Builder - January 2009 - (Page 59) SALES STRATEGIES TIPS AND TACTICS FOR SALES SUCCESS ■ EDITED BY PAT CURRY SELF-MARKETING Open House O gift certificates for anyone visiting its store. Gene Donahue, manager at Weiss Homes’ Newbury Pointe community in Osceola, Ind., has used events to help catapult his community into a top producer for the company. He opens his sales center for a wide range of commuAttract traffic by hosting events at your community. nity meetings including the local Lion’s Club and the ne of the most cost-effective ways to draw traffic organizing committee for a bluegrass festival. An adoptto your community is to use what you’ve got—a sales center a-pet event, held in conjunction with an area animal shelter and a or a model home—to host events. The goal is to keep a steady veterinarian, showcased pets available for adoption and provided stream of people coming through the door and to reinforce pet care advice. the impression that your community is the place to be. “We invited the local fire and police departments to demonSimply Cinco, the community information center for Cinco strate safety to children and adults alike,” Donahue says. “In the Ranch, a Newland Communities development in Katy, Texas, was meantime, we set up a Neighborhood Watch program despite the designed to work as a venue for a non-stop stream of events. The fact that we are in a low crime area. I sold two homes in a matter of center is located in La Centerra, a mall within Cinco Ranch, and hours off this [Neighborhood Watch] event. One buyer was just was built with a giant demonstration kitchen, says marketing direc- stopping through, and the other was out with their Realtor looking tor Heather Gould. at other homes in the area.” A series of “Simply Cinco Adventures,” held on Thursdays and Saturdays, features demonstrations from chefs in the mall’s res- INVOLVE VENDORS taurants, interior decorators from home décor stores, and fashion Last year, Hubbell Homes in West Des Moines, Iowa, hosted a (see page 60) series of Sunday-afternoon block parties at a experts from clothing stores. “It gives people a reason to stop in and see what’s going on,” Gould says. “Right now, that’s one of the most important things, getting people in the door.” The best part about the adventures is that they don’t cost Newland Communities anything at all. “We’re trying to partner with the community around us to leverage everyone’s strengths,” Gould says. “We give publicity to those vendors. They’re happy to come in.” INVITE RESIDENTS Epcon Communities neighborhoods have hosted everything from dance lessons to dog washes to attract prospective buyers, says Nanette Overly, vice president of sales and marketing services. “We’re constantly thinking of things,” Overly says. “Our thought is that if it will appeal to our current residents, it will appeal to future residents. We always invite current residents and prospects and invite residents to bring their friends and family.” Overly says builders shouldn’t be shy about approaching local merchants for donations of items for cross promotions to increase attendance. For a “Step and Stroll” walking event, Epcon partnered with a local fitness shoe store, which donated a pair of walking shoes for a raff le and provided MEETING SPACE: Simply Cinco, the information center for Newland Communities’ Cinco Ranch in Katy, Texas, builds traffic by hosting local groups, such as this Chamber of Commerce event. W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM ja n ua ry 2 0 0 9 BUILDER ■ 59 http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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