The Masthead

Sir Francis Bacon popularized the phrase, “Knowledge is Power.” In the information age, this is more true than ever before. Information precedes knowledge. In the biblical sense, knowledge implied intimacy. A grasp or an ‘intimacy’ with information is what yields true knowledge. Knowledge is power in the marketplace. Knowledge is the power to advance beyond your peers and competitors.

There are numerous gems for your business that follow. Some are obvious, some are subtle. If you skim this list you may miss the gem you needed for your business. Take some time with each of the personalities mentioned and you will be the winner for it.

It is no surprise that when you present top feature writers with tons of expertise – aka the power of knowledge – that industry pros flock to those pages on the www.MHMSM.com website. In fact, Google Analystics tells us that the articles by our featured writers are the top read on our main site.

In many places, holidays means parades. As we head into the 4^th of July holiday weekend, I will do the first of a short series of blog posts on top industry pros featured on www.MHMSM.com. This ‘parade of manufactured housing and modular/factory built home pros’ will show you graphically how Google treats them in a search.

What this ‘parade of manufactured housing pros’ will reveal in part is the power of combining these top talents on one online trade journal website. The SEO or Search Engine Optimization this underscores is not just important to them, but to you. Why? Because they wouldn’t rank high if they weren’t being read! Because they are being read – and read here on www.MHMSM.com – it means to you that these are pros you should be reading! It also means that those who consider writing in the future have the motivation to share their expertise with you here.

Let’s do this alphabetically, starting with Joe Adams. Joe is doing a series with us called a Journey in Successful Marketing. If you are marketing homes, development or a community, you should be reading this series! If you deal with those who do, you should be recommending to them this series!

Joe Adams has been a keynote and presenter at many Manufactured Housing Institute or MHI events. Adams heads up the MHEI or Manufactured Housing Educational Institute. With his own busy consulting practice, it is truly a privilege for our readers to be able to access this level of talent online free on our website. For those who want to take their marketing to the next level, a call to Joe should be on your agenda.

You’ll notice that even though MHMSM.com has only been online for some 9 months, we are already page 1 on a search for ‘Joe Adams manufactured housing.’ This means that our IT Manager Bob Stovall is earning his pay and that readers like you are coming in great numbers. Those are keys to this type of high placement.

George F. Allen is certainly one of the best known personalities in the Manufactured Housing world, notably among land lease community operators. I’ve heard that George has been online even prior to Al Gore’s claim for inventing the internet. What that means is that it isn’t easy to get page 1 with someone of Allen’s stature with a new website. That said, we are pleased to reveal that the search phrase used puts Allen higher on our page than any other website. Even if you drop the F from his name, we are still page 1 on a Google search!

We are pleased that George is one of the members of our Advisory Council here at www.MHMSM.com He has been part of more than one story by our Industry in Focus Reports by Eric Miller, as well as in many other blogs and articles.

Linda Beem with Capital First Realty isn’t one of the best known people in the Manufactured Home Industry. One of the things we are proud of is that we feature ‘new’ people to the national scene – good talents like Linda Beem’s – here at www.MHMSM.com. Because of that, you get access to articles by this lady who personally closed over 360 contracts (read, sales) plus additional leases in 6 years at Sunset Village Manufactured Housing Community in Glenview, IL. When you realize that she also did some leases on top of that, manager’s should be thinking – I want my team to read her articles! Sales and leasing pros should think, I want to learn what this lady knows!

Amy Bliss is well known at a leader at the Wisconsin Housing Alliance (WHA) and as the head of Tomorrow’s Home Foundation. Amy’s fine articles on our pages actually make her search come up higher than the two organization’s sites she works with.

Now it is fair to ask, why are these and the other industry pros we are showing you ranked so high on our website?

Part of the answer is in the chart above. During the 31 days in May 2010, we finished with 24,680 visitors. That number makes us the largest industry news and views site.

