10 Home Builder and Remodeler Marketing Tips for 2010

I was recently asked for my “Top Marketing Tips” for a home building publication. I put this list together as 10 steps for what I’d recommend to a home builder or remodeler in 2010. It’s quick and easy.

Remember, you can get a ton of great information in my resource section too. Enjoy!

~Rick

2010 Top Marketing Tips

Step #1: Identify if there is a market for your services. If there is, go to step 2…
Step #2: Answer the question, “Why would I buy from you?”, in one sentence.
Step #3: Take what your market will give you. Don’t wish for what it won’t.
Step #4: Focus on being different, not better.
Step #5: Don’t wait for your customers to tell you what they want. Think like Apple.
Step #6: Focus on a single strategy but try LOTS of different ways to advertise it.
Step #7: What are your guarantees? If you don’t know them your prospects don’t either.
Step #8: Involve a young person (under 40 and preferably under 30) in the leadership of your company.
Step #9: Create transparency in everything you do
Step #10: If it doesn’t sell, quit, learn from it and try something else.

Happy Selling!

As a Home Builder, Realtor or Remodeler- How Would You Answer the Question, “What Does the Housing Market Need?”

I was having a conversation with a colleague when he asked me, “What do you think the housing industry needs?”

Wow- talk about an open ended question!

Let’s set the stage. This was not a question about government intervention, housing markets recovering or consumer confidence increasing.

This was all about ‘what would you do to grow your home builder, real estate or remodeling business in the current economy?’

How would YOU answer this question?

I didn’t have a planned answer but answered the question right away. My answer surprised me but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

See what you think…

~Rick

“The Housing Industry Needs a Good Dose of…”

I competed in my first duathlon last year. A duathlon is a run/bike/run race where you travel the same distance as a marathon (26.2 miles) in about 1.5 – 2 hours. Last year I finished in just under 2 hours and officially “got the bug.”

This August I’m competing in 5 races- 2 duathons and 3 mountain bike races. Now I’m 40 and technically a rookie. I’m learning as I go through tips from other racers, online research and trial/error.

The other day I was thinking about the keys to improving as a racer. I came up with three…

1. Physical Conditioning. Specifically- cross training. At 40 my body doesn’t handle repetitive stress very well so I do a lot of different types of training.
2. Technique. The better your technique the less energy used. This allows you to travel faster and farther.
3. Mental Stamina. Racing, like selling, has a lot to do with confidence. Just like the confidence you gain from making a sale- completing a race is a huge boost to mental stamina for future races.
   

I’m very fortunate to live near a world class single track mountain bike trail. Single track means the trail is very narrow and one way. It’s 10 miles long and has a beginner, intermediate and advanced loop. The advanced loop comes complete with various “technical” areas such as riding up and over boulders, on narrow bridges and over logs.

I would estimate about 90% of the riders on this track skip or go around the technical areas. The first few times I rode I did the same. But I had this little voice in my head telling me, ‘If you don’t try you won’t get any better…’

If you can’t BE Young, you need to THINK Young!

Guess what- I started to try the technical stuff. What do you think happened next?

Yep, I fell down. Again, and again and again. It got to the point where my kids wanted to see my new “owies” every time I came back from riding (I was smart enough to purchase elbow and knee pads after some serious bruising).

And then finally I made it through my first technical area. And then I made it a second, third and fourth time. I still regress as I try new stuff and take some spills but I’m consistently getting better.

So what does all this have to do with the Housing Industry?

NAHB just released a report called Profile of the Typical Single-Family Builder in 2009. Much like the National Association of Realtors report, the average age of a builder is 53 and they’ve been in business for 15 years (Realtors have an average age of 55).

“What do you think the housing industry needs?”

My answer to the question is YOUTH. The older we get the harder it is to change. But the only way we can change is to try new things- and fail. It’s a simple formula that nobody likes to follow.

Sam Walton understood this lesson. He understood the biggest hindrance to growth was past success. When he tried something and failed he learned from the failure and didn’t make the same mistake again.

I see our industry still clinging to the “glory days of the past.” We’re waiting for the “markets to bottom out” and “consumer confidence to return.” We keep asking the question, ‘When will things get better?’ Meanwhile people are buying, selling, building and remodeling homes.

