The Masthead

Here in the Western World, we follow the Gregorian calendar and call this year 2011. In the Hebrew calendar, this is 5771. In the Islamic calendar it is 1432. In the Persian, it is 1389. And there are more calendars, Mayan and Chinese, and even PC and Mac dating systems! Some calendars are based on sun cycles, some on the moon, some on a combination, some on math, and some on… only Microsoft knows.

Why is this important to the Manufactured Housing Industry? Because it illustrates the essential point that there are many different points of view, many approaches, diverse understandings and interpretations, similar and/or dissimilar variations of the seemingly same reality – in the case of calendars, time. In the case of our Industry, homes and the Industry itself: how we are doing? Where are we going? How do we get there? Who’s doing what? – or not doing it, as the case may be.

Speaking of Calendars, be sure to see our Calendar of Events – it is loaded with Association Meetings, more Housing Shows at Tunica, and Tulsa, and free Webinars by Industry Pro Chad Carr for increased profits in 2011!

With calendars, there is no argument, no quarreling or dispute, no attacks, no nasty swipes at another’s perception of time. There may be a question, what does this mean? But generally there is an acceptance that each culture has thoughtful, well-considered reasons for perceiving time in the way it does. Can it be this way in our Industry as well? Or at least here in the pages of MHMSM.com?

We invite and encourage our readers and listeners to give feedback to our various blogs posts and featured articles – publicly through Disqus and/or Tweets or privately through email and/or phone calls Everyone’s contact information is right out there. You can agree with the blogger or author or not – all responses are welcome as long as they are expressed respectfully. Unlike other ezines or blog posts, we do not filter out “negative” feedback, only inappropriate language. THANK YOU to all who take time to write a few lines or share your thoughts! We welcome more of you! Yet we find that some responders are taking things out of context and reacting or swatting, instead of showing they have read the material, given it intelligent consideration, and have questions as to the writer’s meaning. This looks more like an ad hominem or “so’s your old man!” and reflects on the responder, not the writer.

Such open conversation – that begins with really listening – can transform the exchanges you have with your team, your staff or with colleagues, in a meeting, at a trade show or wherever you are.

MHMSM.com is a forum for discussion, for dialog and conversation meant to benefit and build the Industry. It is so easy to tear down or tear apart. But it is so much more satisfying to build something, and to build it together. We’re talking about American homes and our futures.

That being said, let’s get to our new contributions this month! First, we thank all you have taken time to share your responses to the Industry 2011 Trends Surveys.

And once again, we bring you “All the Best:” Top-Talent professionals from A for Allen to Z for Ziglar! We thank all of you authors, too! So let’s get started with your big line up of new articles …

Featured Articles

and Reports for Vol. 2 No. 4, 2011

George F. Allen – MH Commentary
• Whose Responsibility Is Housing Affordability?

Michael Barnabas – MHIndustry Solutions
• The Truth about Manufactured Housing

Chad Carr – Internet Marketing and Sales
• Unlocking the Secrets of the Internet – Part Four: Building Relationships over Time

Maria Cucchiara – Website Development
• Make Sure Your Website Is In Good Shape for the New Year Checklist

Tim Connor – Management
• Employee Loyalty

Tim Connor – Sales
• 52 weeks to GUARANTEED Increased Sales!

Nadeen Green – Legal, Fair Housing
• Ring in the New

Chrissy Jackson – Land Lease Community Management
• Guidelines for Living: A Complete Series for Writing, Amending and Updating

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach – MH Industry Reporting
• Hotels, Motels and the Image Building Campaign for Manufactured Housing

Eric Miller – MH Industry Interview
• A Cup of Coffee with… Teresa Payne

George Porter – MH Retail and Media Education
• How About Some Directions for the Directions?

Kenneth Rishel – MH Industry Finance Commentary
• Rediscover Selling

Kenneth Rishel – MH Industry Finance Commentary
• The SAFE Act in Indiana versus RTO: “Good Parks Don’t Rent Homes!”

