The Masthead

1.
March Madness

Have you seen our burgeoning Calendar of Events? ?  There are Industry Shows galore in March and April as state and national associations across the country sponsor Home Shows and Expos with Trade and Public Days.  In 2010, it would have seemed madness to think that some Shows, cancelled because of the economy, would return only a year later.  March will launch the Tunica Manufactured Housing Show and Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)’s Winter Meeting and Legislative Conference, in Washington, DC. plus annual Association meetings and other events in at least four states (Maine, North Dakota, New York and California). Other state Association meetings and events occur in Maine, North Dakota, New York and California as well.  April will feature the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa, OK; HOMExpo 2011 in York, PA, and the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)’s 2011 National Congress & Expo in Las Vegas, NV.

Suzanne Felber, LifeStylist® has been reporting on the various Shows, and continues with a Feature Article this month on how to apply what you learn at a Show to your own retail center or community.

This month is also the celebration of March Madness, the NCAA Tournament held at courts and sports arenas all over the country. Fans think nothing of traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to Be There and share the excitement and triumphs of their teams playing for the NCAA crystal trophy. Those who haven’t the time or means can watch wall-to-wall basketball from noon to midnight from their own TVs or phone apps. If thousands of fans can do this to support and enjoy their team, can we not do the same for our manufactured homes?

Hmmm, basketball fans… manufactured housing fans…

2.
To Associate, or Not to Associate, that is the Question… Or is it?

Doesn’t that divide the manufactured housing world of associations into the simplistic ‘black and white’ world of yesteryear, when the 21st-century world has gone from shades of gray to limitless hues of multi-spectrum color?

Maybe the real question is how to associate? Or why join an association? These MHMSM.com pages, especially The Masthead Blog and Industry Voices Blog, are customarily filled with answers to why and reasons for encouraging association membership.  In this issue, we are doing something a bit different, presenting multiple perspectives on associations for your consideration.  Are associations headstrong or member driven? Why join… or why not to? We have drawn two feature articles from the respective material of George F. Allen and Ken Rishel, who bring out both the pluses and minuses of association membership.  In addition, Michael Barnabas, Amy Bliss, Don Westphal and new voices Paul Bradley and Deanna Fields speak for association membership and address some of the concerns that Allen and Rishel have raised.

So it comes back to the fundamental question, how to associate. But the underlying principle that unifies all these perspectives is: YOU – we – (the members) are the ones to make the difference.  This isn’t about being for or against. It is about being FOR the good of the Industry. In these particularly difficult times, how can we afford not to be members of one or more associations? We’re association members. How about you?

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach’s Feature Article is a call to recognize our need for others, and that the clasp of a helping hand up can mean all the difference in the world. This theme was preceded by his recent contribution to the Inspiration Blog, “Working Together – A Teamwork Puzzle.” He wrote, “If any piece gets minimized or isolated, the rest lose balance and suffer. If the integrity of the circle – if associations or trade media – suffers, all will pay the price. Each party – each piece of the puzzle – needs the others.”

Hmmmm, basketball teams and fans… manufactured housing associations, organizations and fans…

Let’s hear how the basketball greats put it:

“One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” ~ Hall of Fame Player Kareem Adbul-Jabbar

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” ~ Legendary basketball coach John Wooden

“Basketball doesn’t build character. It reveals it.” ~ Unknown

“Talent wins games, but team work and intelligence wins championships.” ~ Acclaimed player Michael Jordan

And what is our MHIndustry Trophy? How about classy, quality, affordable homes for millions of Americans. HUD Code homes. Modular homes. Pre-fab and panelized homes. All factory built with pride and precision right here in the U.S.A.

3.
Now the greats of the manufactured housing Industry get on the court to share their experience, insights, wisdom, creativity and challenges to help YOU “win the game,” make your sales rise, and succeed and prosper in your MH business. This month we welcome new contributors Paul Bradley, Deanna Fields and Tracy Saville. So here are “All the Best:” Top-Talent professionals from A for Allen to Z for Ziglar! Let’s get started with your big new line up…

Featured Articles and Reports
for Vol. 2, No. 6, 2011

George F. Allen – Manufactured Housing Commentary
• What MHAssociations LACK

Michael Barnabas – Manufactured Housing Industry Solutions
• To Be, or Not to Be: Die, Survive or Thrive & Manufactured Housing

Amy Bliss – Value of Association Membership
• Associations and the Value Proposition

Paul Bradley – Value of Association Membership
• Association Membership: A Member’s Perspective

Paul Bradley – Resident-owned Communities
• Defying conventional wisdom, and winning to write about it!