This screen capture above of our MHMarketingSalesManagement.com site stats demonstrates we have already passed that May total, with one day left to go. When almost 26,000 people log onto the same site from professionals in the same industry, that tells you something good is going on here! And a big part of that ‘something’ good are our featured writers, plus our other News and Views you can Use.

When you think about the fact that almost 900 people are coming or ‘meeting’ here daily, imagine 900 Industry people in one room! Wouldn’t it be amazing if a factory built housing retail center or Manufactured Home Community had that many people visit in a day! In the course of 3 days, that would be some 2700 ‘attendees,’ how many 3 day manufactured housing conferences have you attended that had that many people show up? Point made, moving on!

Rachael Biermann and Beth Monicatti Blank of All Seasons Communications have graced our pages and informed our readers in more ways than one! This gives an example of the search results for those fine professionals.

Chad Carr comes from a proud family tradition connected with the Manufactured Housing industry. That means he has been online for years. Again, what makes this interesting in part is because of visits from people like you, Chad’s ranking on this website is very high on a Google search, higher than the getrain.com website. This means you should be reading Chad’s articles and calling him when you have a need for services like his, because other people are doing it!

Tim Connor was one of our original feature writers and also is one of our most prolific contributors! I can see why Tim has published 83 books, and having attended a number of Tim’s live presentations, I can see why he is in demand as a speaker! When you’ve delivered 4000+ live presentations in 23 countries, there has to be a reason why people read his blog, call Connor, and knowing my friend Tim well, I can tell you it is great, thought provoking content!

The last link on the screen capture above for the Tim Connor search shows the value of showing up and being covered at the same meeting.

Tim’s and my presence and a follow up report about a Wisconsin Housing Alliance function got both of us mentioned in WikiName. This is an example of the value of sharing a platform, be it virtual or real. The more great writers we have, the more attention is attracted to each one. Literally, everyone involved wins, because the pie grows.

Which reminds me of a pair of our writers, who ‘reached out’ to hundreds of past and present clients as well as prospective ones, with links to their articles on our website. What happened to their SEO and readership? It went up, of course!

But what is really amazing is when authors or professionals share the links of other writers. I heard from one gent, that when featured writer A sent the link of writer B, the man naturally read both A & B’s articles!

Sue Frost has done and extensive series of articles for us on land-home financing. As a result, our readers have many resources from her experience and she has all of the top links for the search results shown on MHMSM.com!

I nicked named Mike DuPure “The Rocker Man!” He not only plays guitar and sings, but he Rocks the House with sales, sales and more sales! It has been some months since Mike’s last article with us, but most of his key word results are still on our pages. I share this example for a number of reasons, including the Linkedin result being #1 for Mike. I recall encouraging my friend – as I have many others – to get on Linkedin and connect with me. He’s got a top spot on Linkedin on today’s keyword search! As a manufactured housing sales and management pro, that’s not a bad place to be found, just like it is a good idea to be visible on www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com.

Z aka the Lifestylist ™ aka Suzanne Felber is one of those wonderful ladies who is passionate about pre-fab and manufactured housing and who has been very thoughtful in sharing her news and views with our readers at MHMSM.com!

Z’s done reports for us on the Tunica and Tulsa manufactured housing shows this year. Great write ups, well thought of replies from our readers! I should use this opportunity to remind YOU and your associates that the INdustry Voices Guest Blog is for YOU. The

INdustry Voices Guest Blog is a place where INdustry pros can sound of, like a guest editorial to USA Today or an Op-Ed column in the Washington Post.

Attorney Nadeen Green’s articles on the law and fair housing are a hit on our pages! We are always delighted to see her articles come in, as are our readers. There are lots of lessons for professionals in the search results above. What lessons do you see?

Besides the obvious one that it is good to be reading Nadeen’s insights on MHMSM.com… :-)

Danny Ghorbani has been on the Manufactured Housing scene for something like 2 decades. As the head of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform or MHARR for short, Danny is a newsmaker and reports from MHARR and MHI alike are showcased on our pages every day.

The results above remind us again about the value of the INdustry Voices Guest Blog as well as the importance of reading what Danny, Mark Weiss and MHARR have to say about issues that face the industry we all love!

