The Masthead

The concept of Time is a handy measurement that helps us plan our minutes, hours days, weeks, months and years. Time is the same for all. How we use our time is one of those things that sets person A apart from person B.

I used to use a fax cover sheet that had some thought provoking quotes about time. They included:

"Oh how rich I would be if only I had everyone's wasted time!"

As this year 'tick's down' and we head toward Christmas and New Year, we may step back and think to ourselves, where did the year go? How will I use next year? What will I plan to do to make my career or business better?

Every customer, every manufactured home marketing client I work with brings a marvelous exchange of ideas and insights that results in more sales. When we seek to grow and learn, not a day goes by that we can't in some sense improve or get better if that is how we chose to use our time.

In a client project some years ago, a quite brilliant gent shared with me the idea of "Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock." Time was ticking away. Where we using that time to advance our project to its best possible advantage? How we used that time was part of what would set us apart from the pack (note; working together, we created what was a record result for that firm – selling some three dozen homes in three weeks – and did so 90 days after the start of the project).

Elections are coming and many expect the winds of political change to continue in states and in Washington, DC. Are you engaged with your state association to make sure that you can help foster the best possible path for our common future? With the Iowa Caucuses and the primary season almost upon us, when is the best time for us to engage our associations in that process? Are we engaging our co-workers in the political process? Have you considered engaging your customers in the merits of advancing the cause for a healthier and more robust country economically and politically?

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

How will you and your team mates plan for a great 2012?

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

I'm finishing up a trip with a new marketing client and will be heading home today. Having met personally with each team member, it is clear that the team is motivated to grow their sales in spite of the economy. They are not waiting for some miracle or economic turn around, they are taking the bull by the horns and have decided to dominate they local housing market. Do you have a bold plan to increase your sales by 50%, 100% or more for 2012? If not why not?

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

Have you already pre-registered online and made plans to go the business building Louisville Manufactured Housing Show in mid-January 2012?

Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.

Time stands still for none of us. One of the team members I met with this week said, your ezine is a lot more positive than anything else out there in our industry. Let us check our mental attitudes and make sure we are feeding our minds with good information daily. What you feed in is often what you will get out.

Let us stay in touch with the trends and opportunities that are around us. Let us nurture ourselves and nurture others. Let us plan to make every day, every year the best it can be.

Those who do so will automatically have the edge and can look back someday and think of all that was done in the time we have had. ##

post by

You don't have to be an economist to realize that the Christmas shopping season is off to a good start.  My wife and I were among those millions who came to the pre-dawn (okay, midnight) Black Friday door buster blowouts.

 

 

The line of shoppers waiting to check out in the middle of the night on Black Friday
went from the front of the store clear to the back, and around the aisle.

We timed our arrival in a packed parking lot just as the doors opened.  A line of hundreds of shoppers was making its way inside the store. The crowds were thick enough were passing down some ailes was difficult to impossible if you were going against the flow of the crowds. We had four items we wanted there, and one bonus item we had considered (note: this blog post was written hours before the official reports of this being such a strong Black Friday hit the news).  Having skipped the long, cold outdoor wait, we still walked out with all but one item we sought…

 

 

The next afternoon at the mall, people where cruising for a place to park, any place to park.

 

…Flashback to the 1980s…

 

When I first stumbled onto manufactured housing, and started in retail sales decades ago, in my naïveté, I was dazzled by the value the factory built housing industry offered! Being 'sold myself,' I imagined that people would line up at the doors in the morning to buy.  That illusion was rapidly shattered, but I never forgot the vision, the goal of "how do you get people so interested in manufactured homes that they would line up to get one." I recall as a young sales person thinking, 'if we could only get as many people to call and inquire as we do when we run an employment ad.'

 

Let me boldly suggest that should be the vision everyone in our industry who owns, leads, manages or works for a business should have.  We have a great product that can rival or exceed conventional construction.  But we can also produce a basic, entry level home that you can buy at a cost per square foot less than a popup tent camper.  I know, because I've marketed, sold and managed in both the manufactured home and RV (notably towable recreational vehicle) arenas.

Berkshire-Hathaway’s well known Sage of Omaha said it well:

There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.

— Warren Buffet

More specific to our industry, Buffet opined that we need a resale mechanism, one of many important take aways in the Kevin Clayton interview video posted near the top right of our dynamic new home page.

The leaders of companies and organization's need to fire up the imaginations of their troops once again with our potential! The wonderful “PEAK Retailer's National Summit” two weeks ago reminded me and other attendees that we can advance during even difficult times. Along those lines, take a look at that post if you missed it, and please see this weekend's Cutting Edge of Online Marketing blog post.

