The snow is falling here, with 6″ to 8″ is predicted by dawn. But regardless if you are in sunny FL, TX or AZ, if you are in the cold of Alaska, MT or Canada, or somewhere in between, there is excitement and energy in the air! Factory-built home industry pros are coming here in ever greater numbers – yes even during the Christmas shopping season! – and are thanking us privately by email or phone or publicly on posted replies for a positive, solution oriented content. Well, pat your neighbor on the back, because it is other positive, goal and solution oriented pros that are producing our content!
INdustry Professionals – in the trenches and with the seasoning – sharing their insights and positive solutions with other INdustry pros.
This issue will be like October and November, only on steroids!
We have returning writers and new to our Trade Journal talent! Names you know, and those who you will get to know. You’ll see more below on the good women and men who share their time and insights with you here at www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com.
Thanks to you www.MHMSM.com for short is already the largest INdustry trade journal – after just two short months! – and we are the fastest growing MH industry professionals website too. Good folks like yourself are emailing, printing and handing out articles and blogs, linking in, texting and calling their associates and INdustry connections. In every sense, this site is for you, and thanks to you, we are growing more rapidly than we planned or hoped!
Thank you.
Thank you for checking our 24/7/365 INdustry news daily, for reading the classifieds, job postings, articles, surfing the photo gallery and signing up. Thanks for clicking through to our sponsors at rates 5 to 30 times ‘enhanced’ web marketing averages!
Let’s do a brief run-down of this month’s featured content.
Returning in December (and we hope in January, February and beyond!) is Tim Connor, CSP with a powerful concept: Want To Increase Your Sales? Build Psychological Debt. Some refer to this as the rule of reciprocity, but whatever you call it, implement this with your sales because it works!
The first of our EXCLUSIVE interviews with INdustry pros you know or should know begins with no less a personality than MHI’s Thayer Long! When you share this first cup of java with Thayer, you’ll certainly want another.
Suzanne S. Felber joins us for the first time with her report on Design_Trends 2010. Suzanne, the LifeStylist’s® work, first caught my attention some years ago, and this article will give you more than a clue as to the important merchandising trends this classy professional presents for your consideration and benefit!
Our next exclusive interview is with retail and manufacturing veteran, Doug Gorman! When you share a mug of hot brew with this giant of a gent, you’ll feel warm even if it is snowing outside.
Getting the Most for Your Marketing Dollars is a topic you’ve almost certainly ‘seen’ done online, but may not have considered much. Ken Sticher shares a dynamic way for you to get the best impression and for less money, all with the goal of bringing more clients to your doors!
GMHA President Jaime Hammons returns in December! Many of your ‘met’ Hammons for the first time in our last issue (available, as our all our articles free in our archives – one 30 second sign up is all it takes). This A Cup of Coffee with… Jaime Hammons gives you the unique perspective of an association director, and should make us all more grateful and supportive of our associations – national and local. Enjoy this pleasant and challenging read!
The Christmas Gift that Keeps Giving by Sue Frost introduces a topic that most larger firms appreciate and too many smaller firms ignore. Don’t ignore this timely topic, and hats off to Sue for taking time out of her busy schedule for sharing it with us here for you!
Speaking for myself and many in the INdustry who miss Chris Olvera’s insights and writing, we simply had to have Chris back for A Cup of Coffee with… Chris Olvera! See what Chris is up to, and take the time to let him know how much we still value all that he and the fine people at the MH Merchandiser Magazine did for our INdustry!
All Seasons Communications Rachel Biermann returns with advice that can position you for the coming uptick in business! Advertise during Tough Times for Lasting Benefits reminds us of why the winners keep on marketing, yes, even during a downturn! I follow this advice with my marketing, and I hope you will with yours too!
Dave Reynolds of The Mobile Home Park Store fame joins us in December with a winning analysis of How to Correctly Buy Mobile Home Parks in a Recession. As you’ve already noticed – and articles such as Dave’s fine one underscores – we present a variety of viewpoints for our readers here! While some are going after more upscale locations, Dave makes his case for why the ‘traditional’ MHP shouldn’t be ignored. A fine read from an experienced land-lease community owner, seller and coach.
Paul Bradley – President of ROC (Resident Owned Communities) gives you some facts worth considering if you are Selling your Community? If this concept as ‘scared’ some, Bradley brings on the witness – the people who have done sales to residents! – as to why this may be an approach to take if you are thinking about selling your land-lease community.