Dave Shanklin – MH Industry Financing
• The Three Things I Revel In as a Loan Officer for Manufactured Homes as Personal Property

Joanne Stevens – MH Real Estate
• 8 Signs That Your Partnership May Have Run Its Course

Bob Stovall – Online Marketing
• Manufactured Housing – What is Your Market Niche?

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• ZigOn… A Chance to Start Over

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• ZigOn… Gratitude

Article by Catherine Frenzel

I was reading something George Allen penned recently, and it referred to a saying we all know well:

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Then, I read an item that Don Westphal sent me. It was an article by Lawrence W. Reed, entitled Ideas and Consequences: Businessmen and the War of Ideas. It talked about how challenging the business climate can be. Don’s point was that it is certainly very true for our Industry. Reed’s article had this powerful thought:

“Many business executives may be quick to say, ‘But I am involved in such things. I give money to candidates, and so do the political action committees to which my company contributes.’ That may be important, but it’s also akin to locking the proverbial door after the horse has already left the barn. Politicians usually reflect opinion and seldom generate it; what they can accomplish in office is defined and circumscribed by prevailing majority opinion. If you really want to make a difference and get the maximum bang for your buck, then you should invest in ideas. Change public opinion and the politicians will fall into line accordingly.”

Visit http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/ideas-and-consequences-businessmen-and-the-war-of-ideas/ to see the entire article, which is well worth the read.

My point is this. Each of us needs to be part of the solution. Each of us needs to work on the climate in the market place, media and public officials for how our Industry is perceived.

Associations can be an important part of the solution. Associations are in fact a huge part of what should be our day-to-day as an Industry. When we look at issues like the SAFE Act, or Dodd-Frank and others, how does a small to mid-size business afford to deal with those apart from an association based effort? If you are not already an active member of a state or national association, let me suggest you make 2011 your year for being an active trade association member.

We also need to mobilize our customers. In the Internet Age, ‘sell ‘em and forget ‘em’ is a foolish short-term policy. I suspect that the vast majority of our readers are not that type, so I will then suggest that you email the link of this blog post to the people you know in the business who still have that ‘sell ‘em and forget ‘em’ mentality. We need to engage our peers, as well as our clients and the market place in general.

As many of you know, I grew up in MH Sales – starting back in 1981 – and eventually had a record-setting retail center before selling it. We do marketing and sales support services for clients retailing in MH Communities and other aspects of the Industry. Besides our own experiences, we get tons of emails and phone calls from folks just like you, as well as from national and state association leaders. The point is that we do have a pretty good feel what happens day to day “on the ground” in the Industry, because we provide services and are engaged with firms like yours. We need to engage our customers not just before and during the sales process, but afterward. In domestic automotive sales, Saturn has done a good job of getting and keeping customer loyalty. We need to put programs to work that do the same, for the reasons Lawrence Reed pointed out in the article referenced above. When you take care of the customer, you are taking care of the future of your business and our Industry. 

Next week is the 2011 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show. We will be there – see us at booth #932. Only those who want to grow their business in 2011 should attend. This historic show and first major event of the year promises to be a good one.

I’m told that registrations are now more than double the size of the last two MHI events plus the International Networking roundtable combined; there are over 550 Industry attendees signed up as of a couple of days ago, and still one week to go! Based on those numbers, typically another one to two hundred more attendees will just ‘show up’ at the Kentucky Exhibition Center (KEC) doors at Louisville and register on the spot to see the Show. Dennis Hill and the MMHF Committee have indicated they are pleased and cautiously optimistic, given all the good signs and the generally challenged nature of the business. So we hope to see you there. Here are some key links:

http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/dominate-your-local-market
http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/2011-louisville-manufactured-housing-show
http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/fha-207m-private-financing-loan-guarantee-seminar 

A note on this last link: I get calls and emails from people looking for refinancing or new financing solutions for their MHCs, especially for the ‘smaller’ loans of say one million or so. Go to this Eddie Hicks seminar (linked above). You can sign up in advance, or at the door in Louisville. I’m a big believer that the answers are available! We have to be willing to get the answers that we need, and then do what it takes to implement them!

