{"id":3148,"date":"2012-02-20T17:18:27","date_gmt":"2012-02-20T23:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manufacturedhomepronews.com\/masthead\/?p=3148"},"modified":"2012-02-20T17:21:17","modified_gmt":"2012-02-20T23:21:17","slug":"getting-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manufacturedhomepronews.com\/masthead\/getting-it-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting It Up"},"content":{"rendered":"
After a slip, fall or getting knocked down, the most basic choices are staying down or getting up. Most of us – and certainly regular readers of this column or MHProNews.com<\/a> – strike me as the 'getting it up' after a fall type of owner, leader or professional. New manufactured housing industry blood as well as the 'survivors' alike are working harder and smarter to 'getting it (the numbers of sales) up.'<\/div>\n
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As you know, the MH World has taken a long, slow slide down from its high in 1998 for the last dozen plus years. That said, 2011 ended on a modest 3% uptick<\/a>. What made this uptick a possible sign of even better things to come is precisely the fact that we have seen double digit shipment increases for about half a year now. We are not out of the economic woods yet, but there are positive signs.<\/div>\n
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Can we increase sales and shipments by more than 150,000 new HUD Code Homes a year?!<\/b><\/div>\n
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Before we finish this column, we will tackle the topic noted above. So for those of you who scan a column (or readers with ADHD), please hang with me until the end, so you can learn something that you or a colleague in the Industry can use now to grow your results.<\/div>\n
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I get emailed reminders from readers that we have the smallest active labor force in decades at present. I'm reminded that there are more people on food stamps or federal assistance than at any time in modern history. We still have in many markets lots of foreclosures. All that and more may all be true, but let's remember, that those with reduced incomes may well qualify for one of our entry level homes and there are still tens of millions who make great target markets for our home products. Bottom line, if we have a can-do,'let's turn lemons into lemonade'<\/i> solution orientation, we will continue our assent up in sales and shipments.<\/div>\n
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More Manufactured Home Financing<\/b><\/div>\n
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MH pros have long known that financing is a key element to a robust recovery of our Industry. We believe that including professional marketing, sales and management enhances the financing opportunities needed to sell more homes, a belief that many of your share. So, as we have seen in recent months, there are businesses located even in 'challenged' parts of the U.S. that are doing far better than their peers in the same market. They do that based in part on their extra efforts in management, marketing and sales systems that yield improved results.<\/div>\n
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So financing related tools along with marketing\/sales\/management marketing are keys to industry growth.<\/div>\n
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You also need products (homes) to sell (or in the case of some communities, lease\/RTO, etc.), and a host of other services needed or useful for you to grow your MH street retail, manufactured home community or development business.<\/div>\n
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The success of the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show<\/a> in the last two years has been precisely to bring together networking, education\/business building seminars along with homes, products and services all under one roof. Pros like you save time and money learning more to get the edge they need in the market place today.<\/div>\n
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The visionary thinking of the leaders of the Great Southwest Home Show<\/a> are making those same opportunities possible in Tulsa OK March 1 and 2nd<\/sup>, and your attendance as an industry pro from most industry segments is free. Join hundreds of your peers from the retail, communities (parks) developers, installers and other suppliers world and Pre-register free at this link<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Learn more to Earn More<\/b><\/i><\/div>\n
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Check out the FREE business building workshops, finance forums and seminar line up, <\/b>see below!<\/i><\/div>\n
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Thursday, March 1, 2012 at the Quik Trip Center in Tulsa OK:<\/strong><\/div>\n
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10:30 AM Need More Inventory (wholesale, floorplan) Financing?<\/b> The newly revised SBA Floorplan lending program will be presented by an SBA official. Learn the facts on how you and your choice of area bankers can team up to use this program, available NOW.<\/div>\n
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11:45 – 12:30 “How To Get The Most of Your Appraisal” <\/b>by Sherrie Clevenger, NADA. Appraisals are a hot issue in lending today and Sherrie will give you powerful tips and insights so that you can take more deals to thebank.<\/div>\n
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12:30 – 1:15 PM “Get Savvy with the Latest Finance Programs Available on Manufactured Homes” <\/b>by Matt Childers, 21st<\/sup> Mortgage. 21st<\/sup> Mortgage has come out with new programs geared for manufactured home communities (okay, you can whisper the name 'mobile home park') and street retailer programs designed to fill sites and sell homes! Don't miss this lunch and learn with Matt Childers..<\/div>\n
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2:00 PM – Attorney Kurt Kelly<\/b> will be presenting two programs, one for Retailers another for Communities. The first will be MH Park Management\/ Risk Control Presentation. <\/b>Kurt has given this power packed presentation the following sub-titles:<\/div>\n