::S Robert August & Co::

Robert recently returned from the 2010 Las Vegas International Builders Show (IBS) where he presented his annual and popular presentation, this year titled, "Profiting in 2010 and Beyond" with fellow IRM Fellows. The outline for his presentation is below*:

Profiting in 2010 and Beyond

Where in the Market will the Company’s Competencies Overcome the Competitor’s in the Eyes of the Customer?

Strive for excellence vs. complacency
Creativity vs. lack of initiative
Research vs. Copy Cat
New product development vs. same product with minor changes
Value engineering vs. little or none
Market and product driven vs. product driven
Eliminate the term “discount”
Launch new models vs. sell off models (sell from plans)
Advertise, publicize and promote vs. signage and hope
Train and hire the best sales team vs. outsource sales program to Realtors
Court Realtor community vs. minimal Realtor promotion
Pay standard market real estate commissions vs. over-pay real estate commissions
Under-promise and over-deliver vs. “get by”
Make your customers your extended sales team vs. laissez-faire
Success vs. survival

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’s Marketing Tactics

Sales Training:

Buyer Paradigm shift 1992 order- taker/2010 order-getter

Back to the basics
Teach the critical path:

Meeting Demonstrating Handling Objections Follow-up

Greeting Qualifying Closing Prospecting

Competitive analysis
Product knowledge
Role playing
Word-of-Mouth Marketing – Viral Marketing
Company employee participation on site
Customer service

Meeting through the acquisition and beyond

Customer for life

Develop excellent Realtor relationships
Seek referrals from all parties

Sales Management:

Spend 80% of time with sales team

Work one-on-one
Monitor and review all prospects, buyers and previous buyers
Praise

Merchandising:

Value Creation:

Price sensitivity

Product sensitivity

Place sensitivity

Promotion sensitivity

People sensitivity

Today’s Buyers

Ages 18-45

50+

Predominantly single

Universal Design
The Green Wave

Energy and water conservation

Sustainable

Renewable

Cultural Needs

Multigenerational homes

Double/Triple boomerang

Children

Parents

Extended family

Cocooning Returns
Design Trends

Smaller homes

Compact luxury

Comprehensive storage space

Enhanced outdoor living space

Model Homes

New model/Remodel/Remodel

Traffic Generation:

Campus cleanliness = lead generation = sales = closings!
Advertise to target specific buyers
Publicize to target specific buyers
Promote to target specific buyers
Referrals

Previous home buyers

Current home buyers

Current prospects

Realtor

Business to business

Trade association community

Non-profit community

Not-for-profit community

2^nd generation-plus residents living in former builder’s home

Enhance signage

Operations:

Maintain strong core executive management, management and employee team
Seek alternative financial solutions

Land bank

Negotiate loans

Seek angels

Work with manufacturers, vendors, distributors to achieve value engineering
Develop new and exciting product
Train entire team regarding:

Land planning Construction Customer Service

Architecture Marketing Profit

Landscape Architecture Sales

· Achieve customer-for-life status

Predictions:

Most builders slow to change
Those who market smartly and repetitiously will win
Pre-sale driven markets in semi-custom and luxury product
Personalization in every price point
Build shell inventory for spec-finish buyer
Successful sales people will be order-getters, not order takers
Take every buyer out of the market as quickly as possible
Co-op marketing between businesses
Money to remain in expensive
Customer for Life mentality

*©

Robert also presented the following talk at the 2010 IBS:

110 Ideas

Visualization, Actualization, Persistence = Positive Results!©

By S. Robert August

BA, MIM, NAHB Life Director, IRM Fellow, MIRM, CMP, CSP, MCSP, CAASH

Four Good Working Habits That Will Help Prevent Fatigue and Worry[1]:

Clean your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand.
Do things in order of their importance.
When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don’t keep putting off decisions.
Learn to organize, deputize and supervise.

Our Images are our Self-Fulfilling Prophesies.

What we envision is what we get.

