers: A Dysfunctional Relationship

by Mike Moore

What Do People Think of Salespeople?

Mike Moore photo For many years I have been asking people what they think of salespeople. I have gotten one overwhelming answer: "Salespeople care only about making sales." Consumers, salespeople and executives all have the same opinion. How did we end up with this preconceived belief? Most communication is non-verbal. We pass on our intentions when we engage in a conversation.

The Future

By George Porter

George Porter photo The Lido Peninsula Resort and Cannery Village

These cutting-edge developments use a manufactured housing product that, in no way, resembles the conventional standard building produced by the industry. It has gained acceptance in the areas where it's located and, in fact, enjoys a high degree of economic success. Most of these are two-story homes. Many companies today are beginning to explore the possibility of multi-story HUD code homes.

Manufactured Housing Finance Summit in Elkhart: A Weak Start

by Ken Rishel

Despite the attendance by the leading industry experts, the meeting was weak at best.

For those who were hoping that government-backed financing for manufactured homes was going to come out this meeting, there was grave disappointment as the predicted reticence on the part of Ginny and other government agencies surfaced with full force.

Mixed Signals: Are the Manufactured Home Lenders Loosening or Tightening their Guidelines?

by Dave Shanklin

In the chattel finance industry, we are getting "mixed signals" from our lenders.

Our lenders are becoming more flexible when it comes to top-tier loan applications, while at the same time showing signs of being tougher on the applications with weaker credit.

Squeezing Out a Lead

by Bob Stovall

Bob Stovall photo The purpose of a business having a website, blog or social media presence is to generate leads. No leads, no business.

Tens of thousands of people can view your website or blog, view your YouTube video, follow you or Twitter or friend you on Facebook, and precious little in the way of solid leads can come of it all.

To train... or not to train your sales staff

By John Underwood

John Underwood photo As I began to think about writing this article, I could not help but be reminded of a bumper sticker I saw on a car entering a school administration parking lot, obviously a teacher or school administrator of some kind. It read as follows: If Education is expensive, then what is the cost of Ignorance? I would not go as far as to say that your industry or your salespeople are ignorant, make no mistake about that; but I would be more that willing to replace the word ignorance with the word inefficiency. I do believe that many sales people are inefficient, not because they are lazy, apathetic or lacking in gray matter, but simply because there is no marketing and sales process in place that is both taught and managed. This problem is exacerbated even further in that due to a sluggish market, your margin of error gets eroded and your business simply cannot afford to lose even one sale.

Attractive Garage Additions to Manufactured Homes

Spend time planning it out and get it right the first time. by Don Westphal, A.S.L.A.

Don Westphal photo The addition of garages to manufactured homes in land-lease communities and on private property is becoming more popular every year. Manufactured home owners are looking for the same convenience and security available to site-built home owners. Unfortunately, many of the efforts to marry site-built garages to manufactured homes fall short of the generally-accepted appearance standards for garage/home integrations. Here are some of my observations on the matter.

Zig On...Success - What It Is and Isn't

by Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar photo What is success? It is many things to many people. Here are a few signs of success:

✓ Success is closing the door to your office at the end of the day with a smile of satisfied contentment crossing your face. It's knowing that you did a good job and that those who interacted with you had a positive experience.

Daily Business News Briefs

New Home Starts Continue their Climb

Housing starts increased 6.8 percent in May to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units due to a jump in multifamily construction. Single-family production remained steady at 599,000 homes, but multifamily activity grew 21.6 percent to 315,000 units. Regionally, the South posted a gain of 17.8 percent in combined starts and the West a...

18 Jun 2013

Most Tracked Housing Stocks Advance, as do the Three Major Indexes

All three indexes advanced, with the Dow moving up over 120 points, as inflation remains low and housing starts increase, despite concerns of what the Federal Reserve may reveal Wed., June 19, about possibly tapering the quantitative easing. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained +0.91 percent, +138.38 points, to end the day at...

18 Jun 2013

Improving Manufactured Housing’s Image to Increase Sales

With image being a key component to selling more manufactured homes to cash and credit worthy buyers, that may explain the growing daily commentary in favor of the start of the ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com image campaign. Nancy Geer, Executive Director of the New York Housing Association said: “Manufactured Home Living Website is a great r...

18 Jun 2013

Portfolio of Manufactured Housing Communities Changes Hands

Birmingham, Mich. based Q10 l Lutz Financial Services has arranged $108 million for the acquisition of a portfolio including 47 manufactured housing properties and three apartments. Neither the seller nor the buyer nor the number of homesites were identified by Lutz, a commercial real estate financial services firm. As nreionline tells MHProNews,...

18 Jun 2013

The transportation package that was passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bob McDonnell includes tax increases that go into effect July 1, 2013. The titling tax for manufactured homes remains at $10, but the retail sales and use tax, which covers modular homes, will increase from five percent state [...]...

18 Jun 2013

Emergency Modular Housing May Go to Oklahoma

MODS International Marketing of Appleton, WI is set to deliver shipping containers converted into modular housing for the tornado victims in OK. MODS (Modular On Demand Structures) specializes in providing emergency housing for long and short term. The units arrive fully furnished, as MHProNews has learned from newson6.com. Costing $40,000 each,...

18 Jun 2013

New Executive Director for Alabama Manufactured Housing Association Announced

The Alabama Manufactured Housing Association (AMHA) has announced the decision of their board of directors to promote Doris Hydrick to the position of Executive Director as of July 1, 2013. Ms. Hydrick served as assistant director for 16 years, with responsibility for planning meetings, education seminars, and regulatory matters, and was also...

18 Jun 2013

Housing Market Index Posts Largest Gain in over Ten Years

For the first time in seven years, builder confidence for newly-built single-family homes has surpassed the 50th percentile mark, which indicates builders see the market as good rather than poor. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) gained eight points to 52. Based on a survey the NAHB has been...

17 Jun 2013

Affordable Modular Homes Available; Applicants’ Credit Lacking

The North East Community Action Agency (NECAC) in Hannibal, MO has joined the Next Step Network which gives them the opportunity to buy modular homes from Clayton Homes at 10-15 percent below market price. The goal is to provide low cost housing for people of modest means. Carla Potts, NECAC’s deputy director for housing development, [...]...

17 Jun 2013

Universal Forest Products, Inc. Spikes; Three Major Indexes Gain

Even though investors are edgy about the possibility the Federal Reserve will announce Wednesday that it will begin to wind down its quantitative easing, the markets managed to advance for the day, with the Dow picking up over 100 points. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained +0.73 percent, +109.67 points, to end the [...]...

17 Jun 2013

Home-building Spurring Gross Domestic Product

As of April 2013, home building employment totaled 2.1 million people, up nearly 100,000 in the last year, according to the labor department. Home building contributed 20 percent to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last six quarters. Residential Fixed Investment (RFI), the home building component of the (GDP), measures...

17 Jun 2013