Chad Carr – Internet Marketing and Sales
• By the Numbers – Part 1

Tim Connor – Management
• Mixed Top-Down Messages

Tim Connor – Sales
• Getting to the Decision Makers

Suzanne Felber – Practical Application of Industry Shows
• Bringing It Home: Using What We Learn at Shows in Our Own Sales Centers

Deanna Fields – Value of Association Membership
• Why Belong to an Association?

Nadeen Green – Legal, Fair Housing
• Eeeewww, That Smells…

Edward ‘Eddie’ Hicks – Manufactured Housing Financing
• Who says there are no more profitable investments in land lease communities?

Chrissy Jackson – Land Lease Community Management
• Guidelines for Living: Will the Guidelines Be Accepted?

Susan Knowles – Manufactured Housing Community Service Options
• Make the Most of an Existing Asset

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach – Manufactured Housing Industry Perspective
• Rodin, Art and Advancing Manufactured Housing

Greg McClanahan – Soft Skills and Personal Development
• An Amazing Person

George Porter – Manufactured Housing Retail and Media Education
• How Level Is Level?

Kenneth Rishel – Value of Association Membership
• Are Industry Associations Worthy of Active Support?

Kenneth Rishel – Manufactured Housing Industry Finance Commentary
• The Importance of a Written Loan Policy

Tracy Saville – Leader Strategy in the New Economy
• The New Economy Workforce Challenge

Joanne Stevens – Manufactured Housing Real Estate
• Top Ten Signs that You Have Stopped Thinking of Your Manufactured Home Community as an Investment

Bob Stovall – Manufactured Housing Community Resources
• What’s Around Your Community? People Want to Know

Don Westphal – Value of Association Membership
• Participation in State and National Organizations: Manufactured Housing Associations by the Number

Don Westphal – Manufactured Housing Community Planning
• Community Upgrades: Part IV: Level Four Renewal

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• ZigOn…Integrity Leadership

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• ZigOn…Teamwork

Next week, we will launch our new March issue.  It will feature a number of various perspectives on manufactured housing associations.  You either are or are not a member of an association.  Either way, you have a perspective, and you may find the commentary and discussion eye opening.  Two other MH CONSORTIUM publishers sparked this discussion.  While our one March issue on this subject won’t bring closure, it will bring more to light from the varying perspectives.

Sometimes when ideas clash, the sparks can shed light.

As we move from sparks and vigorous discussion, we may also see apathy.  An industry leader spoke to me this past week about apathy in manufactured housing circles.  Dictionary.com says this about apathy:

ap·a·thy  (noun)

1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

There are many possible reasons for apathy.  One may be a feeling of powerlessness.  A person may feel they don’t have a voice or a say.  It may be fear or the paralysis of over analysis.  Lacking the federal funding for a study of all who are ‘apathetic,’ let’s just say that apathy has roots.  It is worth noting that some may seem apathetic, but are not engaged for other reasons that may not be obvious.

Apathy is a choice, just as action is a choice.

Let’s return for a few moments to the clash of ideas.

Part of the vision for the free press in America was this notion. By presenting ideas and then candidly discussing them in the public square, possible solutions could be found.  It was the notion that the clash of ideas, respectfully discussed, could bring clarity to a subject. In the study of the Good to Great companies, we saw that vigorous discussion and debate often lead to clarity and success.

This ideal of the free press has never been fully realized.  But the potential for making the free press a way to spark and engage public discussion is now more real than ever!

With the Internet and the ability to post reasonable comments – or write directly to the editor for your own guest column – makes it possible.  This Manufactured Housing news and views media platform – MHMSM.com – can be one of the ways that you or others you know can sound off.

This is also a way for your voice and others to be heard.

Through vigorous discussion – in that clash of ideas done with mutual respect – solutions can come to light.  So I applaud those who take the time to sound off intelligently and respectfully.   We also must understand that those who sit quietly on the sidelines do so for a reason.