Programmed visualization: deliberate use of the power of the mind to create your own reality.

You can use visualization to get what you want, but you must really, really want what you visualize.

Form in your mind a precise and clear picture of what you need and then hold it, affirm and see it as being yours.

Visualization Steps:[2]

Put yourself in a relaxed, receptive state.
See the images of your visualization clearly and in detail. Focus on them.
Become aware of the feelings you associate with the picture goal. Accentuate the positive. Reinforce the positive. Eliminate all negative thoughts. Return to positive thoughts.
Experience the images with your inner senses. The more complete the experience of both sensory and feeling components, the more power you give to it.
Tell yourself in words, or send yourself the thought, write your thoughts that you “deserve the very best in life,” especially through the state or goal that you are visualizing.
Trust and believe that you will have what you want. The positive belief serves to motorize the visualization.

This is a live process of cause and effect, of consciousness creating reality.

Six Ways to Turn Desire into Gold[3]

There are six definite and practical steps to turn desire into gold.

Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient to say, “I want a lot of money.” Be definite as to the amount.
Determine exactly what you intend to give in exchange for the money you desire.
Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
Create a definite plan to carry out your desire, and begin at once to put this plan into action.
Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in exchange for the money and describe exactly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
Read your written statement aloud twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning. As you read, see, feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.

How to Develop Persistence

Four steps lead to the habit of persistence. The necessary steps are:

A definite purpose backed by burning desire for its fulfillment
A definite plan, expressed in continuous action.
A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends and acquaintances.
A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.

The Magic of Self-Suggestion:

Thoughts that are mixed with any feelings or emotions constitute a “magnetic” force, which attracts other similar or related thoughts.

Eight words that can transform your life: “Our life is what our thoughts make it” ~ Marcus Aurelius.

“If you think that you are beaten, you are,

If you think you date not, you don’t.

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think that you’ll lose, you’re lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will –

It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But sooner or later the man who wins

Is the man Who Thinks He Can!”[4]

In addition, the following article by Robert was printed in the recent edition of Sales and Marketing Ideas magazine:

MIRM Responsibilities©

by S. Robert August, NAHB Life Director, IRM Fellow, MIRM, CMP, CSP, MCSP, CAASH

It is the responsibility of every MIRM to encourage every home and apartment home sales, marketing and management professional to become a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing (MIRM). Over the years, we have witnessed thousands of candidates become new members. Today we have a membership that must rise to the occasion to be an asset to our membership, help the candidates become designated, and continue to solicit and recruit new members.

Year in and year out the fellowship, camaraderie and friendships that have been made have transcended good and difficult times alike.

As we venture through the recession and recovery, there is no better time than now to take stock in our profession to determine how we can each make a positive impact on the people who make up our industry.

MIRM Recruiting and Counseling Responsibilities for MIRM Candidates:

As a MIRM, it is your responsibility to solicit new candidates and encourage them to become MIRMS. You can find these candidates waiting to be solicited at your local home building and/or apartment association, boards of Realtors, chambers of commerce and economic development councils. Consider mentoring at least one candidate annually.

Explain the professional value to your prospective mentored student. Use examples of how the designation has helped increase the professional status of the MIRM with in his or her company through peer and professional relationships.

Explain the economic value of the designation. New MIRMS typically increase their earning power with their new education. The self-esteem and confidence boosters earned by the new MIRM enhance the MIRM to accomplish more personal success.

Learning is a key ingredient to the MIRM process. The instructors provide academic and pragmatic industry lessons that cannot be acquired in text books alone. The instructors are also accessible for you long after the classes are over so that you may continue your education.

Instructors provide life lessons while bringing out the best in the students and encouraging them to share their experiences from their own markets. These ideas and experiences can stimulate new ideas to create new or revised marketing, management and sales programs for everyone. We continue to learn together!

Create a critical path with your mentored student to completion of the MIRM designation. It is important to adhere to a schedule to encourage, support and help the candidate in an effective and efficient manner for all parties concerned to finish and submit the case study.