We as a business or enterprise in the manufactured and modular housing industry need a vision and direction to fire up the troops!

If you want people to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

— Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Every generation has the obligation to free men’s minds for a look at new worlds…to look out from a higher plateau than the last generation.

— Ellison S. Onizuka

We have a great unique housing product. We can compete with site builders with residential style product and we can reach that traditional 'mobile home buyer.'

 

Hyundai set records In achieving sales volumes by having a car similar in quality and features to American cars, but at a lower price.  Hyundai is still growing in its U.S. market share, through can do thinking!

 

When I do a marketing/sales project for a company/client I have a very simple process for growing sales.  Sum it up like this, candidly list:

• The challenges you face.

• The goals or objectives you seek.

• The market conditions (where you stand vs. ALL housing competitors)
  
  
• You firms strengths and weaknesses (S.W.O.T. analysis).
  
  
• What resources you have to achieve the goal.  This includes human resources!
  
  
• What resources you need to enhance the velocity towards the goal.
  
  
• Then craft a plan that maximizes strengths, minimizes weaknesses and
  
  
• Always, always give the customer a great experience.
  

 

We have a challenged economy, but American retailers somehow manage to motivate us to leave our homes in the dead of night to go out bargain hunting. Don't you think we can create similar motivation in manufactured housing? My experience in turning around troubled locations suggests, 'yes we can.' As the PEAK Retailer's Summit reminds us, my experience isn't the only one of its kind!

Some of those manufactured home communities and retailers who attended the Peak retailer summit in Chicago know how to get the job done, inspite of the economy, the SAFE Act, financing, foreclosures and all the other challenges you care to name.  My experiences at getting the phones ringing and doors swinging at dozens of locations that were previously suffering proves the same.

 

As we approach 2012 and New Year Resolution time, let me suggest you plan for success.  Follow the steps above. Read the books that helped others, including myself, to advance regardless of the times.  Apply all the lessons for success you learn.

I will close with what I hope is an interesting challenge. Learn from mistakes!  Learn from your mistakes and that of others.  When others are successful in market conditions like yours, that takes away all the excuses one might wish to lean upon.

"There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.  There is never a right time to do the wrong thing."

- Lou Holtz.

Let's take a cue from Warren and the wisdom of others noted above.  Let's not make easy things difficult. Let's fire up the troops with a vision. Let's plan to make 2012 a year for growth, by realizing the value you offer, crafting a message that works in your market, then planning and executing for success. Need a hand?  Give us a call or send a message. ##

post written by

L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

This blog post will be somewhat like pieces for a jig saw puzzle; each piece can stand alone, but together it will form a picture.

Let’s take piece one, a true tornado survival story.

1.

They went into the bathroom of the partially underground lower level of their house.  The tornado that hit the Merrill area of WI was ripping trees and the top level of their house apart. My friends huddled in their bath tub. Part of their message read as follows:

“As the intensity of the Tornado increased, so did our unceasing prayers…” They lived unscratched, but… “All of our beautiful majestic white pines are now a thing of the past.  Our area truly looks like a bomb exploded.  But again we are safe and that is what counts most.”

Imagine living through what must certainly have been such a harrowing experience.  Their once manicured and park-like rural acreage was suddenly covered with downed trees and the debris of their now destroyed residence.  Everything changed in a matter of minutes.

The media by its nature tends to cover ‘bad news.’

Disasters, wars, murders, corruption… if there is ‘drama’ attached to a story, a reporter is likely to be on hand.  As some news professionals used to say, “If it bleeds, it leads.”

Sometimes politicians or government officials jump on such stories, promoting some idea they may well intentionally consider ‘a fix.’  But the SAFE Act was a ‘fix,’ too – one of many ‘unintended consequences’ of what Doug Gorman reminded us in a recent Industry Voices blog post when he said the most feared words are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’

Media and politicians can understandably get hyped up about something that is indeed tragic, such as the loss of life, property and so on.  But in so doing, are they serving the public interest?  Are they educating and truly informing, or are they perhaps a bit carried away as they try to sell more papers, page views and broadcast ratings?

Last week people died in storms across the country, and commercial and residential property was damaged or destroyed.  The media is naturally on it again.  What should be our Industry’s response?

How about some facts to share with the local or national media?

 

 

Video credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v7LWHQ8l1U. Note (Note: phone number to call is 847-730-3692.)