Doug Gorman, along with Ken Rishel and Chrissy Jackson, round out the growing number of members of our Advisory Council here at MHMSM.com. Doug has been a respected and award winning personality in the INdustry for decades! It is a pleasure to have someone of his dedication and caliber on our pages and advising us! How many rival his volunteerism to the INundstry?

Doug has written for the INdustry Voices Guest Blog includng a report on the Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa, OK. He also did a very popular “A Cup of Cocoa with Doug Gorman” and a well read ‘INdustry TRENDS 2010” report.

Do you remember having A Cup of Coffee with Jamie Hammons of George Manufactured Housing Association fame! Well Google remembers! Jamie’s top results are still on our pages. We’d love to see Jamie come back and write some more when his schedule permits and to also and more state associations get involved on MHMSM.com. When the two national associations are routinely found on our pages, it is a good bet that the state associations should all be here too.

A Cup of Coffee with Eddie Hicks wasn’t enough, so we’ve done interviews, a brand new podcast with Eric Miller and a INdustry Trends 2010 report with Eddie, to name but a few! Perhaps those are reasons why he rates so high on Google with us? More important, is the fact that he rates high WITH YOU! INdustry Pros like YOU read Eddie Hicks’ expertise here!

If you have a community to finance to refinance or are wanting to develop, have questions about industry image, chattel lending or more, check out the new podcast Eddie did with Eric. It is bound to be a popular download this 4th of July and beyond!

Chrissy Jackson, the notable land lease and manufactured housing community management coach and consultant, joined us recently and already many of her articles are page 1 on Google.com! If you have an old ‘mobile home park’ that you want to see turn into a manufactured housing community, check out Chrissy’s series!

Greg Katanick of ManufacturedHomeSource.com fame wrote for us early on in the launch of MHMSM.com 3 of the top 7 search results for him are still on our trade journal’s website. Katanick, who is an SEO pro, can tell you all about the reasons why our site – and his! – get great positioning on Google!

Susan Knowles has shared her companies press releases and has written for MHMSM.com previously, so it is no surprise that her and the company she represents, Connexion Technologies, are found on our pages. 2 of the top 4 links for Susan and her firm are on the MHMarketingSalesManagement.com website.

We will cut off the alphabet with K tonight, because L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach has had a long day, with another 4 AM start time, and it will be after 11:30 PM when this blog post is finished. But a few quick points about the above. First, it may surprise some that my top result isn’t on my own page…or is it? A closer look reveals that the 4 out of the 5 results are on one of my websites. I’ve got tons of Google search results on line, in part because of using multiple websites to enhance exposure.

Many of my INdustry and other articles have been reprinted on other people’s websites, that’s cool too.

When you are talking about countless websites online, it simply pays to do all that you can to enhance your exposure! As many of the searches above prove, people with their own websites may be surprised to see that they rank higher on our MHMSM.com site than their own! Savvy searchers wanting background information will often specifically go to sites that aren’t directly connected to that individual or their company.

We started off with a parade of INdustry personalities, and we will continue that parade perhaps this 4^th of July weekend, along with some other Independence holiday treats!

We also started off talking about the fact that Knowledge is Power. Readers ARE Leaders! Those Industry pros like you who read – or now listen and learn on our podcasts – will over time produce better results than those who don’t. Combined with the right attitude, that is almost guaranteed. Why?

Because Knowledge is Power. Information proceeds Knowledge. And you can’t find more up to date information about the manufactured and factory built housing world in any other single industry publication that here at MHMSM.com. Over 25,000 professionals who have come here though June 29, 2010 can’t be wrong.

Take that to the bank!##

“A phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful…tail…near the end of (its life) it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix…arises, reborn anew to live again.”

Quote from Wikipedia online encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_%28mythology%29

Let me say what you know. We aren’t the only ones out there with turn-around ideas! In the last few weeks, a number of positive efforts are underway, new initiatives have been revealed, soon will be publicized or will be launched. This is important for an industry that has been hungry for good news. While this doesn’t mean that we are out of the woods, it does mean that many keen minds and dedicated parties are at work to effect the great turn-round for Manufactured Housing.

