The Masthead

Only the patient folks with open minds and eyes to see – those committed to improve their results – will get the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) in this weekend’s blog post. I hope you’re one of them!

If you want to grow your business, if you want to see REAL Industry growth, please use the powerful resources known as passion and patience, then carefully clear your mind and then line by line, check this out…

Think road trip.

Think comfy and spacious SUV (environmentalists, what can I say…) with the leather and luxuries you’d like.

Think multi-night get-away stay in a resort area with your dear owner/friends in their avant-garde, magazine-stylish home and manicured acreage with all the goodies.

Think the all-natural high that family, friends, stunning sights and stunning company yields. Think shop talk mixed with delightful small talk. John Denver’s song, “Rocky Mountain High” came to life from a soul now long passed…

Then leave the life and love of the majestic mountains to travel through the dry deserts and sometimes lunar-like landscapes…

Think…Jersey Boys. Blue Man Group. Cirque de Soleil… Phantom of the Opera.

Think living legends like Willie Nelson or Cher.

Think World Class shopping and New York City style Fashion Night Out.

Think restaurants to delight the senses to be discovered in every resort and seemingly on every corner.

Think the energy of the Fremont Street Experience:

Think more Elvis wanna-be types than most any place on the planet. Imagine The Strip. The Lights. The Sounds. “Viva Las Vegas” is more than a tag line; it seems to be a statement of reality, for indeed this once hot and dusty spot in the desert has become a palm-tree-lined magnet for people all over the world!

This is what the past week has been for me and mine. From the Colorado Rockies to Vegas, what a grand time as we slowly work our way toward The 19th Annual International Networking Roundtable in Phoenix this week! But back to last night in Vegas…

As we walked, talked and gawked (isn’t that what we secretly do?) hand in hand watching performances and people from around the planet, my lovely lady and I bumped into a few Hungarians. It would have been a good night for a bet on 00 in roulette, because even in Vegas the odds are like a gazillion-to-one against that. So the son of immigrant parents (c’est moi) and the lady who studied at a noteworthy school there (my wife) are speaking with visiting Magyars in their own tongue. They were shocked and delighted, and of course we were, too.

So what does the rushing white water streams of the Rockies, the desert and the dazzle of Vegas have to do with factory built housing? With your future and that of the Industry? Potentially, plenty!

Visionaries took a look at a spot near the world famous Hoover Dam, a mere day trip (or quick copter ride) from the Grand Canyon, and said,

‘We can create a magnet here that will draw millions of people! We can create casinos, shows, shops, stores, churches (an amazing number of religious people in this city, especially by European standards) and eateries galore, all designed to serve and separate people from their plastic and paychecks.’

And so Las Vegas came to be! And so it has steadily grown for decades, in spite of the ups and downs of the economy!

We have that type of opportunity in our Industry, too! Not someday, but every day. Not in just a good economy, but in THIS economy!

Or think…

What does 9/11 mean to manufactured housing and you? How about how a single event can rock your world, can send shock waves of tremendous loss, fear and paralysis, until the Sleeping Giant is awakened and action is taken? 9/11 has tons of lessons for the Republic and our great Industry, if we will just stop and think clearly about it!

What do the Rocky Mountains, the Western Slopes, resorts, the desert and more mean to modular and manufactured housing? It is hard to travel through such areas without seeing old pre-HUD Code mobile homes and more modern manufactured housing. It is easy to see the many uses, applications and needs for modular, pre-fab, panelized and manufactured homes in resorts and remote areas alike.

There are many areas in America where conventional construction simply doesn’t make good sense, or is flatly not available without premium pricing. You don’t see this by flying overhead, but it is a fact that can’t be missed while you are traveling in your SUV with your iPhone and iPad close at hand. While the signal failed in parts of the Rockies, notes, photos and videos can still be made until the 3G signal returns and you can push Send!

The recent dip in stats from MHI, the recent report and analysis from MHARR, both remind us that we are still in the doldrums as an industry.

The exclusive we did with Congressman Joe Donnelley reminds us that we have tons of work to do collectively to move us to health as an Industry.