2.

Business success depends on consumer success.  Consumers and businesses should have a natural synergy.  Any business that delivers a good product or service should yield happy customers.  Happy customers should result in more business.

Our Industry’s success depends on our ability to generate new happy customers.  It also depends on our ability to reach out to and connect or re-connect with past customers.  I’m told one of our featured writers will have a story that touches on this, which we hope to have for you with our new May issue.

Until then, we need to think about the various ways we can connect with more customers.  The Engaging the Media panel discussion and workshop on how to ‘Make Good PR for the Industry a Reality‘ is coming up.  If you are going to the MHI’s Congress in Las Vegas, please attend with your colleagues. Most Industry professionals can attend this Engaging the Media panel discussion free in Tulsa OK at the Great Southwest Home Show.

In Tulsa OK, York PA and in Las Vegas NV, you will have three great opportunities to learn practical ways to grow your business.  There will be seminars focused for retailers, community operators and those in other segments of the manufactured housing industry.  Please plan to attend.

If you are in Tulsa or Vegas, kindly stop by our booth and attend our free Dominate your Local Market seminars as well.

Learning to grow your sales results via good marketing is a must in this economy.

3.

At the top of this blog post, we noted that this post will be like pieces of a jig saw puzzle.

We need media to present a balanced view of our Industry’s homes!  That is good for manufactured home owners, it is good for our businesses and it is good for the country.

Misinformation can be as destructive as a deadly storm.

Will we stop selling bath tubs?  As the video above reminds us, you are 70 times more at risk of dying in your bath tub than in a mobile or manufactured home.

Are we going to stop driving cars?  You have 1600 times more risk in an automobile than in a mobile or manufactured home.

But we must also pause and think about the mixed terminology the media uses.

It may well be that these were MOBILE HOMES, meaning pre-HUD Code homes, that were destroyed.  They are the more likely place that people tragically lose their lives. But as true industry pros know, we have not had a mobile home built in the U.S. since June 14, 1976.

Those who survive a storm in factory-built construction are in fact likely to be in a manufactured home.  Why?

Because today’s manufactured homes are stronger, smarter, safer, stylish and offer all that with great savings.

Our Industry needs that message out there.  It is one that the HUD Code should provide us with, because performance is guaranteed by the code itself.

We need our customers and home owners to understand that message.

Manufactured home owners are as negatively impacted by inaccurate media stereotypes as those who sell manufactured homes are!

Every time someone gets the false impression that today’s manufactured homes are not safe, millions of mobile or manufactured home owners suffer a loss of value unjustly!

There are ways we can and should collaborate with our customers to everyone’s benefit.  Every smart business person wants happy customers. Everyone in business for the long haul wants good relationships with their customers.

A public looking for better values in housing are robbed of the opportunities they should caused by negative stereotypes.

This is not to say that we do not have matters than need addressing as an industry.  We do.

We will explore these topics more at MHMSM.com in the days ahead. # #

Three Manufactured Housing News topics today:

1. Post MHI DC meeting comments
2. Reality Check/Getting Mad, and
3. Business Building in the Spring of 2011

So let’s jump in and get started.

1.  Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) Winter Meeting and Legislative session

Duties here in Chicagoland kept me from attending the Manufactured Housing Institute’s (MHI) Winter session and Legislative Meeting in Washington, DC. The good news is that multiple attendees have thoughtfully shared their comments for you, our reader’s, benefit.

Comments from attendees received here ranged the gamut from enthusiastic to nonplused. Some snapshots of comments from attendees included:

• Best MHI meeting I’ve ever attended, outside of MHI’s annual Congress in Vegas
• Smallest turn-out for the MHI legislative meeting in years
• Important speakers, topics and issues addressed
• You were wise to stay home, focused on your core business
• Concern was expressed over more dark clouds over housing in general, and manufactured housing in particular
• Note was made of a possible new wrinkle in how the SAFE Act might treat lease purchase programs *
• Discussion among NCC members regarding inclusion of ‘mom and pop’ MHC operators **
• Briefings, meetings and the reception with members of Congress and federal staff seemed to please many.

You can see the meeting agenda and topics covered here.

We will be looking forward to the official reports from MHI, which should be available on our site by this weekend.

* While there was discussion about a possible ‘loophole’ for the SAFE Act using lease-purchase, it should be noted that it would not be available in all states, and may not be available without risks.  The wise move would be to consult a SAFE Act expert or expert attorney before proceeding on any strategy that uses lease purchase as a ‘long term’ strategy.