Here is a partial run-down, in alphabetical order:

• George Allen – will unveil details on his concepts for an industry turn around. George needs no introduction, and you know that something he and his associates present should have a lot of careful thought behind it. Stay tuned!
• Eddie Hicks – see the exclusive interview we recently posted on his initiative, which is bound to get people talking and thinking. Click here for what many are already calling a great read on an innovative concept.
• Ken Rishel and company also needs no introduction. Ken continues to promote the gospel of captive finance, a message that is spreading far and wide. We will share an exclusive interview with Ken Rishel in about two weeks, so stay tuned to learn more.
• Stephen Wheeler – soon will announce details on our pages about a program already underway that has big players in the MHCommunities world already involved, with more sure to follow. Wheeler is one of those keen minds with the drive that leads to successful results for all involved. We will either do an interview with Stephen or will present an article by him, with our target being the next issue which goes live in mid-March. Watch and listen closely to this gent’s successful program; stay tuned for details!

We’ve noted in our pages before the saying, quoted by President John Kennedy years ago, that the Chinese character for crisis also spells opportunity. You will see that in the thinking of Rishel, Wheeler, Hicks and while the details of Allen’s plan are not yet unveiled as I write this, it is bound to be there too.

Now besides these well known players, there is ongoing work in Washington and in your state capital as well by association leaders dedicated to making the turn-around of our great industry a reality. Please lend them your time and you diligent support. We are all in this together. Without our associations, where would be in the efforts at various capitals? Associations need us and we need them!

Now besides insights from these pros previously referenced, others were in the mix of recent conversations at www.MHMSM.com head quarters.

Another respected industry veteran made the comment to me recently that ‘We don’t have a product problem, we have a communications problem.’ He went on to say that winning over more of the home buying/home owning public will naturally lead to lining up the financing and resolving the regulatory challenges that our industry has struggled with.

Another key statement share with me in recent days was this: if more sales people were more focused on closing the business that is already coming to their locations, our industry could easily double sales this year even without a ‘new image or marketing strategy!’ This is one reason why our pages routinely feature articles on sales skills and on the marketing that brings those customers in.

Do the basics right every day, and those basics will take care of you and your firm.

There are Industry locations and enterprises that are making money in this economy. My philosophy always was, if someone else can do it, I can learn from those leaders and get a similar result too. I’m sure that is the attitude most presidents, executives and sales managers would want their front line sales agents to have! Which, by the way, is a great reason to have YOUR TROOPS reading solution oriented veterans like ours every day.

Another thought shared by a key leader in a conversation with me this past Wednesday:

• We as an industry have three and only three critical things to focus on:
1) Implementing the Congressionally mandated Duty to Serve,
2) Bringing Congressionally mandated FHA Title 1 Financing online and
3) the full implementation of the MHIA of 2000.
• Rapidly do the above, this veteran said, and we’ll grow by 50,000 shipments in one year!
• Since total shipments for 2009 are 49,789, down 39.2 percent from 2008, read ‘doubling the Industry’s business’ by     doing those 3 things!
• It should be noted that the same gent felt that more support needs to go to MHARR to make that a reality.

Your thoughts on these 3 points and related?

We at www.MHMSM.com have initiatives of our own on tap, like the Virtual Louisville Housing Show © aka Virtual Housing Show 2010 © , please see our IT Manager and StarShip Commander Bob Stovall’s post on that subject. Hundreds have expressed interest, so statistically that means there are thousands of Industry Pros out there who are interested but just haven’t formally raised their hand, yet!

We will be talking with MMHF leaders regarding the ideal name for this event, and what makes the best sense for advancing a cause that many feel can ‘double business’ in 2010; and move our industry ahead for years to come. Stay tuned!

