Fast food restaurant "strikes" were coordinated on 12.6.2013, to draw attention to workers pay and the minimum wage issue. We aren't going to talk about the minimum wage or unionizing fast food staff, but let's use this as a example we can learn from.

My question for today is, why don't manufactured housing pros plan our own media attracting events?

It would have cost significant sums of cash for those union organizers to have bought the newspaper, radio and TV coverage that would have yielded the same impact as the so-called "strikes" staged at fast food restaurants. Their issue potentially impacts millions.

We also have millions being impacted by Dodd-Frank. Millions of pre-HUD Code mobile home and post-code manufactured home owners will be negatively impacted by Dodd-Frank and the CFPB's currently planned regulations that restrict lending on lower cost homes. In addition, thousands of jobs could be lost, based on projections by industry lenders who have shared their facts with the CFPB and others. That sounds like the sort of things that could make for a good protest.

Our story could be news! Further, we could do it in a way that would make our industry look good.

But we have to become more pro-active, coordinated and media savvy.

At the rapidly approaching 2014 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, we plan to showcase strategies during my seminar session that will demonstrate ways to improve our image, engage the public, the media and grow sales. Not someday, but right now at your local level!

My and the other show-sanctioned seminars in Louisville are all free to attendees. Please make plans to come. It is the largest, all indoor event in all of manufactured housing.

Rats! – Or – Clarity of Thought, Planning and Action.

Emotions can be wonderful. Emotions are also powerful in the realm of marketing, sales and management. Emotions are powerful too in our personal life, which means in matters of filial, friends and others relationships, faith, flag and fortune.

But emotions unchecked or that lack careful examination can lead one into dark, blind alleys that reason's light would have avoided.

What we see all-too-often today are bold attempts to manipulate emotions as a means of "leading" members of political, social, religious, economic or other groups.

As soon as the tools of manipulation are visible, it is wise to slow down and ask, "what's really going on here?"

In the economic – and thus political – crisis of 2008, companies pared back on people, products and services. That meant leaner companies, with fewer team members doing or trying to do the same things. There are thus fewer eyes in companies and organizations – such as associations – doing strategic analysis. Planning and thus actions tend to be more short term tactics vs. long term strategy that combine mid-to-short term elements too. Jay Hamilton from the Georgia Manufactured Housing Association lamented that lack of long term planning in a guest article.

With waves of information coming at us daily – some say we are exposed to 3000 marketing types of messages daily – out of necessity, we tune much of that out. When we have less time to think and analyze – due to all of the personal, professional and other demands on our time – we now see masses of professionals and others running their daily paths.

It's the modern rat race.

Combination of factors like those mentioned mean we are often dealing with complex issues and we knee jerk into our 'default mode.' This makes all of us more susceptible to manipulation or honest error.

Stagecraft and Manipulation

Members of both major parties and others have used the stagecraft of standing people in front of cameras – living props – along side a political leader or public official, they then tell stories that tug on emotions.

All of this yields the means of getting you, me and others to follow a path that we may not be carefully analyzing. We ARE in our personal default mode.

Once understood, these trends are both problematic, but also tantalize us with a huge potential opportunity.

We too can use such tools in our favor. We too could organize and coordinate activities that could land us on page 1 favorably, or in OpEd columns that impact the public and officials.

But that will only happen if we take the time to think, read, listen, plan and then act.

What say you?

What's your ideas for industry progress?

We will have the opportunity at the Louisville Show to present, listen, share and engage.

Between now and Louisville, we encourage you to share your take on various matters that impact us, our customers, our industry and the nation.

We get a steady stream of calls, emails, texts and messages via social networks here. Naturally, many of those contain ideas that are different than this or that person – including myself – has expressed. We routinely invite readers who share private comments to turn them into an article.

A recent example of what started as a private comment that became a "yes, I'd like to share that as a guest column" is found at this link on Industry Voices. See what a thoughtful, successful Texas retailer has to say on one of the issues of the day.

I'd like to point your attention to Lisa Tyler's “Cohort Class, Changing Perceptions in 15 Minutes” article too.

Every article we publish has keen or interesting insights! I mention Lisa's because it is an actual example of how a thoughtful presentation by a budding, pro-manufactured housing academic turned a room full of skeptics into people that were suddenly interested in manufactured housing.

Lisa Tyler changed minds in 15 minutes, all by talking about facts that are in our industry's favor! Can we learn from her example? Could we use the kind of facts she used?

We should!

Let me also suggest that it is wise to thank our featured writers, because what they are doing benefits YOU and our industry! There are not enough Lisa Tyler's out there, let's encourage those we have.

As an aside, readership here at MHProNews is way up over last year. Compared to 4 years ago, when we had 20,000 page views a month, we often have double that a day now!

But the truth is, if knowledge is potential power, then more reading and thoughtful presentations are necessary.

The Place for Leaders, Thinkers and Doers!

Perhaps a good way to draw today's column to a close is to say, that as much as I love meetings and live events, there is a huge role for articles and opinion columns that provoke thought, discussion and the action. My sincere thanks to all who write, be it private messages or ones we publish.

MHProNews is the biggest, most visible thought leadership platform of our industry. This online trade journal for manufactured and modular housing is the place were ideas as well as actions are routinely on display. Articles written months or years ago get read here. In fact, some of our top read articles or Cup of Coffee exclusive interviews are ones we have done months ago or even years ago.

To borrow one of my favorite catch phrases, we are better together.

• We are better when we don't just speak, but when we listen.
• We are better when we don't just read, but we also take the time to write.
• Tim Williams at 21st Mortgage called our industry's members of a "fraternity," which comes from the Latin that means a brotherhood.
• Barry Noffsinger challenged us to "Be the Change We Want to See in our Industry." Barry's right.

We all have unique perspectives. We will see some things differently! But we are bound together, so let's have robust discussions, yet never forget good manners and that we are better off working together.

I hope to see you in Louisville. When I'm not in the seminar room, or walking the 48 new homes and exhibits on display – myself, Matthew or Soheyla and our son Tamas – will be at Booth 115. Please stop by, and gently share what your thoughts are. Your written, emailed thoughts are welcome too!

Let's look at what others groups – like those union activists – do to advance their causes.

Then let's advance our cause by taking the lessons learned, forming the plan and making it pay for our home owners and professionals.

Can we grab enough of the media's and political attention? If we are wise, if we pull together as a brotherhood, if we personally are the change we want to see, yes we can. ##

(Editor's Note: If you have not already done so, please read and share the following article with your, peers, elected officials and media contacts.

http://www.mhpronews.com/home/industry-news/industry-in-focus/6659-dodd-frank-fix-hr-1779-preserving-access-to-manufactured-housing-act-of-2013-achieves-growing-bi-partisan-support- )

PS: Check our many Exclusive and Red Hot Featured Articles for December and see the other new stories at MHLivingNews.com too

L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com|MHProNews.com|
Business and Public Marketing & Ads:B2B|B2C
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