A very bright and successful professional shared with me the idea of KYP.  KYP is short for Know Your Prospect.  If you research your prospect, if you truly understand and know them, then you can craft an invitation and an offer that will appeal to them.  More to the point, if you know your prospect, you can better deliver what they need, want and can afford.

Research is thus important in the Know Your Prospect process.

We have a great product in manufactured homes.  Land lease communities can offer great value that needs to be better presented.  Many believe factory built homes ought to be front page news and in broadcasts or on cable from coast to coast.  Factory building is far more accepted, another caller told me last week, in Europe or Japan than in the U.S. Our recent article on factory built homes in Canada should make us realize that we have work to do here in the U.S. that will enhance our acceptance in the housing market place.

We can and should be able to do much better than we have been.

Last year at the International Networking Roundtable in Phoenix, Randy Rowe presented his five point plan for manufactured housing industry recovery.  We will be looking at that plan, because it deserves more attention.  We need to share ideas and engage each other so that the best ideas can come to the surface. We can through KYP advance our cause in the marketplace.

A great place for Industry pros to test ideas and products is at Public Days in two upcoming shows. The 2011 Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa, OK and HOMExpo 2011 in York, PA will feature Industry Trade Days followed by Public Days.  This is smart!

Imagine being a retailer who has a home they bought from the factory that is on display during Public Days.  You have a crowd.  They are there by choice!  They see these nicely-displayed model homes.  You have the energy of large numbers shopping.  Prospects can not only give you valuable feedback, but one or more may buy or apply for what you have on the spot!

This is not a theory, but a reality.  See our photo gallery from last year’s Great Southwest Home Show.  Retailers there sold homes on the spot, some for cash.  Other retailers reported selling homes days, weeks and months later to people who shopped their homes during Public Days! You can also click on the HOMExpo 2011 page to see crowds walking around the homes in York, where no doubt the same thing happened.

Our Industry sells quality, energy efficient, appealing and affordable homes.  Showing those homes to the public with all the excitement of Public Days is a big reason to attend and support the Trade Days portion of events like these.

What ties all these subjects together in this blog post today?

Associations are making these Industry Trade Days followed by Public Days events happen.

So Associations can make KYP – knowing your prospect – easier and more effective.

Associations can help make plans like Randy Rowe’s 5 Point plan for Industry recovery possible.

Associations are a key vehicle to protect and promote our Industry.

The new Feature Articles in our March Association issue goes live next week.  Please download or read your favorite February Feature Articles or Podcasts today, and see you back here soon.  #  #

As reported in our Daily Business News and our Factory Built Housing News at Noon Podcast, The RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana, has lost a sponsor and is now in troubled waters.  Please check out the story, pass the word on to others and lend a hand.  Also look again at Ross Kinzler’s Industry Voices Guest Blog Post on this topic.

Also in manufactured housing news and commentary…

Much is being said and written these days about the scheduling conflicts of key Manufactured Housing Industry events.  Among the most notable are the conflicting dates for the 2011 The Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa OK, The Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association’s 2011 HOMExpo in York, PA and the Manufactured Housing Institute’s (MHI) Congress in Las Vegas, NV.

Having had input from each of these sources, let me say that no one wants a scheduling conflict.  Getting facilities such as the QuikTrip Center in Tulsa or the York Center in PA means one has to look at available dates and the type of event, and plan accordingly.  Often a year or more in advance.

As you plan your calendar for which show or event to attend, considering the following may help your planning.

Are you interested in looking at multiple new homes?  Are you in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states?  Looking for educational or informational seminars?  Sourcing new products and services?  Then the 2011 HOMExpo may be right for you.  Most industry pros can attend free. Follow the links above for more details.

Are you in the Central or Western U.S.?  Looking for new homes, want business building seminars or want to compare dozens of products and services all under one roof?  The 2011 Great Southwest Home Show will be the largest indoor event of its kind in the U.S.  There is no charge for most Industry attendees; please follow the links for more details.

Finally, if you have no desire to see new homes displayed as in the previous two events, but are willing to pay and play to attend seminars and see other exhibits, MHI’s Congress may be right for you.  Check the link for their attendance fees and for more info.