“Disappointment, failure, and frustration are the main agents of change.
Success is a poor teacher, for it usually only confirms us
in what we thought we already knew.”
~ Kenneth Boulding

Some of the greatest leaders in the history of the world realized that they had to start with one person, and then another, and another. We need the discipline and courage to set the right expectations with our customers, deliver what we promise and then ask them to send us their friends and associates. If we have fences to mend, let’s mend them. When we encounter prejudice in the media or elsewhere, let’s engage it.

But if we are wise, we have a huge head start!

If we did a head count of 500,000 or so people who are working in some aspect of our industry, if we looked to 20,000,000 or so people who live in homes our industry has produced, these are the ones we should first reach out to line up our support. Get your teammates or associates reading good material every week; you’ll find a lot of it right here on our website or that of your association. If they are too busy to read, have them download our podcasts. Be informed. Be inspired. Be engaged.

“We must improve our talk/do ratio.”
Stewart Brand

Enough said.

##

Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year’s. These are times that we gather with friends, family and associates. We celebrate, party and feast! We eat (and sometimes drink ;-) ) too much! To those distant, we send warm greetings by phone, mail, text, via Facebook, Twitter or email. FedEx and UPS certainly celebrate all the packages that reflect the love and caring that this season brings. These are for most of us bright, grand days during the seasonal darkness where we Americans live.

This is also a time for reflection.

Many companies and individuals use this time to review what has transpired in the past year. To see where they have been and what direction they have moved. To ponder and advance what has been right, and also to learn what needs to be set right that was wrong. That is an important process. Just as a star once guided the wise during the dark of night, so too there are lights that shine for us during these darker days. IF we are willing to focus on the light of wisdom and follow, then we too may find what we seek…

As part of my personal reflection, let me pause and thank you for being here. It is a privilege to serve.

It is also quite humbling to see who we have shared these pages with at MHMarketingSalesManagement.com (MHMSM.com) in this past year. We have an amazingly dedicated team of fine feature writers! They have shared with you and tens of thousands of others their time and insights on our pages and in our podcasts. The best among us understand the fact that sharing valuable time, insights and experience is a wonderful form of giving back! Many of the best are found right here. My thanks to each of you.

Warm thanks also to those who have written for the Industry Voices Guest Blog and participated in A Cup of Coffee (or Cocoa)… interviews or Industry In Focus interviews with Eric Miller.

We have a great team on the staff of MHMSM.com as well. Unless you work behind the scenes, it is not easy to imagine how much effort it takes to pull off the business daily news and information, monthly feature articles, and weekly blogs and emailed newsletters. Plus the daily business news podcasts, too! My hats off to the fine folks who make MHMSM.com possible through their daily efforts.

Let me share those names with you below.

Joe Adams

George F. Allen

Michael F. B. Barnabas

Rachel Biermann

Beth Monicatti Blank

Jason Boehlert

Chad Carr

Tim Connor

Maria Cucchiara

Congressman Joe Donnelly

Mike DuPure

Dick Ernst

Marc Faulkner

Suzanne Felber

Sue Frost

Danny Ghorbani

Doug Gorman

Nadeen Green

Jamie Hammons

J. D. Harper

Edward ‘Eddie’ Hicks

Dennis Hill

Mike Hourigan

Chrissy Jackson

Congressman Walter Jones

Joe Kelly

Ross Kinzler

Susan Knowles

Steven Lefler

Thayer Long

Bill Matchneer

William P. McCarty

Greg McClanahan

Eric Miller

Mike Moore

Shawn Mullins

Greg O’Berry

George Porter

Dan Rinzema

Kenneth Rishel

Tim Saville

Ray Schmitt

Dave Shanklin

Joanne Stevens

Kent Stichter

Bob Stovall

Congressman Bart Stupak

R. W. Thiemann

John Underwood

Heather Vela

Richard Weinert

Don Westphal

Stephen Wheeler and Marilyn Kuntemeyer

Zig Ziglar

Privacy policies – and space limitations! – prevents us from sharing the names of all those who are our readers. From associations, to government officials, to the “Mom and Pop” firms that are the backbone of this great nation, to the mid, large and giant companies of our Industry – you will find our readers and listeners.