** While the idea was floated of creating a two-tier system in NCC to allow smaller community owner/operators to become members, this idea may be DOA.  Stay tuned.

For future reference, events and meetings like this are on our MHMSM.com Events Calendar. To add your association or industry event, please email it to Catherine@mhmsm.com and Tony@MHMSM.com – thanks.

2.  Manufactured Housing Industry Reality Check

I went through my meeting notes from last year’s legislative session meeting, and ran across this note. Thayer Long made the statement that every HUD Code Manufactured home built represented one job. At first that statement surprised me; does it you? But let’s take it at face value.

Using that formula of 1 manufactured home equals 1 job, our Industry has lost about 1/3 of a million jobs since 1998 in manufacturing alone.

Most economists talk about the ripple effect of a dollar lost or gained and a job lost or gained through the U.S. Economy. The loss of a manufacturing job hurts suppliers, sellers, community operators and so on through the Industry list. Arguably, the most stable part of our Industry today is in the Manufactured Housing Communities (MHC) segment.

Half way through our Associations Issue month, we need to take another look (or if you missed it, the first look) at last weekend’s Masthead post, Madder Than Hell…

…because we need a fire in our bellies to effect needed change. Association members and leaders often mention apathy these days. Others speak of changes needed. Consensus is often lacking.

What is certain is that few industries can suffer an 85% decline over 12 years and make it. No wonder we have lost so many hundreds of factories, retail centers, suppliers, vendors, jobs and businesses in the last dozen years.

FYI, for those aficionados of the MH land lease community business, you will want to see the exclusive interview our Industry in Focus reporter Matthew Silver did with George Allen that is live on our Industry Voices Guest Blog: George Allen Sounds Off in Exclusive Interview on Key MHC and Industry Issues.

3.  Business Building in the Spring of 2011.

Are there bright spots?  Yes.

Parts of the nation, like the Dakotas, are experiencing their own mini-boom, with HUD Code manufactured home shipments going up. I’ve spoken with upper-end modular builders who say their business is strong. Some MH community operators and retailers in various states are learning how to navigate these turbulent waters, and are seeing more sales, filling vacancies and are making more money.

If they can, you can. Not all of the success stories are connected with an energy boom or localized demand phenomenon.

One major place to learn how to earn more is in the upcoming manufactured housing shows in and around the country!

Tunica – a new line of business-building Manufactured Housing Community Focused Seminars has been added to the Wednesday line up in Tunica!

• “Grow Your Market Share with Easy Community Upgrades!“ by Don Westphal. Don is one of our popular featured writers, see Don’s latest article linked here. As an MHC owner himself, Don can show you how this is done! Don’s presentation will begin Wed at 1 PM.

• “Generate additional income from your community – at no cost to you!” by Grant Kitching, Connexion Technologies. If this sounds too good to be true, then let Grant show you how! In these days when maximizing appeal and revenues for MHCs is ‘in’ – community owners and operators won’t want to miss this topic.

• “Dominate your Local Market!“ – Bob Stovall and Tony Kovach. Our seminar attracted the following comments from George Allen, who introduced us by saying, “These guys are the future of manufactured housing!’” at the Louisville Show. George reported the following after the show about our presentation:

Tony Kovach and his team of marketing specialists, introduced the day’s largest audience, of more than 60 LLCommunity owners/operators, to the exciting new world of online marketing, of new and resale homes, via web site design, blogging, social networks, and much much more.

All of these seminars are free to attendees. Out thanks to Dennis Hill and the Tunica Show for making these business-building events possible.

Beyond Tunica, you will find the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa OK. This is the largest show of its kind west of the Mississippi, and the largest Indoor manufactured housing show in the nation!

You will also find HOMExpo 2011 in York PA.  HOMExpo 2011 (also shown in places as Home Expo 2011) feature the largest manufactured housing show in the mid-Atlantic and New England states.

Mark your calendar for one or more of these great events. We will see you In Tulsa, Tunica and Vegas! # #

It is Thursday morning as I start writing this blog.  We just sent out our twice-weekly emailed newsletter.  Already we have received posted comments on Associations, besides those that come in by phone or email.

Click here for one Disqus comment posted by an unhappy camper, and click here for one on the other side of the discussion fence.

Feel free to let your thoughtful – public or private – comments begin.