Do keep in mind that with careful flight planning, a person could attend two out of three events.  In theory, you could do all three, but that would be pushing it.

Calls and messages come in to us about Industry issues, news and events.  If you have news tips, please do send them in.  If you want to send info and remain anonymous, please put the words Anonymous News Tip in the Subject line.  We protect our sources.

Every business day, you can get the modular, pre-fab and manufactured housing news all in one place on the web: our busy, exclusive Daily Business News blog.  Our exclusive News at Noon podcasts are available with a free sign up.  You can get podcasts of our monthly Feature Articles, so you can listen during drive time.  Twice weekly, you can get emailed updates of news and views you can use, with a free sign up.  Google reports an increasing number of ‘addicts’ to these free services at MHMSM.com.  Why?

Because the news and views you may find nowhere else is here.  If you did find it elsewhere, why not save the time and get it all on one website, MHMSM.com.

Get the news, tips and views right here to advance your business and career during these challenging times.  I say ‘career,’ too, because one person wrote in to say they felt that being in the know and on our pages to keep up to date helped land a good new job.  The person with whom they interviewed was a reader, too!

Thanks for making us number one.  Please thank our growing numbers of sponsors and advertisers, too. Remember, someone does pay for all of these services you can access for free.  Turn to the professionals who are making all of our growing resources available to you. # #

Learning from others.  We can learn from those in our Industry, or from those outside of manufactured housing.  We can learn from people who ‘do it right’ in our business as well as from those who ‘do it wrong.’  What is needed?  A willingness to learn in the first place.

This isn’t news.  Some people network or go to as many events and meetings as they can, precisely because they realize that a single idea may be worth considerable sums of money to them.  It is no surprise that many who attend meetings, do networking and are in groups or associations – actively so – are also the ones who often get ahead; yes, even in troubled times.

Often, it’s the readers who are the leaders.

It may surprise you to know that some of the authors or manufactured housing new items we share on MHMSM.com see differently than the writers do.  Even among friends, we don’t have to agree.  But we share a variety of viewpoints or perspectives on items in our online trade journal anyway. Why?  Because I or others still learn from them, even if we do see it differently!

I’m not talking about ‘diversity’ here in some ‘politically correct’ sense.  I’m talking about the practical advantages of diversity and its benefits.  We are diverse in publishing, in part because it is good for learning.  It is good to challenge each other with ideas and thinking that get us to dig deeper for solutions.

I started in this Manufactured Home Industry back in 1981, working for a company that had no training program.  Well, I take that back.  Here were the bullet points of their training program:

• Here are the keys to the homes.
• Here is the credit application and Form 100 (or 500).
• Here is our price sheet.
• Here is a pen.
• Go get ‘em, Tiger!

If a manufactured housing retailer or MH Community operator sells or leases homes in a boom town with little competition, you could be successful even with that type of ‘training’ system.  That said, the company I started with years ago is now long gone.  We can’t depend on order takers getting the job done in our Industry.  Best Buy, Holiday Inn and others outside of our Industry make new people train for weeks before they see their first customer.  Doesn’t it make sense to train our sales staff and other professionals, too?

Going back to my own induction into manufactured home sales, I tried to learn from anyone I could.  Sometimes that learning was from others, in or outside of our Industry.

Some of my education was from reading articles in the now defunct Merchandiser Magazine and Automation in Housing/Manufactured Home Dealer magazine.  Doing an online ezine like MHMarketingSalesManagement.com is, in part, our way of ‘giving back’ to an Industry that I love – and love even while admitting that our Industry has its flaws and shortcoming.  We have a great product and a great message.  But even the best product has to be sold.

I have some friends who are successful in professions outside of ours.  At times, we will get together, and I will take them to a nicely installed HUD Code home in an attractive setting.  The results are often similar to this…”I didn’t know that manufactured housing can be so nice!” Or “I didn’t realize the quality of today’s manufactured homes!”

I’ll bet if you have been in the business for more than a few months, you’ve heard statements like those, too. They are reminders that we do a less than stellar job of marketing our product.  They are reminders that we need to engage the public in order to convince them of the value of what we sell.

I learned firsthand that is also a good practice to invite your local public officials and do the same thing – show them a nice home, that is furnished, decorated or “staged” and properly installed.  You’ll often get the same type of response, “I didn’t know how nice a manufactured home could be.”