Part of the turn around of the industry will come from voices new to the national stage but naturally ‘turn-around’ efforts and plans will also include the work of seasoned veterans like the ones noted above. It should go without saying that it takes understanding to effect change. Paraphrasing one pro last week, ‘we have to stop looking for the silver bullet.’ It is in large part about getting financing and doing the basic correctly. Our writer Mike DuPure said months ago here on www.MHMSM.com that the great Industry turn-around will be effected this way:

“It is about back to the basics and back to the Future.”

To help get both the basics and to encourage the rise from the ashes of a brightly burning, brilliant future, we routinely provide great content in our online trade journal to help you make the most of the business that is already at hand.

Alphabetically:

Joe Adams – exclusive new series coming up in March. Adams says this will be his first of the kind ever for our industry! I’ve seen the initial installment, an eye opener, stay tuned!
Chad Carr – a guru in the world of prospect and lead management. We are pleased to have a gent of this caliber sharing his fine writing with you here.
Tim Connor – we love featuring this renowned author, trainer, coach and speaker; we routinely get great feedback on his articles and blogs!
Suzanne Felber – the LifeStylist, with great insights on trends and in design, décor, building around the client’s LifeStyle and more! I’m a personal fan of “Z” and if you read her, you will be too!
Doug Gorman – periodic contributor and one of the most volunteer minded leaders at the state and national level. Doug is super-involved, so we are glad to get his time when he can spare it. Please let him know that you appreciate and respect his efforts, and may many more women and men in our Industry follow his example of self giving for the good of all.
Tony Kovach – your editor, writer and blogger.
Greg McClanahan – exemplifies the meaning of the word, gentleman. Greg’s unique, accredited and memorable Around the Campfire soft skills development and training approach are found here exclusively, and with our thanks.
Bob Stovall – Bob’s skills are amazing, the IT and web wizard behind our rapid growth and success! If you want to know how to do more online, you’d better tune into Bob’s articles and blogs routinely.
John Underwood – exclusive new series, launched with the Industry Voices Guest Blog. John is already stirring up positive reviews among industry pros who are pleased to see him writing here on www.MHMSM.com!
Don Westphal – exclusive, new content that should get community owners and developers thinking! Watch for an exclusive A Cup of Coffee with…DON WESTPHAL interview in March.

We’ve brought you a number of professionals, like Dan Rinzema, Don Westphal and Suzanne S. Felber who will be presenting ideas at MHI’s April Congress and Expo that in some cases you’ve already seen previewed right here on our pages.

We are bringing you America’s Motivator Zig Ziglar.

We’ve brought you articles by attorney and author Nadeen Green.

You can go to the archives and read Association Leaders such as Thayer Long or Danny Ghorbani, Ross Kinzler, Amy Bliss and Jaime Hammons.

We’ve brought industry rank and file, owners, presidents, marketers and more; dozens of names old and new! We done this so that you and our thousands of other INdustry readers can dig more deeply into issues and consider the many possible ways to move ahead into the future were opportunity awaits.

In addition to the names previously mentioned, you’ve met here at www.MHMSM.com:

Faith Barr, Linda Beem, Jerry Bennett, Rachael Biermann, Beth Monicatti Blank, Douglas D. Chasick, Mike DuPure, Sherrie Franklin, Susan Frost, Ken Geljack, Scott Jones, Greg Katanick, Richard J. ‘Dick’ Klarchek, Steven Lefler, Michelle Nichols, Chris Olvera, Dennis Peters, Michael Sater, Tim Saville, Kent Stichter, Tim Siahatgar, Joe Summers. James J. Talerico, Jr., Heather Vela, Tom Zagorski and more!

Authors writing here for you with names literally From A to Z! If I’ve missed someone, my apologies, but we’ve had dozens of authors as you can see from so many different disciplines in our industry.

We invite other industry professionals, to join our growing ranks of fine writers. If you have ideas you want to share in writing or via a video with thousands of industry pros every week, please see the about us page on our main website. The stage is broad here and we love to share it with you. Because…

…this is the time and this is YOUR place to be heard!

This is a key place for Industry Voices to be seen and read.