We have all learned from others, and it is by passing along lessons learned and sound insights that society – or an Industry! – can advance. Unless we are willing to adapt and grow, change will pass us by. Thus the importance of a place like MHMSM.com – where minds come together, to share, learn, adapt and grow! Corporate and association meetings are important. So is the meeting place of the mind online or via our podcasts.

As we ponder the deeper meaning of these and other seasonal holidays, let us allow the spirit of giving and receiving well to inspire us to be our best.

You or others readers and listeners like you have shared thoughts in person, by phone or electronically. My sincere thanks for each thought shared. Many of our tips come from you. Some want to be kept anonymous, and that is honored here. In the ideal, we have an exchange, a deeper encounter than may at first be obvious. It is naturally our desire to listen as well as share back with you, and thus the reason we are all here.

No one in their right mind denies the challenges we face. But neither should we let those challenges daunt or deter us! Americans have overcome much greater challenges than we face, so we can do what needs to be done today and tomorrow.

Let us learn and apply those insights we gather from one another to improve and grow personally and corporately, and thus as an Industry.

Let us make 2011 a year for true advancement.

Let us do what it takes to make our better days ahead a reality.

There is a star that shines in the darkness of night. This is a metaphor that can inspire us if we allow it to do so. We have star power on these pages, and we have star power in you and some 35,000 others like you in various parts of this Industry. Together, we can advance and grow.

My thanks to all who visit, read, listen, write, podcast and meet in this modern fashion on our pages. My sincere thanks to you. We hope our work is our gift, symbolized by our e-card above.

Merry Christmas! Let’s catch up with each other again this weekend and we hope to meet with you again next week. # #

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Most of us will be familiar with this quite American maxim quoted above. Yet this insightful statement is all too often ignored. There is the surface level of the quote, literally about the cover of a book. I know I’ve read books that had covers that caught my eye, but the contents disappointed me. Likewise, most of us have had the reverse experience of a book cover that was perhaps okay, but inside was a gem of a read!

This same phenomenon occurs with people, businesses and organizations, too.

It is human nature to size people or companies up. Sometimes we do so in a matter of seconds. This is true online as well. Web experts say that many people decide in 7-8 seconds if they will continue to look at the contents of a website. We often do similarly with books, people or organizations.

I say this as a set-up to the following subject.

From time to time, the question comes up: “Who is behind the Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management (www.MHMSM.com) online trade journal?” “Who funds your work at MHMSM.com?” and similar queries. This wasn’t the planned topic for this weekend, but as it does keep coming up, let me share the answer, to hopefully clear the question up.

Let me address some of the common misconceptions and then dig a bit deeper.

1. There is no community owner/operator who owns us or has a financial stake in MHMSM.com. Nor has this been the case at any time in the past.

2. Some have asked, “Is George Allen or Ken Rishel an owner, part owner or a backer?” No, they are not. They are among my Industry friends and advisors. They do write feature articles that we are pleased to publish. They have no financial stake in MHMSM.com, nor have they in the past.

3. Nor does any other Industry person, association or corporate entity you may wish to guess have a past or present financial stake or ownership interest in MHMSM.com.

We are owned by/are part of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC. There is your ‘owner.’ Before you ask who owns that entity, the answer is: none of those mentioned above. The answer above still stands. Who you see here is what you get.

So why share this now?  Simple answer: it is the truth. And as the rumors to the contrary continue and are from time to time brought to my attention, it is just good to address it.

We all know that there is no free lunch, someone always pays. So where does the money come from to fund our work? Because everyone knows something like MHMSM.com costs real money to do.