Once the public official indicates they are impressed, I may ask them if they would mind having their photo taken with me or another team member.  They are told up front that the photo will be shared publicly.  I’ve had once-negative public officials who held up some piece of company literature and posed that way for their picture!  They were that impressed with the homes.  Perhaps they also listened as I droned on to them about how factory building is the future, and the day will come when those who ‘get it’ will be seen as the visionaries when factory building dominates our great country.

Maybe you like reading this blog, or one of our other blogs, or some of our featured writers.  Good.  But if you don’t like something, read it anyway!  Not for my sake, or the author’s, but for your sake. Why?  Because the keen mind will pick up on what makes sense.  The keen mind will be willing to consider ideas that are new, different and sound like they have potential.

The sharp person then tests and analyzes, and puts to work various items.  I’ll bet you’ve walked into a store or restaurant before, and picked up on what is working – and not working – at the place of business.  This is partially the advantage of having a fresh perspective – what I call “new eyes” – and also a reason why some businesses hire a consultant.  They know they want someone else to give them a checkup, just the same as you would go to an MD, insurance, investment or attorney for a checkup.

If you pick up on some new idea that makes sense – either here or anywhere else – don’t test that idea just one time.

The law of averages rarely gives 100% results on anything!  If you can guess right on 55% of all sporting events, you could make money with that, even though it fails 45% of the time.  In marketing and selling, you may have what looks like a modest result; but repeated often enough, the cumulative impact may be amazingly good to your bottom line.

Sports enthusiasts practice to improve. MDs, attorneys, teachers, all have to do updates to their training.  Our Industry’s pros should do the same, too.

For all these reasons and more, we don’t run a popularity contest here at MHMSM.com.

We share articles from a variety of people, some well known and others who are becoming better known on our pages.

All of them have something to teach you, like ‘em or not!

I mentioned the value of events and networking, good reasons to attend the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa, OK.  We will be there, doing our ‘Dominate your Local Market’ Seminar.  But for a moment, let me talk about financing seminars that will take place that you will want to attend.  Go to the Great Southwest Home Show page, and also their recent press release.  See all the networking, seminars and other reasons to go.  Check out the video below, which reminds you why you want to see all the new models from manufacturers from states far and near, all taking advantage of the centralized location available in Tulsa.  If you go with an open mind, I can tell you that you’ll be glad you did.

Keep up with others.  Keep listening, networking and learning from others.  Set the pace.

If knowledge is power, those who have the most knowledge – and put it wisely to work – will prevail. # #

No, not that four letter word…

…Many say the most powerful 4 letter word in marketing is Free. Certainly, free is used to bring more people to an open house (“Free food and drinks!”), more people to a store, more people to a website. Now, what if you could combine Free, with business development (BD) and manufactured housing news?

Well, you can!

Before looking at that, let’s take two quick quotes from the Jim Collins’ book, How the Mighty Fall. We plan a review here in the near future, but let me share those two snapshots that relate to our Industry and this topic.

“Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you.” ~ Jim Collins

I can already imagine the reasoning being used by some as to why this DOESN’T apply to manufactured housing, but let’s not go there today. Please save it for the more in-depth review to come. The second quote is this:

“If you’ve fallen into decline, get back to solid management disciplines – now!” ~ Jim Collins

Solid management disciplines. Best practices. Common sense. These make for great sporting teams, great companies, great industries and careers or personal success stories. They set apart the companies that are profitable in our Industry today from those who struggle or are dying.

Stop and think about the successful firms in our Industry – don’t they have good management disciplines and best practices in place?

Take YOUR reality. Look the cold, hard brutal facts you face in the eye. Then, adopt a plan of action that addresses those specific realities.