As I was reading some of the mail, a news item came in from PA about the sprinkler issue.  Click on the link to that news item in our manufactured housing Daily Business News blog.  Mary Gaiski in PA is working for her members.  Deanna Fields in OK is workings for hers, avoiding a legislative duel through intelligent negotiations with public officials.  These execs are also doing highly demanding trade shows – with public days! – to work on image and marketing.  See the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa and the much-awaited return of the 2011 HOMExpo in York, PA to see the news, and all that you can get for free at the shows as an industry member to grow your business.

Free?  Well, it certainly is paid for by factories, exhibitors and others!  But yes, most industry pros can come FREE to these events.  Why not learn more to earn more?

My point is not to exclude an association, because you could go state by state and showcase some effort being made on behalf of their members.  There are some very exciting items brewing in some states; I personally know this to be true.  Plans for strategies to move their state ahead in image, marketing, sales and more.

So my thoughts run like this:  let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.  My brother sent me this quote:

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. ~ Carlos Castaneda

Let’s tap that negative energy and put it to work for solutions.  Let’s take the money spent for ‘crying in our beer,’ and use it to build our industry’s image!  Are you ready for this? What if you could take beer money, and cause it to give you 10x or more fold return on your investment. Let me show you something mind boggling:

• Take a $10-a-week beer drinker (pick your poison, and FYI I’m not knocking it or saying, give it up; this is just an example).
• Take that times 52 weeks. $520 for a year, right?
• Take that times 200 members in a state association.

You would have $104,000 collected. Now let me tell you, there are more than 200 owners or professionals working for manufactured housing companies in almost every state except maybe Hawaii or Alaska!   So that’s $104,000 budgeted for an image campaign in YOUR state.  Some  – say,  Texas – would say, too small.  Well, in that state, this number  might be 2000 people who chip in the equivalent of $10 a week.  That is $1,040,000 for Texas.  But for even the 104K, I can assure you, we could create a state-based program that would positively impact image and marketing for that amount or less.  How do I know?  What are you reading?  How did you find us?

Online, of course – where 90% of home seekers shop!

By working with other industry pros, look at what we have done together in a little over 15 months.  Do you think our growing IT and WebTech team can create leads and generate image building that works?  Do you think our “Dominate Your Local Market Seminar“ was a hit in Louisville for nothing?  Do you think our team working with pros like you can grow business in your state and market for a high ROI image and marketing plan?

As they say in WI, “Youbetcha!”

A few common results from the marketing our team has done is to make

• Phones ring
• Doors swing
• Cash registers cha-ching
• Sales pros and owners sing.

The return on that 104k investment per state would be amazing.  Ten-to-one could be low.  But for discussion’s sake, how would you like to invest a dollar, and know you could get $10 or more back?  Then, what if the retail customers you sell gives you your dollar back on top of the 10-to-1 result?

If you are a savvy professional or a state association working on behalf of your members, this could readily be done.

Don’t believe it?  Then please call me or email for details.  Tell us your challenges!  Then let’s discuss SOLUTIONS.

Let me share two quotes from callers who had properties that were previously ‘dead,’ where we made the phones start ringing, the doors, swinging, etc.

• Ken:  ”My phone is ringing for some reason.  Seems like someone [Tony] told me that would happen, and it’s happening!  Please call me about putting something in the front window of the homes to identify them; with your level of creativity, you might have something a little more exciting than just the number I put there.  I’m getting a lot of drive-through traffic – a lot!  I bet I’ve got a dozen calls already!  Thanks, Tony!”

• Tom:  ”Tony, I thought I might enlighten your day a little bit.  I’ve talked to probably two people already that want to buy… and Denise has a list of about ten.  So there’s a good activity level.  Thanks!”

There is no reason other than the lack of a little pitching in and common effort that keeps us from advancing.  You can do this for your manufactured housing community, or if you just have to say it, your “mobile home park.” You can do this at your manufactured home retail sales center.  You can do this to cut repo losses and speed your turn-around time.

Let’s stop the hand wringing and finger pointing.  Let’s pitch in and work together.  Let’s give a little to get a lot.  Let’s set aside any past disappointments, and work with others, as most of us need to do.  Hold people accountable for results.

Let’s tap the negative energy.  Let’s tap the negative energy.  Let’s take the ‘beer money’ and turn it into growing home sales. Let’s not wait for Washington miracles or dollars to fall from the skies.

Stay tuned daily for manufactured housing news podcasts or blog posts right here, and thanks for sharing your thoughtful and intelligent feedback, questions and comments.  # #

MHMSM.com Publisher, Marketing Director and Industry Consultant L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach reports from the floor of the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show. The Show opens in the morning. Still time to come and take part on what is shaping up to be a great show.