The answer is that:

> Consulting work,

> Marketing services to the MH Industry, along with

> Advertisers and

> Sponsors

are what fund our operations.

Advertisers and clients are just that; they are not our owners.  Naturally we want to see our advertisers and clients do well, but anyone who reads something more into it than the facts shared is simply mistaken. Reason and positive comments suggest that we have those clients because we deliver results.

But I am equally sure those clients value supporting the MHMSM.com effort by sharing their marketing and/or consulting dollars with us. When an advertiser or consulting client invests in us, they get a manifold return, including results AND benefiting the Industry at large by supporting this media platform.

At the current rate of readership, some 35,000 professionals a month are visiting MHMSM.com, which makes our audience about twice as large as the next closest similar entity.

Our registrations are growing for our twice-weekly emailed newsletter and updates and also for our podcasts and free premium content. To give you a sense of this, the email sign ups and also our Podcast/Premium content are now among the top 1% of all our main pages that are accessed. Since Google Analytics tell us over 800 pages a month are accessed on our main site, that gives you an idea of how much content we have and how many of you are using it!

A number of associations and companies forward or recommend our site as an Industry resource. Our reporter, Eric Miller, advised me of some research he did that indicates there are over 16,000 outside links to our site. Over 16,000 outside links – wow!

We value every reader. We naturally value every contributing writer. I’m proud and humbled to be working with such a talented group of professionals that are all here to serve YOU and tens of thousands of others in the manufactured/factory built housing Industry like you. We naturally hope to continue to grow so we can keep serving you and others all the better!

We believe deeply in this Industry. We also believe that this Industry’s best days are ahead of us. We are here because we have seen the studies that tell us that there will be a housing boom in the not too distant future. Read all about the coming boom and why it will be good for our Industry —> FOR THOSE WHO PREPARE <— on our pages or in the Manufactured Housing Revolution.

With the support of Industry pros like yourself, together we can do what so many long for today: make the Industry turn around a reality. A dozen-year nose dive is way too long. We have been bumping bottom now for two years. If a handful of committed professionals can bring you all that you see on these pages, if we can grow so rapidly by bringing you Innovation – Information – Inspiration for Industry Professionals, just imagine what even 10% of Industry Pros can do by working together to promote and advance our great Industry!

We welcome your advertising, consulting and other support at every level. When you think about the facts above, you will understand why we deliver results for our clients and typically give more for less.

We welcome posted, emailed and other comments. We welcome your news tips. We protect our sources when confidentiality is needed.

To borrow a George Allen phrase, the 35,000 coming here monthly can’t be wrong! Some of the biggest names in the Industry are reading our news, blogs and feature articles, and the flip side is tons of independent operators are reading here, too. Executives, middle managers, rank and file looking to advance their company or career are readers or podcast listeners. Association leaders and their board members may be listening or reading at the same time as you are.

We appreciate your being here and we appreciate the work and support of all those who make this endeavor possible. My Holiday and Christmas best wishes to you and yours. May we all work better together to make 2011 a much brighter New Year!

##

… and Santa has been noting who’s been naughty or nice! Those in the Industry who have been building up their part – whether in finance, communities, manufacturing, retail, supply, marketing and sales, design and advertising, public relations, legislation or advocacy of any sort, deserve the rewards of their good work and good will. You are like the yeast that causes the dough to rise and become bread, the light that shines in the darkness to guide and inspire others.

What New Year’s Resolutions will you be making? The Industry pros who contribute to the Industry Voices Guest Blog or the Feature Articles are all gifting you with information, practical steps and resources to enter the New Year with confidence and enthusiasm, to transform the thinking, tackle those projects, make those changes that will create the success you desire and bring attractive affordable housing to the millions of Americans who want to own their own home. “I’ll be home for Christmas” could have such a different meaning if everyone worked together to do their part!