Personnel development leads to business development. On our pages you can find FREE:

1. Marketing tips and strategies. See the authors on our home page or left navigation menu.
2. Sales Training. Ditto above, MHMSM.com.
3. Management coaching. MHMarketingSalesManagement.com
4. Soft Skills or people skills tips
5. Manufactured housing community upgrade articles by Don Westphal or Chrissy Jackson. If you haven’t checked out Susan Knowles‘ articles lately, learn how to get upgrades for your community that will drive revenue for you, with no cost on your MHC’s part.
6. Feeling blue, depressed, down in the mouth? Go to the INspirations blog for a lift, or Tim Connor’s blog for a weekly motivational booster.
7. Podcasts of all feature articles – why not download and listen while driving or exercising?
8. Podcasts of our Factory-Built Housing News at Noon, with manufactured housing news market reports
9. Associations page and associations news
10. Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) news and Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) news – all at this same convenient place, and archived for later access.
11. Manufactured housing news updated every business day on our Daily Business News blog, which comes complete with Daily Market Reports! You can track manufactured housing Industry stock results here daily.
12. Exclusive interviews, A Cup of Coffee with… and Industry in Focus news reports, all available with a free sign up
13. Twice-weekly emailed news updates (MHNewsLine) and action alerts; if you don’t get them yet, sign up for free now at this link.
14. Corporate Press Releases – these are from industry firms – is yours here?
15. Manufacturing, technology and community or chattel finance articles, check out the home page or see the left-hand navigation menu for this month’s feature articles.
16. Events – check this out regularly for updates; and if your organization is having an event of general industry interest, email it in to catherine@MHMSM.com and tony@MHMSM.com for posting.

Speaking of events, please join us at the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show – FREE – to see the latest homes, Industry products and services, financing updates, contents, networking, industry mixer and seminars, including our FREE ‘Dominate your Local Market’ Seminar. Get more information at these links:

• Show Page
• Latest Press Release and Video
• Dominate Your Local Market Seminar page

Experts tell us that part of taking control is facing the facts. The more you know, the better you are able to face the facts, weather the storms that may surround you and emerge stronger and more profitable.

We strongly believe that part of the mix for survival and success today are found in associations that protect and promote our Industry. We belong and attend meetings and events. Most of our writers belong and see value. We hope you do too.

The other part consists of the day-by-day ways you learn, practice and grow. Do what 37,044 visitors did in January 2011: log on here for news, tips and views you can use.

Use whichever of these URLs you wish to mark as a Favorite to access our pages:

www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com or www.MHMSM.com or www.MHProNews.com

where will find:

Innovation – Information – Inspiration for Industry Professionals

When you grow, when your team members grow, your business will grow. When businesses grow, so will the factory built housing industry. Now, these are manufactured housing news tips and views you can use. # #

This may sound for a few moments to be about me, but really the example that follows is more about your neighbor down the street, across town or across the country.  So please hang with me, as this is about our Industry and your role and future in this business.

If you read some of the LinkedIn recommendations on my profile, you might gain a different perspective than you would from the woman whom I won’t name, but will use as an example in this true story.

The woman I am thinking about was professionally gifted.  She worked with me some years back.  She was good at her job. She seemed to truly like it. She wanted more pay and some other things, but who doesn’t?  Now the professional challenge was that this woman, who reported to me at the time, hated my guts. She was sweet as pie with others; but with me, it was daggers and venom.

Why?

She told me early on, that I reminded her of an ex-husband who was abusive.  As I listened to her express the horrors of her abusive former mate, it was easy to feel and see her genuine pain.  The problem, for me at least, was that I wasn’t this other guy. I had no interest in anything more than a good working relationship with this woman on behalf of the firm we worked for then. But every time she was around me, she wanted to take out on me this hatred and fear she had for this other fellow, whom I never knew or met.

Now, translate this sort of scenario and think about manufactured housing.

How many people do you know or have met who don’t have a clue as to what our homes are like and the good that our Industry can do?  How many people have pigeonholed manufactured homes the same way that woman from years ago pigeonholed me?

How many people have wrongfully pigeonholed you or someone you know?

Some people pick up The Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, their local newspaper or favorite news outlet daily.  They think nothing of it, it is a habit. It may even be a good one if, for example, they are learning something of value from the news and are applying it.

Tens of thousands of very bright people – like you – are here reading MHMSM.com twice weekly, or even daily to learn what is going on in our manufactured housing Daily Business News and Market Report.  Others log on to our association news, or visit the events section, or are following the blogs by Bob Stovall, Tim Connor or Industry Voices, etc.  Some are in the modular or prefab business, and our Daily Business News and News at Noon Podcasts carry more of that news, or HUD Code manufactured housing news, than anyone else.