From an exclusive interview which will be published in our next issue – which will appear in Mid-March – I’d like to preview a compelling quote from a respect leader:

“Each of us should start the day asking ourselves: “Is what I have done in the past working for me today??????????????? If the answer is “no”, then commit to change or step aside and pass the torch to a new generation.”

I think that is a compelling thought. Let’s ask ourselves that question every day, is what I have done in the past working for me today? If the answer is “no,” then commit to change. Change yourself, bring onboard or team up with skilled agents of change that can move you to where your business should be! Because…

Crisis spells opportunity for those who see it and act upon it.

Fire can kill, but in nature what fire often does is burn away what is already dead. Like the legendary Phoenix – that rises to new life from the ashes – there are movements and signs of a turn-around and a brighter future. That is a type of new birth, a resurrection, a Phoenix Rising.

From out of the fire and ashes, there are rising ideas and efforts that can transform our industry for years to come. We want YOU to be a part of it!

At the same time, let’s not kid ourselves. There is work to be done, quite a lot of it. If you drilled down what each of the professionals who writes for us, they might say something like this:

We need to follow best practices. We need to take care of our customers. We need to focus on the basics. We need to bring the best of the past and unite that with the best of the new to build a brighter future!

People are making money in our Industry – today, in this economy, with our current challenges – so still more can profit today in our business too.

Be Informed.

Study the issues. Study the plans, without prejudging them. We need to analyze and move with what works and what shows promise. With hundreds of thousands in our industry, there will never be 100% consensus on anything. So don’t wait for total unity! Rather, after some study: pick your favorite strategies, efforts and associations, and support them with your time, talent and treasure.

From out of the ashes of past and current challenges, there are efforts like those noted above that can lead us to new glory days ahead. We plan to be a part of them, and to give voice to them

Stay engaged, stay tuned, reading daily industry news updates, numerous weekly blog posts including our hot new INDUSTRY VOICES Guest Blog, our great featured writers and more. You can be a part of the conversation in many ways, see our about us pages for details or just post your comments on articles, email or call them in.

We want YOU to be a part of the Phoenix rising like a new dawn for our industry! Working together for that great goal, we can make it happen!

www.MHMSM.com did an exclusive interview yesterday with Industry Guru, Eddie Hicks, noted consultant and multi-decade veteran of retailing, development, project financing, and more.

The discussion was far ranging, here are some of the highlights.

Q by Tony Kovach:
You came out recently with an article in The Journal that called for an Ad Hoc Committee to tackle the issue of image building for the industry.

A by Eddie Hicks:

Our industry’s (public) image hasn’t kept up with substantial improvements in our products. This has impacted our industry’s efforts in Washington, with HUD and others to move regulatory issues ahead. For example, the implementation of Title I lending was passed in 2008 by Congress and signed into law by then President George Bush. For regulators, Title 1 implementation isn’t a priority. They don’t consider our industry’s influence that strong. They think spending the majority of their time on the more preferred FHA Title II financing programs for so called conventional housing is more important.

Now if we changed our image with the public, if we created a positive new public image similar to what the RV industry did with its “GO RVing” campaign, these sorts of delays wouldn’t be happening.

Q. So what do you see as a way of changing that image?

A. I think we should get to the source of the information which most people use which is TV. Let’s get creative. Let’s influence TV shows to project a good image of manufactured homes.

Q. How do you think that could be done cost effectively?

A. By using Product Placement and/or producing creative new shows which feature m/h in a positive light eg: a new sitcom, or a reality based series.

Q. You mean like planting the product into the story line, like having a Chevy in a movie?

A. Precisely. Make the product part of the background for the TV show. It could be a sit com or other show. Why not have the settings for a TV show as some clean, upscale manufactured home community? Why not have the characters living and loving their homes as part of the background to the story? This could be a way with minimum dollars to influence the public in a profound way.

Q. Interesting concept! I’ve watched this done with products before, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen this done or proposed for manufactured housing. Great idea, Eddie. That said, how could we (as an industry) advance a product placement approach for use on TV?

