Builder - November 2008 - (Page 60)

SALES STRATEGIES and downtime within the office layout seem to inspire better performance. TAP THEIR TECHNOLOGY. Kids aren’t looking in the paper for jobs, but rather on Craigslist and Monster.com—and your Web site—and probably using their smartphones to do so. In addition to ﬁ nding them in their own realms (rather than yours), leverage their comfort with technology to connect with younger home buyers, many of whom rely on and want instant and electronic communication that this generation understands and comfortably executes. KEEP THEM HAPPY OR LOSE THEM. It’s not a seller’s market anymore, in housing or for housing employers, and Gen Y workers are content to move on if there’s no clear path for career advancement. A recent study found that two-thirds of them believe they should spend no more than two years at an entry-level position. “We’re moving toward a market [of] employees who will move between jobs with impunity,” says Dave McCaffrey, president of Predictive Resources, an employment consultancy in Elmhurst, Ill. It sounds like a scenario in which the tail appears to be wagging the dog, but Joy insists there is a middle ground. “Don’t give into them at the expense of poor performance,” she says. “Set the vision, values, and goals for the organization, and don’t be a pushover.”—R.B. A Spec Solutions t a conference earlier this year, management expert Al Trellis suggested that, in fact, having (or even building) a few spec homes isn’t necessarily a bad thing for most small-volume builders. Of course, he’s not suggesting a whole neighborhood of standing inventory, but rather that a couple of specs can actually be valuable assets in a slow sales environment. “You always want to have something built and ready to satisfy an immediate housing need such as a relocation buyer,” says Trellis. In addition, he advocates leveraging the investment in a spec house by using it as a furnished model home, sales office, or design center. It may also serve as a place to train trade workers before letting them loose on a real job and experiment with new products. If builders want to introduce a new ﬂoor plan or model that they believe will energize sales, building a single spec home as a model might just ﬁt the bill, which also will keep subs and crews busy and loyal. “The more you can make it work for you, the better,” says Trellis.—R.B. GREEN AMENITIES Natural Attractions Builders and developers are eschewing traditional amenities for natural features. t Silver Woods in Ocean View, Del., builder/developer Robert Thornton chose to weave boardwalked trails dotted with bird feeders through his 350-plus lots rather than cover up the wooded parcel with conventional attractions such as tennis courts. “We’re using the natural beneﬁts of the land as an amenity,” he says. “It may cost me a few lots [to preserve trees and other organic elements], A Working Women C onﬁrming conventional home-sales wisdom, a recent study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies indicated that women control more than 90 percent of all home buying and remodeling decisions. According to the NAHB, single women make up the second-largest and fastest-growing segment of buyers. Though written as a guide for female housing consumers, Trillion Dollar Women by Tara Nicholle-Nelson provides valuable insights for builders and sales associates anxious to know what women want. Price: $12.95 for NAHB members; $14.95 retail. For more information or to order, go to www.builderbooks.com or call 800-223-2665.—R.B. but it’s value gained, not money lost.” It’s a trend that’s cascading across the country as a natural (and logical) byproduct of green building. “Connecting with nature is important in today’s deadline-driven society,” says Ellen Goetz, a landscape architect in Naples, Fla., who has incorporated natural features as part of the amenities packages for several communities. And it isn’t just nature and bike trails that attract today’s eco-conscious buyers. Bird-watching, kayaking, horseback riding, and ﬂy ﬁshing opportunities; restored wetlands; game crossings; and neighborhood gardens are cropping up on the list of hot-button features, while ﬁtness centers and indoor facilities are being left until the last phase, downsized to preserve existing landscape, or not built at all. “Parks and other natural areas provide a calm place in the world,” says Goetz. “The more we can make these places more experiential and engaging, the more residents are going to enjoy living where they do.”—R.B. GOT A SALES TIP? E-M AIL PAT CURRY AT: pcurry@hanley wood.com FOR MORE SALES AND MARKETING STORIES, VISIT W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM/SALES. 60 ■ B U I LD E R nov e m ber 2008 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://www.builderbooks.com http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM/SALES http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Builder - November 2008

Builder - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes B-Mail Book It Missing Links Inside Story Top Shelf Green House Business Update Sales Strategies Industry Insight Products Tech Tools National Best Seiders' Economy Sifting Through the Ruins Cottage Industry Upside Down Ad Index Last Word

Builder - November 2008

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