While a record of over 37,000 logged on in January 2011, others have not yet learned about us, or have pigeonholed MHMSM.com.  Maybe they came once, saw a name of a writer they didn’t care for, and that was it.  Hello?  They then tuned out the most robust news, tips and views source available today in the factory built housing media.  This is what our writer Tim Connor calls “filters” and “blind spots.” We all have filters, to include – or exclude – potentially useful Information.  If we don’t clean our filters, then we can filter out something useful.

Type cast.  Pigeonholed.  People do this all the time; we all do it, but should we?  We want people to want our home products and they should.  We all want a fair hearing for ourselves and for our homes!  Yet I’ve met employees of firms in our industry who can be as negative about our home product as that woman mentioned above was negative about me.

We have to learn to get past the filters, our own or that of others, in order for us to reach the 85% of the home buying market who tune us out!

We have to be willing to deal with others effectively.  We have good reasons to treat others the way we want to be treated.  Every month, our featured writer Greg McClanahan writes an often touching and inspired article on soft skills.  Why?  Because we all need them.  I know I do!  If our employees or co-workers have those soft skills, our Industry would be light years ahead of where we are today.  Every featured author is on our pages for a good reason.  They offer insights and value.

We have all been on both sides of this equation: we have been misjudged or misunderstood by others.  We have also been guilty of misunderstanding or misjudging others.  This means we have the perfect reason to understand why people misunderstand our homes, or our profession!  We have all been there, done that and have a t-shirt.

Part of the solution is so common sense, but it will strike some as self-serving.  We need to have our Industry members reading and listening to good Industry input DAILY.  State or national meetings can be informative; I go to them, like the upcoming MHI Congress. Events and shows, such as the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show are ever so important in order to know what is available, to network, to see the latest products and services, to have some fun with Industry peers. Speaking of that, check out their latest video, which we will post for you here below for your convenience.  My associates and I hope to see you there.

But the point is this.  We all need a daily dose of Industry news, tips and views you can use. We all need those soft skills, and those filter checks.  If you are an owner or supervisor, do you want some person ignorant of or biased against our homes to be influencing your staff?  Or do you want a pro-Industry resource like MHMSM.com to do better equip your staff for dealing with the public at large?

You don’t want to be pigeonholed.  You don’t want the Industry to be type cast as second class housing.  You don’t want your staff or associates to be thinking in some negative fashion about our Industry, either.

Some people rail when I mention Warren Buffett in some favorable light, and no, I am not on his payroll in any sense. (Warren, if you are reading, you could take out that famous napkin of yours… and change that fact).  But I have and will continue to say, Buffett and his billions are one of the best reasons you can think of for why manufactured housing is the future and not the past!

Buffett and company are financially committed; so, too, are some big REITs (Real Estate Investment Trust), or private equity funds, and people just like you, to the future of factory built housing in America.  We need to see the facts, which is why the Manufactured Housing Daily Business News and Market Report should be your daily stop, and it should be for your associates, too.  Our Industry In Focus Reports are timeless articles that give you and your associates the tools to answer many of those negative questions or comments the media or others use to stereotype our Industry.

Don’t pigeonhole others, and don’t let others pigeonhole you or our Industry. We need food daily.  We need air all the time.  We need to exercise our minds the same as we do our bodies.  Do it here at Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management (MHMSM.com), get others to, as well.  37,000 readers is great; thanks for making us twice the size of the next closest factory built housing media outlet.  But that number 37,000 could double overnight if you and your associates got one more person to log on, to get and stay informed and motivated.

A lady wrote in and said, when more people read us, we all win.  An industry exec wrote to say, thanks for advancing the cause of professionalism in our industry. The more MH pros here daily, the better the Industry becomes – and yes, we all win. # #

Ever watch a spine tingling movie?  Ever know someone with curvature of the spine? Ever glance at the catchy title on the spine of a book?

Get a spine for manufactured housing success!  The wisdom of the ages is found in the written (and spoken) Word.  Reading or listening to such wisdom and applying it is thus a sure path to manufactured housing success.

You may have thought of ‘Get a Spine’ as ‘get a backbone’…

…and we certainly need backbones to survive and thrive in the current, challenging economy and business environment.  But we also sell America’s affordable housing option!  So we have the right home product at the right time.