But in the past few days, I also spoke with and emailed with owners who are profitable! Right now. There are winners and losers in every economy! Which group are you in? Which group do you want to be in? What are you willing to do to achieve positive change? Wishing and wanting are meaningless, until we work with wisdom and will towards the wonderful world that can be! If developers and promoters can create a whole successful city in the desert, one step at a time, can’t we do the same with our wealth of opportunities from sea to shining sea?!!!

I spoke with and emailed with Execs this past week who are sick and tired of being sick and tired! Some of them are getting ready or are seriously exploring how to market/sell/manage their way back to good health with a little help from new friends (in some cases, that means us)!

Las Vegas is a Dream Come True because people saw not the dry desert that it was, but the oasis and modern man-made Paradise that it could be! Those visionaries didn’t focus on the obstacles and let those stop them. Rather they asked and answered,

‘How can we overcome this scenario and make this one of the all-time money makers?!’

We need such visionaries leading in our Industry today.

The Manufactured Housing Revolution spells out the ways and reasons why factory built homes can become the dominant or a main stream form of housing in America.

My presentation on “How to Get 150 Inbound Customer Sales Calls a Week at YOUR Location!” at The International Networking Roundtable in Phoenix in a few days will demonstrate real world scenarios that can drive business for YOU – TODAY. In YOUR market! I will share real world examples where we teamed up with Community Owners, MHC Operators and home retailers who had struggled with sales, and moved them from nearly dead to well-fed!

There are Industry writers and publishers like George Allen or Ken Rishel or myself who have real world seasoning in this Industry. We three are among many who have personally, in their own locations, managed the home sales and filled the sites and provided or created the financing for their incoming residents and buyers of manufactured homes. Their insights and experiences, plus those gained by consulting and working with many firms from coast to coast, has power that a publisher who has never had such powerful and useful experiences simply can’t match.

When writers like those whom we feature here every day speak from real world experiences that worked, versus mere theory, there is a power to that which can’t be matched.

When you have filled hundreds of vacant sites at a community, like Ken Rishel has; when you have driven thousands of calls that lead to hundreds of sales at properties and locations that previously struggled, like I have for clients and companies – this has potential value and importance for YOU! You will want to read Ken’s amazing white paper on Hispanic Marketing, which will be an exclusive right here at Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management (aka MHMSM.com) trade journal ezine in a few days!

I think the Industry has plenty of fine publications and many useful resources. At the end of the day, leaders have to do their jobs and tap the resources needed to move the Industry from where it is to where it wants to be!

Your business, your market, may seem like a desert. But it can come to life again and flourish – with the right attitude, resources, people, plan and execution! From desert to money-making oasis, Vegas has ridden the waves and keeps coming up a winner! From the fruitful fields of Nebraska or Kansas into the Rockies of Colorado, we can climb from the valley of the shadow of death to new and exhilarating mountain top experiences!

This isn’t mere daydreaming or cheerleading. If you are a struggling pro, this is YOUR wake-up call!

From Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima seemed like a long way. But American drive and determination made that a reality!

From the post 9/11 days with skies without airplanes, to 9 years without a successful terrorist strike in the U.S., we can go from fear to facing reality with courage and will.

I could have made this short and sweet and just said with our friends at Nike,

Just do it.

No excuses. This is America. You can do it, because where there is a will, there is a way.

Catch a Vision. Fire up and inspire yourself and your troops. If you try an excuse or some finger pointing at someone else, just remember you have three pointing back at you…

Learn or hire the skills you need from resources the Industry offers at MHMSM.com, or beyond. You have had successes in the past. With the will and resources, you can again.

So just do it. # #

Part 1. Technology delivers “Real-Results Testimonials!”

Most of us just love technology. I certainly enjoy its many benefits. One fun little item I am toying with for my INR presentation in Phoenix next week is letting some people speak – via technology – to those attending. These candid “in their own words” statements about our marketing process of generating more traffic than they ever dreamed possible could say more in 3 minutes than most of the rest of the hour! You can hear their surprise, feel and sense their excitement. Pros like you, happy about “Getting Results!”

Still not sure, but might do these techy testimonials as part of my “How to Get 150 Inbound Sales Calls a Week at your Location!” presentation in Phoenix! If you can, please come; there will be some eye-opening, mind-expanding insights on how to grow YOUR business, and thereby grow the Industry!