A. I have connections with the entertainment industry. Some of them include a cousin who produced TV shows like Magnum PI, Battlestar Galactica and others. A nephew of mine produces 2 minutes to 30 minute spots for casinos. Potentially through connections like these or others we could advance a story line for a TV series that could use the product placement of clean, appealing upscale manufactured home living in a positive light.

I know others with TV production connections, clients or people I’ve met, like the producer of Cheaters. Do you know that show? We could get together with people like those who know how this is done and think it all out.

Q. Actually, Eddie, I don’t watch TV, I’ve heard of the show, but I have never seen it.

A. Wow, how do you get your information (he says with tongue in cheek)? (Eddie’s question; Tony’s answer:) I’m one of those guys who reads and likes to talk to people who know. Internet, magazines, books, etc. I’ll watch a DVD or video on line at times too.

Q. So in your view, Eddie, how would we move something like this forward?

A. Well, I don’t think we need to wait and get a group like MHI involved. In some ways, they’ve failed to move this sort of thinking ahead on the image building issue. I think we can hire a consultant for modest dollars, someone who knows the entertainment industry and how to get things like this product placement for image building done. I know a guy in Central Florida who had a nice boat. A film producer paid him handsomely to shoot scenes using that vessel in a boat yard. What we would want to do is shoot something like this in a clean, new manufactured home community, showing intelligent, active, people living normally.

You can tell your readers that if they are coming to Congress in Vegas, to contact me directly and get involved in this Ad Hoc Committee effort, we’ll have some interesting people for them to meet and get involved with. By the way, I don’t want to be in charge of an effort like this, I would like to help get this or other good ways to build image going. We have a lot of smart people out there who are involved in our industry, and I think we can “glean” some creative and resourceful ideas from them. Far be it for me to be the only one with ideas.

Q. It seems to me like some community owner or other owners would be willing to fund a concept like this.

A. Not necessarily so. Many of my clients are in the communities business. Most of the all age community owners are hurting. Many people in our industry today are just too focused on surviving instead of planning ahead. Back in the late 90s, or early 2000s, when people were still selling like crazy and making money compared to today, that is when we should have started something like this. But too many people were too busy thinking ‘today,’ instead of planning ahead. Look at where we are now!

I think we need to turn to manufacturers or maybe lenders to get something like this done. They have the incentive and the means. It would be nice to get someone like Warren Buffett and his organizations at Clayton, Vanderbilt, and 21st Mortgage behind it too.

It seems to me that too many people in our industry don’t realize the importance of getting financing going. That is the lifeblood of our industry. Implementing FHA Title I would be a big step ahead to getting lending going, and thus driving more retail sales again. I can’t understand why there isn’t a more forceful push to do that in Washington.

Q. That sounds like something like Danny Ghorbani at MHARR might say.

A. Danny Ghorbani is brilliant. Danny is a master of understanding the importance of financing to moving (MH) product. I’d say that maybe 1% of new homes sales today are cash sales, so the other 99% are financed. We as an industry need financing!

Ken Rishel is another one of those industry pros who are working hard on the captive finance side of this picture. Ken and Precision are doing good work too.

Nothing happens until a sale is made! Sales are made 99% of the time through financing. So why aren’t we as an industry spending more focus on getting financing going again? Without financing, without a sale, manufacturers don’t build, transporters don’t move homes, set up and installations crews don’t work, suppliers don’t sell parts, lenders don’t lend, insurance companies don’t insure and so on.

If we can fix financing and fix our image issue, if we can get good things like FHA Title I lending going again, we’ll see sales rise in our industry.

—————————– end of interview —————————–

You can contact Eddie Hicks at: www.mobilehomepark.com, 813-661-5901 or via email at easteddie@aol.com

www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com plans to do more interviews with industry pros – such as Eddie Hicks and others – in the days ahead. You’ll see more feature articles from top names too. These are scheduled to star with the new March issue, that will go live circa the middle of the month.  Stay tuned!##