On a fairly routine basis, messages or calls come in saying ‘thanks,’ ‘appreciate the positive approach,’ ‘keep up the solution orientation,’ etc. Messages also come in saying, ‘quit being a rah rah cheer leader,’ or ‘quit being so MH establishment oriented,’ or ‘why don’t you share new ideas, new writers,’ etc?  What is amazing is that reader-commenters also wrote or say, ‘you have a great mix of new faces and recognized pros among your writers!’  In other words, how someone reacts has to do with the person writing and their outlook!  For the record, we have new faces along with seasoned pros on our home page Feature Articles all the time! See About Us for the many ways your voice can be heard on MHMSM.com.

Broadly speaking, there are two possibilities for our Industry: 1) there are solutions for returning to financial health or 2) there are none.

There are either ways to better serve the public and improve our image thereby, or there are none.  As one American legend put it,

Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right.

- Henry Ford

If you know someone who thinks it is all hopeless, tell them to figure out the best way to exit the business, OR tell them to read our pages – including our INspiration blog pages – routinely, and adjust their outlook!

Seriously, we KNOW there are challenges.  We are here because we also KNOW there are Industry success stories right now, and others are in the making.  Some plants are closing, but I spoke this week with a gent who is preparing to open a new facility!  Success? Or failure? Or as the Sage of Omaha puts it, and as we echoed in our Success, Manufactured Housing Style feature article:

“The best time to buy is when there is blood on the streets!”

- Warren Buffett

Get a spine!  Drive, wisdom and discipline get things done! Read a book (with a perfect bound ‘spine’ ) that may help you with your professional or business challenges. I am currently reading How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins, and plan a review for you in the days ahead.

Collins, a business author who does years of work with a team of university level researchers, has penned the cautionary volume How the Mighty Fall, and why some Companies Never Give In, which many in our Industry need to read to avoid falling into the death spiral for their business.

Speaking of spines, George F. Allen has recently penned an item he shared with me, that will likely be featured here at MHMSM.com in the days ahead.  For the thousands who have not yet seen or read this apparent broadside, it looks at first blush to be a spine-tingling body slam on some association executives.  GFA and I exchanged some discussion on the topic, as our experiences are different on the topic of association executive directors.  Stay tuned for that exchange coming up here on our pages in the days ahead.

For the moment, what I believe George, I and thousands of industry pros like yourself would say is that no two association executives are alike, and not all associations are created equal.  Some are performing amazing efforts to get and keep their members informed, involved and included in the process of navigating these challenging times, SUCCESSFULLY.  No association exec is an island; we all need others to pitch in and lend a hand.  It is that positive collective effort that can make the difference between survival, success or the long slide into professional oblivion.  Association Membership means involvement, if you want to benefit the most and get the most bang for your buck.

Please check out our events calendar, as there are lots of great events coming up in various parts of the country.  Some have a fee; others are free; like the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show In Tulsa, OK – with Industry Trade Days this April 28-29.  Public Days for the Tulsa Show run through May 1st.  Click on the link above for information on that show and click here for their latest updates on the fine food, folks, fun and fabulous networking, business building, great show homes and more you can see.

FYI, If you missed their new trade days video, please go back to my previous blog and view it now.  We will be there presenting our “Dominate your Local Market“ seminar – free – and we hope to see you there.

Readers are leaders, in potency or right now.  In this podcast era, listeners can be leaders, too.  If you – or your team members! – are not signed up for our weekly emailed news updates or daily news podcasts, click on those links to sign up free in seconds.  Does your office administrator read our pages?  Do you want your staff – her or him -  influenced by the main stream media that just doesn’t get our Industry?  Or do you want them to be Influenced by the MH!SM.com pro-Industry media resource?

You don’t need to spend tons of cash to have a research department; just visit here for our Daily Business News and Market Report or listen on your PC, iPhone or net book.

The discipline – the spine – of reading good business books, or of reading news and views you can use found here daily is priceless. If you saw the names of the people who have already signed up, they read like a Who’s Who in this Industry!  If they are here, and when thousands of ‘mom and pop’ independents are here, when 37,000 pros visited in January, 2011, you know you are in good company.

Thanks for spending some time with me; now please read the news or some article on the home page you haven’t read yet! # #