Do you hear what we hear? Special recognition goes to Industry member, LifeStylist® Suzanne Felber, whose talents include a recently-completed project with the NAHB on The New American Home 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Be sure to read her new Feature Article to learn what other bridges she is building to reach beyond Industry borders to draw more attendees to shows such as the upcoming Louisville Show.

The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is, of course, the biggest show in town making spirits bright, and enthusiasm is popping like a champagne cork. All eyes and ears are open to take in the exhibits and show houses, the seminars and meeting ops, the incredible opportunities to personally shake the hands of Industry “greats” and get your questions answered, and exchange wisdom and vision from multiple perspectives. From exhibitors to attendees, will you gift us all with your presence?

Give yourself and your team the gift of professional and business growth by getting and sharing copies of The Manufactured Housing REVOLUTION. Special Holiday pricing and the option of personalized, autographed copies make this a no-brainer Best Choice. Order NOW to have your copies arrive in time!

“I got the best gift …a copy of The Manufactured Housing Revolution – a new book that was edited by L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach.” SF

Here at MHMSM.com, Santa seems to have brought L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach his Christmas present early: a camera to use for recording live video presentations! This week debuts two videos. Be sure to check out his Masthead Blog for Dec. 13 and our MHR book promo (above).

With that introduction, we once again bring you “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. 3, 2010

George F. Allen – MH Commentary
• Do YOU Have a Legacy?

Michael Barnabas – MHIndustry Solutions
• Professionalism, Service, Profits and Advancing the Manufactured Housing Industry

Chad Carr – Internet Marketing and Sales
• Unlocking the Secrets of the Internet – Part Three: Making sure people can find you online

Tim Connor – Management
• There’s no time like the present

Tim Connor – Sales
• Is 2011 going to be a repeat of 2010?

Maria Cucchiara – Social Network Strategy
• Determine the Marketing Success of Your Facebook Page

Suzanne Felber – Trend Tracking
• Are Home Shows Still Relevant in Today’s Marketplace?

Nadeen Green – Legal, Fair Housing
• Fair Housing Word Search

Edward ‘Eddie’ Hicks – Community Investing
• Selling your LLCommunity to the residents?

Dennis Hill – Show Ways
• Louisville Manufactured Housing Show Latest News

Mike Hourigan – MH Business Practice
• When You Think About It: Even Old Hippies Get the Blues

Chrissy Jackson – Land Lease Community Management
• Upgrading Your Community, Part VIII: Why upgrade?

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach – MH Industry Reporting
• The Future Landscape of the Manufactured Housing Industry and You

Greg McClanahan – Soft Skills and Personal Development
• The Graveyard Shift

George Porter – MH Retail and Media Education
• The Educated Consumer

Kenneth Rishel – MH Industry Finance Commentary
• Lowering Repossessions and Complying with Risk-Based Pricing

Dave Shanklin – MH Finance
• Lender Offers Record-Low Rates for Homes in Communities

Joanne Stevens – MH Real Estate
• Creating Memorable Living Places: How About a Good Cup of Coffee?

Bob Stovall – Online Marketing
• Deferred Maintenance and Your Marketing Strategy

Don Westphal – MH Community Planning
• Community Upgrades: Part III

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• Zig On…Being Nice

From Associate Editor Catherine Frenzel
and the entire MHMSH.com team and associates,
We wish you all a Merry Christmas
and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

There are reasons why 125 million people attend trade shows and marketing events annually, and why over 100 billion dollars are invested by those who market using such shows.* Many business-to-business marketers believe that trade shows are one of the most cost effective ways of reaching their audience. The Small Business Administration (SBA) states that closing a sale or lead generated at an event can be about 50% less expensive than using other marketing or advertising methods.

44% of all companies who do event or trade show marketing have under 50 employees. According to the SBA, among the advantages to event marketing is the fact that large, medium and small companies have a more level playing field. So don’t think that trade shows are only for ‘the big boys.’ Smaller firms with a good strategy and execution can grab market share via event marketing.

But these pluses and advantage statements also come with caveats.

