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When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Go Marketing
www.melindabrody.com
407-294-7614
When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Go Marketing
I did a seminar yesterday on "Entrepreneurial Selling" - my new topic. I put a fishbowl on the entry table to collect business cards. This was for two reasons; one was to give away my new best seller DVD product, "Best of the Best," and the other was to determine exactly how many people brought business cards with them. I started the seminar with 22 cards and there were approximately 60 attendees - all in the sales and marketing profession. OUTRAGEOUS! I heard several excuses as to why they didn't have their business card:
- "Why do I need cards for this seminar?"
- "I left them in my car."
- "I have one in my wallet with some info the back that I need."
- "I ran out."
Several of the business cards even had the printed name scratched out with someone else's name handwritten. This was a great way to begin my seminar. How can you market yourself without business cards? Century 21 say, "Don't be a secret agent, give out your cards!"
Entrepreneurial selling is all about making things happen. An entrepreneur is a marketing machine and when the market slows down, they are out there drumming up customers. New homes salespeople should adopt an "entrepreneurial mentality" and create traffic on their own. In fact, one-third of the traffic should be salespeople driven, one-third the builder needs to bring in, and one-third are realtor referrals.
Self Marketing - On-site salespeople need to create a monthly marketing plan and act like the community they represent is their own small business. Each week, the plan needs to include marketing activities to increase traffic. Some suggestions to market yourself and your community include:
- Local Chamber of Commerce events
- Civic/Community groups
- Local retailers
- Upscale apartment communities
- Vendors
- Corporate relocation departments
- Happy homeowners
- Every place your target market hangs out
To be effective, you need a crystal clear picture of who your target market is and then you need to determine where they eat, play, exercise, take their kids, etc. That's where you want to put brochures and make a personal visit. Why did Willy Sutton rob banks? (Answer: That's where the money is, silly)! I read a sad article a few months ago about a man with limited income and no health insurance that needed a minor medical procedure and was pleading for a doctor to take his case. He was having a hard time so in his desperation, he wrote up his problem on a flyer and put it on every windshield of every Mercedes in the employee parking lot of the local hospital. He did get help, and he sure knows how to target doctors!
Working with Realtors - Another important aspect of your marketing plan needs to be effective, ongoing realtor contacts. David Harding features an excellent article about this in the September/October issue of Sales & Marketing Ideas Magazine. One of his many excellent points includes how to pinpoint top producers. "I need to schmooze the top producers early on Saturday mornings at their offices. Who is likely to be in the office at 8 a.m.? The top producers, that's who!"
I believe 90% of realtors are "professional coffee sippers; they want a coffee klatch. 10% are hardly ever in the office and are the heavy hitters who "make it happen." The above is a great strategy to have an audience with the 10% you want showing your community.
Prospecting, networking, asking for referrals, and working top realtors should be an ongoing event, not just when things are tough. If the proper groundwork is laid down, then the flow of prospects should never stop. You just have to be on your game when a good one walks in and asks, "Can I see your model?
Melinda Brody, MIRM has been inspiring and evaluating salespeople for almost two decades. She offers sales seminars, keynotes and video mystery shopping services for builders across North America.