3 Keys for Adapting to the New REALITIES of the Housing Market

Just like the keys to improving as a racer, adapting your business to the realities of the housing market takes a strategic approach.

Market Conditioning- Stop focusing on what has worked in the past or what someone did during the last recession. If you only look within the housing industry you’ll only find the same old thinking. Instead, look outside the industry. How has the auto, retail and grocery companies evolved? How has Apple grown their company? How can you incorporate some of these strategies into your business?

Technique- If you’re going to improve your marketing and sales technique you’ve got to try new ideas. Specifically I’d consider changing the “steps” you’re taking to move someone from a prospect to a customer. The key is failure. If you don’t try and fail you’ve learned nothing. After enough failures you’ll find what works.

Mental Stamina- If you think consumer confidence is low builder/Realtor confidence is abysmal. Confidence comes from successes. When I host sales meetings I always like to start the meeting with a success story from everyone involved. The success could be as simple as getting an appointment with a top Realtor or prospect. The key is to encourage everyone to try something new and focus on small successes and lessons learned from those activities.

You can find a complete summary with more ideas in my FREE resource section here>>

Remember if you can’t be young you need to THINK young. Young people don’t know what the housing market USED to be like. They are eager to learn new things. They try and fail all the time but keep trying until they get it.

I suggest setting up a “swear jar” and make anyone associated with your company put in $1 if they utter…

“Traffic stinks”

“It’s better to wait until things get better.”

“I’m not going to try that. It’ll never work.”

…and anything else you can think of. The simple reply to anyone who uses a similar phrase is, “Would a 25 year old just entering the industry say that?”

Take what your market will give you. Don’t wish for what it won’t.

P.S Do you have young or young thinking people in leadership positions in your company? Some of the most successful companies today have just that.

P.P.S Get a summary of the 3 keys for adapting to the new realities of the housing market for FREE with this link>>>

Click here>> and get Rick’s FREE copy of 6 Secrets to Maximizing Your Home Sales in Any Market Revealed.

Ask Rick a question and he may feature it in an upcoming issue of Coach’s Corner>>

Rick Storlie has been helping home builders and remodelers maximize their sales since 1992. Get your FREE e-guide, “6 Secrets to Maximizing your Sales in any Economy Revealed by visiting

www.NHSalesCoach.com.

“All I Want for 2010 is to be the Low Price Leading Home Builder…Or do I?”

You may have heard that the week between Christmas and New Years is typically the worst week of the year as it relates to business production.

I’m working on marketing and business plans right now. One of the things I’ll be helping my clients with is helping them NOT be perceived as a home builder or remodeler…

Why you ask?

When you call yourself a Home Builder, Remodeler or New Home Salesperson, your prospect has a built-in perception of what you do (and that can be good or BAD).

Let’s assume they perceive you to be a “good, quality, family-owned” home builder or remodeler. Do you think they might also talk to other good, quality, family-owned builders too?

The bottom line is if your prospects perceive you to be just like your competitors, there is only one differentiator…PRICE.

Market Positioning

Very simply, market positioning is going after a niche in the marketplace. You position your company to fill a niche and generate leads based on that niche.

Ask yourself the following questions…

• Who is your target market?

• What are their biggest housing problems?

• Do your prospects believe you can solve their problems better than a used home or your competitors?

• What is different, special and unique about your company? What do you do best?
  

• Why would your prospect choose you?

The Answers

BuilderRadio.com interviewed me on the subject of market positioning. You can listen to the interview by clicking on this link>>.

Give it a listen while you’re working on your business plan this week. It’ll help you answer the above questions.

Listen to the interview here>>

Happy New Year & Happy Selling!

P.S I talk a lot more about Market Positioning in my FREE E-guide, “6 Secrets to Maximizing Your Home Sales in any Economy Revealed.”

All you need to do is verify your email address and you can download it right away. It’ll also help you a lot with your 2010 Marketing Plan…

Click here>> and get Rick’s FREE copy of 6 Secrets to Maximizing Your Home Sales in Any Market Revealed.

Ask Rick a question and he may feature it in an upcoming issue of Coach’s Corner>>

Helping contractors maximize sales in any market.  The New Home Sales Coach Transformational Sales System for home builders and remodelers transforms dull and boring organizations into extraordinary and remarkable ones.