Plus tons of other super presentations; see my last weekend blog post for more details and also how to book your seat(s).

Part 2. An upcoming treat!

Can’t say more just yet, but thousands have already enjoyed it, and I think many of you will, too. Please stay tuned…

Part 3. Industry News you can use!

In sales, you or your best people already know the power of third party witnesses, especially with a doubting prospect. We pros know the sorts of negative things the media plants.

Well, we are continuing our “Influence the media as media, with the FACTS” campaign! More than a dozen newspapers from coast to coast have picked up on stories our INdustry in Focus Reporter Eric Miller has documented! From the truth about tornadoes, to hurricanes, to calls to action to passing pro-Industry legislation, we are writing and they are picking it up and sharing it with their readers! Dallas Morning News, Chicago SunTimes, Nashville’s The Tennessean and many more, coast to coast!

Yes, manufactured housing is good news! Over time, this could be big for the industry.

That said, a reader wrote in to say we need to deliver a great retail customer experience. I couldn’t agree more! If we again get ahead as an Industry, if we set new records, we must give customers a great experience! Not sometimes, but every time humanly possible. We must work with lenders, and not bleed them with repos and losses. Vendors, factories, customers, communities, retailers – it has to be about mutual victories, about Everyone-Wins scenarios!

If most of us do that, if enough pros use new marketing and image-building systems (that we know works) to attract customers, we will have many key elements to long-term sustained growth and success!

My family and I are excited about traveling west before we go southwest to Phoenix! We are looking forward to seeing friends and new faces alike. To Colorado for a mix of business and fun, then Vegas (nope, no gambling, my better half wants to see the sights). Then on to Phoenix for the International Networking Roundtable! 200 maximum attendance; see why this event is growing strong in 2010 for its 19th time!

Hope to see you there. I enjoy hearing your views of industry in your own words in person, by email or by your posted comments.

Odds are, you want more favorable media for manufactured housing. Chances are good you want to learn how to grow and expand your business through favorable marketing, selling more homes and/or positive change management or maybe you want access to financing. Perhaps you are looking for a new manufacturer or supplier.

These are some of the business-building elements found in this three-part blog post!

Part I.

Let’s start with the latest on the International Networking Roundtable (INR), which is coming up fast (September 15-17, 2010)…

Joe Adams, Dick Ernst, Dr David Funk, Thayer Long, Ken Rishel, Randy Rowe, INR+ 12… in short: Marketing Magic, Media and Manufactured Housing!

Paul Bradley, Evelyn Bryant, L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach, Susan McCarty, Jeff Mishkin, Fred Rice, Spencer Roane, Don Westphal. These are just some of the names who will inform, inspire and help guide you to better marketing, financing, deal making and more.

I’ve had the privilege of previewing Joe Adam’s upcoming presentation on Marketing for the International Networking Roundtable (INR) to be held in Phoenix Sept 15-17th at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Let me just say, you’ll want to BE THERE! If you love his feature articles here, you will enjoy hearing the great material delivered live by Joe Adams! I will be there and I hope to see you IN PERSON at this session and others.

In fact, there is plenty of star power bringing you great information at the 19th Annual INR. If you are interested in growing your business, all who are attending this seminal event say it is a great place to be for networking and learning what’s hot and what’s not; on-site deal making, financing opportunities, model homes on display and much more are all here. From the Gala Reception, show homes on display, to the prayer meeting for Our Nation and Leaders and more!

You can check with George Allen at 877-MFD-HSNG (877-633-4764) or 317-346-7156 for a brochure, actual order of appearance of the speakers and topics and related details. George tells me the list below is the latest update – in alphabetical order by last name, with their respective topics:

1. Keynote: ‘Effective Marketing in Tough Times!’ – Joe Adams, The Housing Market Place, Inc.

2. Panel: Open Forum Discussion of MHIndustry Issues & LLCommunity Concerns – George Allen, Moderator

3. Shared Equity, Reality or Fad? – Paul Bradley, ROC-USA

4. Keynote: ‘S.A.F.E. Act &You! UNSAFE or OK?’ – Dick Ernst, FINMARK

5. Keynote: ‘Loss Control in Era of Rentals & Contract Sales’ – Evelyn Bryant

6. Keynote: ‘MH Demographics & You!’ – Dr. David Funk, Cornell University Program in Real Estate

7. How to Get 150 Sales Calls a Week On-Site! – L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach, Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management, www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com or www.MHMSM.com (Since I know the speaker, there is MORE on this topic below.)