Proper preparation pays! Poor or no planning for a trade show can cost you. So part of the secret is having a good pre-show, at-show and post-show strategy. Some studies indicate that some 75% of attendees you attract will have planned to see you before the show. This means you have to be well organized and reach out to the maximum number of your target audience, as cost effectively as possible. 

The SBA further suggests that mailers, emails and telephone contact strategies are among the proven ways to generate pre-show contacts who become your clients or who continue to be your clients. Besides your own personal contacts and your firm’s lists, using others to contact for you can be a dynamic way to grow your outreach and success. An analogy can be the seasonal help a retailer hires to handle heavier crowds, or the added advertising a retailer uses to boost traffic to their mall location on Black Friday.

Having personally done successful trade show and event marketing for myself and/or for others going back to the 1980s, I would add many thoughts to these tips from the SBA and Answers.com sources noted. Among those tips and bullet points:

1) While 75% of clients who visit your booth, seminar or display at a trade show come from pre-show outreaches, don’t ignore the value of the 25% who you can attract at the show.

2) You have 7-10 seconds to attract the attention of someone walking past at a trade show. Think about a billboard on an Interstate Highway. You have to grab the passers’ by attention in seconds, or you will miss out on prospective clients.

3) Have a booth strategy, promotions, layout and staffing levels that make sense. It is as bad to have too many people in your booth as it is too few.

4) Get qualified leads, not just names.

5) Learn to ID the serious and more immediate prospect, while not ignoring the client you can develop long term.

6) You have two big reasons to do business-to-business outreach via a trade show. There is an offensive show strategy and a defensive strategy, too. On the one hand, you want to grow your own customer or client base via show attendance. But you also want to defend the clients you already have now! To rephrase the point, NOT going as an exhibitor to an event like the 2011 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is an invitation for someone else to lure away YOUR customers!

For a manufacturer, going to a show and displaying one or more model homes is a sizable investment. But when you think about the cost of not going, the possible lost business or the possible loss of a client to other firms, the best strategy would be to a) go and b) ensure the maximum turn-out at your show home(s).

We will be providing a webinar on trade show marketing tips and strategies on Thursday 12/16/2010. You can sign up in seconds, and in about 45 minutes of “lunch and learn” time at your desk or smart phone, find out how to make YOUR event marketing experience a very profitable one!

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* Source: answers.com

We have a lot of topics to cover, but please let me start with something positive and fun:

1.
“OMG your site is unbelievably informative! Just listened to your pod cast while sitting in the doctors office! Loved it! I’ll be sure to spread the news to our members to get on board if they are not already! Appreciate all you do!” Deanna Fields, Executive Director, MHAO 

It is always, always a pleasure to hear from industry leaders, business owners and executives, middle managers and the rank and file. Comments like this make our work load seem lighter, and I always share these with our team here at MHMSM.com that makes this work on the Industry’s behalf possible! By the way, we get other comments, but we use ones like the above only with permission. Thank you, Deanna, for spreading the word, and to all like you who are working for the advancement of our great industry!

If you want to see what other leaders and readers say, please click on this link:

http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/what-our-readers-say

I take a few moments to mention this because Deanna and others have it right! If you and your team are reading and listening daily to what we offer, you and your team will have an edge in business that those who don’t plug in won’t have. Sports teams train and they ‘watch tape,’ video and replays of what they and their competitors do. That makes them BETTER in the big game. You and your team WILL DO BETTER because if you learn more, you will earn more.

2.
It seems that the November elections are among the reasons why Chief Executives around the country are more confident than before.

CEO Confidence Index, chart courtesy of CEO Magazine

When executives see a reason to invest in the future, maybe it is wise for us to think the same, too.

3
Friday brought us a tip on a recent development that will do more than raise an eyebrow or two in the Industry. Our Industry in Focus Reporter Eric Miller is on the trail of that story and others that will get the water cooler, phone and email conversations humming. Check in to our Daily Business News blog and please watch for more in-depth reports to follow.