Mr. Electric Guitar – Mike Dupure, the Rocker Man! – shares the reasons why we should Remember it All Starts Here. Most of us have met at least one talented person who is…how shall we put this politely?… a bit taken with themselves? Sales talents like Dupure remind us that we are all a part of a team, and all that this humbling but important concept means.
I can’t give away Tim Saville’s insightful topic, only to say that I could TOTALLY relate to what he shared, and I’ll bet you will too! Don’t miss it – Say It Ain’t So by returning industry writer – and thinker extraordinaire – Tim Saville!
Let me take a moment and note that some of our ‘regular’s had past packed holiday schedules, and couldn’t make this December issue, but they plan to return in January 2010!
The Plus Sign by Greg McClanahan is the ideal book-end for Tim’s timely topic. McClanahan is another one of those modest but rarely gifted gents who glories in YOUR success, and shy’s away from his own notable accomplishments. If you want to improve your team in 2010 and beyond, a great place to start is by checking out Greg’s ‘Around the Campfire’ and this memorable story, The Plus Sign!
Common Management Mistakes by Tim Connor, CSP is another gem by this guru who has some 100 factory built housing industry clients to his credit! Want to improve management? Grow your sales? Cut down on CD? Take this Tim-bit and call Tim, AFTER you read this article!
SAVING THE PATIENT – is an MH Merchandiser flashback article. If you have a struggling MHP or MHC and want to fix the vacancy issue, this read shouldn’t disappoint you.
If you are sick and tired of MH Industry doom and gloom, please read “Short & Sweet” Discover why www.MHMSM.com is focused on Marketing Sales and Management, and just how readily the numbers support the strong potential for MH Industry growth!
Speaking of growth, one of the reason’s this Ezine is growing so fast (besides our loyal readers like you) is the hard, behind the scenes work of our webmaster and Internet Marketing guru, Bob Stovall. Not unlike DuPure or McClanahan, Stovall is amazingly modest, and just as amazingly talented and affordable! If you want to do it yourself, follow his articles step by step, starting with: Are Websites Dead? by Bob Stovall.
Call tracking is the norm for many industries in America, and perhaps one reason why our industry has suffered so much is because too few of us are using this amazing tool to grow your sales, enhance your ROI in marketing and improve the telephone skills of your sales or leasing pros! Stop Losing Sales Opportunities by the Call Source team provides eye-opening statistics your marketing manager shouldn’t miss.
About a year has passed since Marty Lavin wrote ‘The Future?” for the Merchandiser. About 6 months has passed since the reply to that dire prediction was published there: Two Words. If you want an emotional boost – based on history and reason! – Two Words is for you.
Finally, this month’s extensive line up of featured articles wraps up with Synergy. Synergy is part of the fuel that will ignite the turn around of HUD Code Housing! Read it, practice it and encourage others to do the same!
We want to take a few moments to thank our sponsors – and you for clicking through to them! – and to remind those of you who haven’t found our News department to check it out. This is the most dynamic 24/7/365 – up to the minute news available at any one website online for the factory built housing professional! You’ll find association news, and news from a variety of sources, any time, day or night.
As robust as our writing line up is – and we hope you enjoy the diversity of styles, and upbeat solution oriented focus of this team – we are always on the look out for more good content for our readers! If you or an associate have a topic of INdustry interest, please don’t hesitate to send it in to latonyk@gmail.com
Also, we are looking for ANY or ALL industry pros to complete the TRENDS 2010 Survey. We will publish these replies in future editions, starting – of course – in January 2010! Download the survey from this link: fill in the blanks and email it in to latonyk@gmail.com, and your done!
Finally it would be my pleasure to ‘connect’ with INdustry professionals on Linkedin. If you don’t already have an account, just go to www.Linkedin.com – like our website, its free and part of that Socialnomics that Bob Stovall is correctly sharing with our savvy readers. Not wanting to look too outdated, I set up a Linkedin account, and wow! Over 200 of you have already connected with me there!
Please go to: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach and let’s connect for the good of the factory-built housing business.
Please enjoy the December 2009 issue. Your feedback is welcome at the end of every article, on our forum or by email or linkedin to me. Working together for the future of our industry, let’s make it a grrrr8 day TODAY.
Tony Kovach – www.MHMSM.com or latonyk@gmail.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