8. National Communities Council Update – Thayer Long, MHI

9. Registration & Special Gifts – Susan McCarty, Community-Investor.com

10. Landlease Community Investors’ Forum – Jeff Mishkin, Marcus & Millichap

11. Utility Sub-Metering in 2010 & Beyond – Fred Rice, Spectrum Utilities Solutions

12. Is ‘Captive Finance’ For You? – Ken Rishel, Precision Capital Funding

13. Symposiums, Spinoffs & More… – Spencer Roane, Pentagon Properties, Inc.

14. Keynote: ‘State of the Manufactured Housing Industry’ – Randy Rowe, Green Courte Partners

15. Community Series Homes, One Year Later – Don Westphal, Donald C. Westphal Assoc.

16. Panel: Home Manufacturers & Business Development Managers!

17. NSAC Update: Why You Should Support the RV/MH Heritage Foundation!

18. Panel: Real Estate Lenders!

19. Wells Fargo, Manage America & Origen LLC will be among the other firms represented.

20. Welcome Reception, Introductions, Informal Prayer Meeting for Nation and Leaders, Breakfasts, Lunches, Toasts, Visit Home Shows, the Gala Reception and more!

21. Wrap-up Session & Open Discussion Topics for Next Year?

I had planned to attend this event even prior to my being invited to speak on Marketing Magic, Industry Image Makeovers and share a reflection at the Informal Prayer Meeting.

Part II.

In my INR presentation, I am going to talk about how to generate 150 in-bound sales calls a week to your location.

Marketing. Every business, every Industry that wants to survive and grow needs good marketing. Marketing that doesn’t cost, marketing that pays.

Good, solid ROI (Return On Investment) Marketing.

A key part of what we do at MHMSM.com is marketing. Yes, we have become the premier news source in the Factory-built housing Industry. Part of that was achieved through marketing, as well as having great content and, of course, the most news and feature articles found on any single site online.

I was asked by George Allen to give a presentation in Phoenix on Marketing, Media and Manufactured Housing. The title GFA suggested for the talk is How to Get 150 Calls a Week on Site!

• Those 150 calls a week refer to inbound sales calls FROM CUSTOMERS LOOKING FOR YOU!
• Those 150 calls a week refer to prospects in the market LOOKING FOR WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER!
• Those 150 calls a week could TRANSFORM any Manufactured Housing Land Lease Community location struggling with vacancies INTO A FULL LOCATION with a waiting list!
• Those 150 calls inbound sales calls a week could be a modular or HUD Code Manufactured Housing RETAILER’S DREAM!
• Those 150 calls are not theory. THEY ARE TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW, TODAY for one of our clients. Not in boom time, but during this low ebb of the Industry.

It has long been my belief that Manufactured Housing – or most any aspect of factory home building – should never suffer due to the general ups and downs of the economy. We should be – and can be – the preeminent form of housing. The first choice instead of the last choice.

If you are looking for marketing solutions, sales solutions, a turn-around for one or more community or retail locations, business expansions or other Industry related business challenges, please give me a call. If you are looking for good PR for your company, please call.

Why should you? Please check out my LinkedIn Profile, for some of the currently 29 recommendations among my 469 connections: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

Just two words.

GET RESULTS.

I should hasten to add, that all ‘results’ are a team effort. We are not alone. We work as a team, and that is how we would approach working with any firm or organization in the manufactured housing field. Team work that Gets Results. Specialists for many different needs. Solutions for your real world problems. Great ROI, good work doesn’t ‘cost;’ it pays.

Part III.

Getting Positive PR: Media Relations and Manufactured Housing

What do the Chicago Sun-Times, the Dallas Morning News, Nashville’s The Tennessean and about a dozen other publications from coast to coast have in common?