4.
The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is – according to our research – THE single hottest topic in the Industry, period. Not only is this reflected in our Google Analytics report, but another key indicator is that the early sign-ups for attendance is strong. Joe Kelly, the Executive Director of Iowa’s fine state association has given us a thoughtful message on the subject for the Industry Voices Guest Blog. Please read it. Then book yourself and your key team members to go if you haven’t already. Why?

4a.
There are already more people signed up for attending than went to MHI’s annual meeting and the International Networking Roundtable in Phoenix combined!  Dozens are signing up daily; at this rate, the show will do VERY well. 

4b.
There is great info along with many seminars and services available at the show to help you grow your business, PLUS you can see dozens of new homes that would be great for your MH Community or Retail Center. Well-known Industry author, speaker and communities and development expert Eddie Hicks will be among those sharing insights in and near the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC). Where else can you go and rub shoulders and shake hands with some of the biggest names in the Industry? “Go, Louisville!”

4c.
Are you an exhibitor or planning to exhibit? Then please click on this link.

4d.
More on Louisville later, including the fact that more industry leaders have emailed me to say that they will share their reasons why YOU SHOULD BE THERE. “Those who KNOW will Go Louisville!” If some of the brightest lights in the Industry say you should go, then take a page from Nike’s ad, and just do it.

4e.
Our MHMSM.com team members will be in Louisville, including your wordy blogger, me. I hope to meet you in person. If you have one of our Manufactured Housing REVOLUTION books, bring it by for an autograph. If you don’t have a book, come by, pick one up and it will be autographed! Many of those who helped pen the Manufactured Housing REVOLUTION will be there – you should get their autographs, too!  

5.
We have word that a well-known Industry personality will be sharing their A Cup of Coffee with Interview with us, likely in time for the new issue that comes out next week. We all want to know more about this person, and YOU can ‘read all about it!’ right here, exclusively. Click here to see other personalities who have done A Cup of Coffee with… exclusive interviews.

6.
Manufactured and modular housing Industry growth won’t happen by magic. There are reasons why Cavco and Clayton still find it wise to buy up chunks of this industry. They see a bright future, or they wouldn’t be doing it. There are reasons why people are still investing in MH Communities, why people are making deals to acquire more. There are reasons why some are making a profit – yes, in this economy – why, as one leader told me a few days ago, they are making more money than they ever have. They are working SMARTER, and see ‘challenges’ as opportunities in disguise. We at MHMSM.com are realistic; we know there are problems, but we see the opportunities, too.  

7.
Circling back to Deanna’s comment, if you are not already signed up to access our FREE podcasts of feature articles and daily Factory Built Housing News at Noon and Manufactured Housing Marketing Reports, please click here. It is worth sharing that one of our top 1% of all our pages accessed is the registration page! If you aren’t registered, if you don’t get our twice weekly email updates, you are missing out on key information, much of which you will find ONLY here at MHMSM.com.

When we talk about learning, I want you to know, that we invest in our own learning, we practice what we preach. For example, our fine IT and Production Manager, Bob Stovall, is attending a weekend seminar to keep up-to-date with the latest in his online world skills. To his credit, Bob is routinely researching, routinely going to meetings and seminars. This is why you or your marketing manager needs to be reading his “Cutting Edge” blog, or using his part of our MHMSM.com online services if you don’t want to mess with the work yourself. Be sure to attend the presentation we will do in Louisville, “How to Dominate Your Local Market!“

Last week, in our daily news, you read – or could have! – news stories on our Industry you didn’t find anywhere else but right here at www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com (aka MHMSM.com). So, please check in tomorrow and every week day to the daily news blog or do what Deanna Fields and so many others are doing every day, downloading podcasts of industry news and great feature articles. I want to take a moment to say thank you for coming, and thank you to all the Featured Writers who make us the most-read trade journal and news resource in the Industry today.

Thank you for reading, and thanks for passing the word on to your friends and associates to listen to our podcasts and/or read the News and Views You Can Use right here at MHMSM.com.

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