Among the recent calls that came in was one from a community owner with a turnaround property in Ohio. She had attended our “Dominate your Local Market” seminar in Louisville and wanted Bob Stovall, our IT and WebTech Manager to follow up. We chatted about a number of topics. She was very pleasantly surprised by the value that manufacturers offered on new homes. Why go used, she asked, when you could save all the headache (and heartache) by buying a new Community Series home at about the same cost; plus your home buyer gets a new home look and warranty! She was very pleased with the Ohio Manufactured Housing Association, which she felt offers a wealth of knowledge. She was ready to cancel her ‘no results’ yellow pages ad in favor of a robust web based approach. Legal, licensing, finance, industry events and more were discussed. Having ‘taken over’ a family-run community, she walked away understanding the value of going to a trade show, being part of an association and why seminars and new homes are all such keys to advancing her business.
Some call or message me about the importance or size of the used home market. Some talk about how important good customer service is, and indeed I agree that customer care is a must.
We will always have used home sales, or as a very successful Community Owner stated to me recently, “resales!” What words we use does matter!
Yes, resales in cars, boats, RVs or homes of all kind will always be important. But if we don’t order new cars, boats or manufactured homes, how long will that industry last?
Maybe you know someone – a retailer, community operator or other industry professional – who needs to learn something new. I’ve been in this business since back in the days when South Shields Blvd. in Oklahoma City had 53 sales ‘lots’ all within three miles on that one street! We all have to learn – big or small, round or tall!
Trade shows are an unparalleled opportunity to learn while you are networking with peers and having a good time.
Trade associations can be a significant value in an age when regulations and market shifts can swamp a small business.
Knowledge is power, which means that information wisely used leads to profits.
Smart folks, like yourself, read the daily business news in their industry, which is why hundreds are signing up for MHMSM.com podcasts to join the thousands already signed up to get our emailed information updates. All free! You don’t find these anywhere else. Over 37,000 here in January 2011 can’t be wrong! If you aren’t already signed up, please Click on the links, or pass this onto your competitors or friends…
…competitors? You bet.
The better each of us is at what we do, the better it is for the Industry and our image in the public square.
A successful owner sent me a thank you note for ‘advancing the cause for professionalism’ of the Industry. That thank you goes to our MHMSM.com team, our sponsors, our featured writers, to associations that make a difference. And it goes to you and all others for being here and in one or more of those categories.
We will be in Tulsa for the truly Great Southwest Home Show! Will you? Will you let your peers learn something you don’t know? Or will you go, and invite others you know to do the same?
Knowledge is power. Wisely applied, information leads to profits.
Be here daily. Be at you association’s meetings, or join one.
For those who are ‘anti-association,’ I could tell you stories of my pre-association days, my days in and out, being on both sides of the association fence. Tell someone you know on the outside to ‘Set your feelings about politics, or competitors or whatever else aside.’ Don’t let some negative event or emotion stand in the way of the value of belonging and being present. You will find souls like yourself at an association. Over time, you will get the feel for it, and its value. That’s not selling out, as some call it, that’s reality! That’s smart business.
I should do a blog post on ego, but I will only note for now that humility is wisdom. You may be Warren Buffett, but you still need others. That is why you are here, reading. That is why people download and listen. That is why 970 went to Louisville, plus the exhibitors who were there! That is why large numbers will be in Tulsa on April 28-29th 2011, for the largest indoor event in the nation for manufactured housing. The 2011 Great Southwest Home Show!
Maybe they should call it, the Greatest West of the Mississippi Indoor Home Show? It is. We will be there to teach you how to Dominate Your Local Market. Other seminars on finance and much more will be there, too.
Please read Deanna Fields’ latest release. Think: Food, Folks, Fun and Fabulous! And be sure to see this YouTube video for more information about the Trade Days:
Chances are good that you can register free, and get more done in a couple of days than you would otherwise imagine. Ask the Lady from Ohio, mentioned at the beginning. She would tell you! # #