Answer: They have all featured news stories on their sites this year that have a favorable message for manufactured housing.

Answer: These favorable messages were all generated by MHMSM.com staff, notably our INdustry in Focus Reporter Eric Miller – or myself.

http://topics.dallasnews.com/article/0aaJfyqbtfgnQ

http://envirolib.org/news/support-urged-for-bill-aimed-at-replacing-of-older-manufactured-homes-24-7-pressrelease/

http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/blogs/industryvoices/study-suggests-cities-and-towns-should-accept-new-manufactured-housing-communities/

Research Finds Manufactured Home Community Residents Under No Greater Threat of Crime

As you know, Manufactured Housing has all too often taken it on the chin from the mainstream media publications. Part of our goal at MHMSM.com is to share favorable news about Manufactured Housing and related issues.

As a media outlet ourselves, we can influence media.

Over time, this can have a favorable benefit for you and your business.

Should you desire favorable PR or marketing for your organization, please give me a call:
847-730-3692 or cell 832-689-1729.

Should you want to see what others say, please go to my LinkedIn Profile

Where you can see 29 recommendations of my work.

Business growth is often very much dependent on government activity. The right, or wrong, actions or inaction on the part of government can help or harm the business environment. We all know that fact. We know, too, that organization and concerted effort can pay off; this is true of the winner of each and every political campaign. The one better organized, the one that creates the most appeal and gets out the most votes, wins.

“What sort of government have you given us?” It is said that this was the question asked by a woman as Ben Franklin and others finished their work on the U.S. Constitution. Ben Franklin replied, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it!”

When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we pledge our allegiance to the Republic, not to the democracy. We are a representative republic. On the national level, our laws are passed by representatives of the people. Our representatives in turn need to know what we the people want, in order for them to deliver it to us via the mechanism of law.

I can look you in the proverbial eye, and ask you to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. I can do so because I’ve done so this past week; I did it, then turned to my colleagues and teammates and asked them to do the same! We can advance the cause of manufactured housing and modular home construction if we each do our part. That part can be done in just minutes.

Those timely contacts of our elected officials can lead you to the business growth you are investing your time, talent and treasure in!

If a dozen or two of us sound off, oh well! But when hundreds or thousands of Industry professionals like you, your associates and ours sound off, then WOW is the impact on Congress! From there, we can foresee how Congress can move to pass legislation or muster its weight to move regulators on issues that need to be addressed.

Manufactured and modular housing builders need to learn from and support each other. I will simply draw your attention to this article, Builders of Mods and HUDs, can they get along?

Then, I will say, we can and should be learning from each other and working together! We are stronger together – politically and economically – than apart.

Modular and prefab builders have an agenda that could be aided by HUD Code manufacturers, and vice versa. “Factory built housing” is a broad umbrella, one well worth each segment mutually supporting the other!

The summer break for Congress is over, and they are going back to work in Washington. 2010 is a key midterm election year and we are going into the final weeks of an election. There is no better time to get rapid results than NOW!

I am asking YOU to write. Please see the list of issues on my previous blog post; add some of your own if you like. Or do a personal intro of yourself and your company, and then attach all or those parts of the message we sent that you like. (The links for contacting your Reps and Senators are given in that previous blog post, too.) But please, I am asking YOU to do it! Because if YOU do it, you can rightly ask others to do it, too!

Then, I hope some of you will have the oomph to inspire others by posting a copy of the letter, fax or email you send to your Congress person and Senators below, or on LinkedIn. Or share the message you send to your Congress person and Senators with others you know in the Industry. This is a great time for concerted action!

You and your company are in business to make money. Congressional action can help that cause. There are far more reasons to act than not to act. Action ALWAYS trumps in-action! Thanks for all that you and others like you, in associations or businesses do to promote and advance the cause of manufactured housing today.

L.A. ‘Tony’ Kovach, MHM – publisher, editor and The Masthead blogger at
Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management trade journal at
www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com aka www.MHMSM.com
tony@mhmsm.com
847-730-3692

And remember! Tony also does contract marketing and coaching for industry clients. Marketing that doesn’t ‘cost;’ it pays off on your bottom line. Enough said! # #