We all need someone to take an interest in our careers, so start selecting your next candidate to mentor through the MIRM designation.

MIRM Participation:

Once you become a MIRM, it is now your responsibility to use your new designation to enhance your career and the careers of everyone you meet. You have new and experienced knowledge to share. The following tips will help you to further your participation to help new and existing MIRMS become more active locally and nationally:

Congratulate each new MIRM in your trading area. Bond with them and coach them wisely.

Encourage each new MIRM to send a press release to her or his local media representatives complete with photographs.

Encourage each new and existing MIRM to keep the media representatives apprised of new trends that impact the industry and economy positively. Provide new press releases with graphs, charts and photographs to support your points of interest. Always include your MIRM designation in your final paragraph with your contact information.

Encourage each new and existing MIRM to become active on local and national committees. IRM is comprised of new and old members alike who network positive relationships to enhance our industry. You will find open arms awaiting you to join a committee and become and active contributor. We need your knowledge to improve IRM.

Select one committee at the local and national level. Serve excellently. It is better to serve on one committee and accomplish superb results, rather than serve on several committees with average results. Your peers will appreciate your excellent initiatives and commend you for your participation. You will also feel better about your accomplishments.

Become more innovative at work.

Write and lecture about your experiences. Share them through the SMI Editorial committee and your favorite publishers.

Archive your experiences to share with future students and committee members. It is difficult to remember each important and/or significant point of interest you have experienced. By archiving your accomplishments, you maintain a history to share.

Maintain an outstanding disposition to help IRM, our membership and future membership whenever the opportunity is presented. As a MIRM, you are an ambassador of IRM and NSMC. Please remember, you are the image of IRM. Wear your pin daily. Post your designation certificate in your office. Place your designation on your business cards, web site, and business communications to introduce and advertise your accomplishment.

Rejuvenation:

Thank you for your interest and consideration to add IRM focus to your business plan. The first step of our journey is always the most difficult one to take. Through your personal initiative and perseverance – whether as a candidate or a MIRM – please reach out and touch another prospective candidate to become a MIRM who will make a positive and productive difference for our industry!

Before the IBS convention, Robert presented the following MIRM PRO Ed talk:

§ Evaluate your Career

§ Evaluate your Present Position

§ Evaluate your Competition – Personal and Company

§ Write your Job Description

§ Update your Biographical Sketch

§ Evaluate Present Short and Long-Term Goals

§ Learning to Re-Learn:

o Mental Management

o Time Management

o Physical Management

o Nutritional Management

o Rest Management

o Educational Management

o Human Resource Management

o Teaching Management

o Relaxation Management

o Reading Management

§ Creating your New Plan of Action

§ Implementing your Plan of Action

§ Marketing your Talents

§ Re-evaluating your Plan of Action

§ Successful Marketing Tips for 2010

§ Go for the Gusto!

Robert continues to present "The Selling Professional" as a free series of hour-long seminars at the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver on the second Wednesday of every month. RSVP required.

Look for the webinar Robert recorded for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry on August 26, 2008 entitled “Marketing for Remodelers: Building Profits" at www.nari.org/learning.

Listen to S. Robert August discuss starting to address customer concerns instead of overcoming objections on BuilderRadio.com with Jerry Rouleau.

S. Robert August was installed as a Fellow in the Institute of Residential Marketing College of Fellows in February of 2008. Advancement to Fellowship is the highest honor given by IRM. It recognizes a member's significant contributions to the new home sales profession. IRM Fellows help promote the profession of selling and marketing new homes, advance the standards of sales and marketing education and advance the value of IRM and its designations among home building professionals.

Robert frequently provides wisdom in Nation’s Building News Online.
Please visit the links below to see his articles:
http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/textonly/2005-10-24/Sales/index.html http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/textonly/2005-11-07/Sales/2.html
http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/textonly/2005-12-12/Sales/index.html
http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-02-13/Sales/index.html
http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-04-17/Sales/index.html