Who's Missing? - The Cutting Edge of Manufactured Home Marketing & Sales

PresenterPro and Nancy Geer from the New York Housing Association both reminded me recently that a picture is worth a thousand words.

We are regrettably living in an era of decline for tens of millions of Americans. Most of us would rather see the robust economy of the 1990s vs. the anemic one we have today.

But in an era of 'back to basics,' visionary manufactured housing pros could and should position your career, location or organization for booming growth, regardless of what the economy in general is doing. After all, we sell affordable homes!

Some MH Community owners and Retailers tell me they have plenty of customers, all they need is 'more financing.'

For some, those can be code words for 'We need to find a way to get a 550 credit score bought with 5% down.'

Let's be real, that ain't happening.

Would you loan millions (or billions) of your own, hard earned money that way? In the CFPB era, you are even less likely to do so. Because only a 'captive finance' lender would make such a loan, unless there is a very large equity in the purchase.

We need to ask some basic questions, like…

Who's missing?

What's missing from our MH Industry's picture?

Besides over two decades in MH retailing and community infill projects, I've spent the better part of three years doing various marketing and salesmanagement/consulting projects in the RV business. The clientele difference between RVs and MHs is often like night and day.

The average credit score in the U.S. hovers around 692, which with a modest down payment and proper debt-to-income (DTI) levels can be readily financed on a manufactured home. RVs routinely draw 700+ credit scores. So why does manufactured housing draw the 500s?

Who's missing?

For MH, the millions of gals and guys with good credit!

Where are those millions of potential home owners who have the good credit could or pay cash for our manufactured homes? Why are they missing in such great numbers from our retail sales centers and land lease communities? You can answer it in a word.

Image

The RV Industry has its positive GoRVing image building and marketing campaign. You couldn't pry that out of the RV Industry's hands if you wanted to, they love it because they know the bottom line value of their image campaign!

Manufactured housing pros have long known we need an image campaign too.

With the National Association of Realtors (NAR) telling us that some 94% of home shoppers are looking for their next housing option online, having an online image campaign is an utter no-brainer!

We don't have "a" story to tell. We have LOTS of great stories to share!

ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com will answer the unasked questions millions have about modern manufactured homes. With pictures, videos and words, the new image and education site will tell the visual story of today's factory built home industry.

Let me invite you:

to see the plan for "what's next."
To see at a glance why the new image building website can be a useful tool to attract those who are missing from our retail centers and land lease manufactured home communities.
To learn how you can earn more, not some day, today.

Frankly, we need more than just pretty photos and videos, but we have what we need beyond the eye candy available today too!

For long term sales success, we must balance:

> Committed, forward looking professionals.

> Industry Associations.

> Financing for personal property and 'fee simple' mortgage loans.

> Trade media that keeps you informed and feeds you the news, professional insights and tips needed to navigate challenges.

> And now, the start of an Image Building resource with MHLivingNews.com!

Finance expert Dick Ernst reminded attendees at events in Louisville and Texas that we have the financing needed available to sell more homes, so long as we attract more of the customers who have good credit.

Keep what we have, but add more qualified buyers

We are not saying that we should abandon the customers who we serve with rentals, captive finance or other 'get me done' services that made 'buy here, pay here' auto dealers successful.

We are saying that the auto industry attracts Good Credit and Cash buyers! There are DOZENS of models of cars, each of which outsell annually all of the production of manufactured housing combined.

So if autos and RVs can attract more customers with cash or good credit, when realtors and builders do it effectively too, then we must commit to doing what it takes to get more of those qualified buyers!

See the comments from Industry pros in favor of this plan in the links that follow.

> Improving Manufactured Housing Image to Increase Sales

> Williams, Allen and others give Thumbs Up.

> Manufactured Housing Professionals, Is Image Everything?

Ask yourself. Who's Missing? Ask yourself. How do we attract those missing? Even with respect to importance of getting the passage of HR 1779, wouldn't we do better in DC with a tool to create a better image?

You know the answers.

Image isn't everything, but it is an important thing!

This is Simple.

As more pros share the website ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com with past customers and everyone they know, thousands upon thousands can discover the real value of manufactured homes today.

Start now by showing your sales and leasing associates the website. Let them see the photos, videos and articles that will answer the questions which keep people from buying a manufactured home.

Let them see the plan for What's Next on MHLivingNews.com.

Manufactured housing has known for years who's missing. More of the customers with the cash and good credit. Image isn't everything, but it is a key that will unlock the door to more sales to cash and credit worthy customers.

Sign up for emails here that will announce our free upcoming webinar to learn more to earn more, by using the power of ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com. Make this a regular resource available you share daily to bring in more customers with cash or good credit.

Above is how our twice weekly emailed news, tips and views updates look.

Space on our webinars are limited, so sign up yourself and have your team sign up too for the emails; then watch our Spotlight for the schedule to get your webinar time. ##

(Image credit for first three above: PresenterPro)

PS: Check our many Exclusive and Red Hot Featured Articles for June and see the

other new stories at MHLivingNews.com too.

L. A. "Tony" Kovach