On of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotes is this:

“When life hands you lemons, make Lemonade.”

If every time a business encountered a problem or situation, it approached that challenge with a solution orientation, how much further ahead would that business be? If we personally took those sour lemon situations and made them into lemonade, how much further ahead would you be or I be?

Since an industry is made up of people and businesses, given the scenarios above, how much further ahead would our Industry be?

Almost regardless of the scenario, the factory-built housing industry is better positioned than conventional building to meet the challenges of this ‘new economy.’ Where HUD Code home building – for whatever reason – doesn’t work as well on a practical level, we can typically use a modular home as a solution instead. We have advantages in cost and time.

Some years ago, Niel Rackham wrote the book, SPIN SELLING. It explained a sales system that AT&T and other major firms used. The word SPIN in Rackham’s context is an acronym; with S.P.I.N. meaning Situation Position Implication Needs/benefit. I’ve found this as a useful tool in analyzing how to market a location.

• S for Situation: What is the Situation or circumstances that face the home retailer, developer or community? What are the market conditions, comparable sized housing costs, etc.?
• P for Position. Once you know the Situation, you can Position your marketing and sales approach to address the implications of the situation and the types of clients you are encountering.
• I for Implication. Every fact finds its meaning in a context. If – for example – I say that my HUD Code manufactured home cost $179,900 at retail in one area that I market for, you might think – “that’s crazy!” But if I tell you that conventional real estate is going for $350,000 for 40+ year old condos in that area, now the facts of the situation carry a different implication. In a sense, it doesn’t matter that other MHCs in the area are ‘lower in cost’ on their site fees or HUD Code homes, because the Situation tells me we need to Position our target market to the prospective buyers of conventional housing or condos.
• N for Needs/benefit. People buy in part when they see that that their needs are met, when they see the benefit, value and appeal to them. When the parties have reached a ‘win-win’ point of view, when the needs of the prospect and the benefit of doing business has reached a mutually acceptable point, then a deal can ‘close.’

Look at your market with new eyes. Use the SPIN approach outlined above. Look at all the Situation: the challenges and the opportunities objectively. See the implications and potential benefits you can offer your target market and then position your message accordingly. These are proven way how you take lemons and turn them into lemonade. That’s how you profit in even in seemingly adverse situations.##