Life After Patriot Homes
Learn more about modular and manufactured housing
How Social Are You?
Mar 2nd
It’s hard to believe some days how quickly the world is changing. Am I just getting older or is technology changing the way we live and do business? Social media is changing the way we get our information and how our customers shop. If you don’t have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Blogger and Buzz you are missing out. If you think I’m writing in a strange foreign language when I talk about these it’s time to do some Google searches and find out what the buzz is all about!
Some of the greatest reasons to join in the conversation with these groups are that:
1. They are free!
2. Information is shared immediately – no lag time for what you want to share to be published.
3. These are great places to listen as well as share your thoughts.
How do you get started? Join us at MHI Congress April 13 – 15 when Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber will be sharing her experiences and resources with this marketing tool. We have also stared a Facebook group for PreFab Housing to help share between our community as well as get consumers excited about what we do. Please join us and help change the image of our community!
A Suite Retreat
Feb 26th
There are advantages to working with all forms of housing – I get to see the best of all worlds. There are things that site-built homes do well, there is the efficiency of factory built and modular gives you the best of all types of construction. With all of the changes going on in our industry I’m always looking for a company to refer people to, and today I had the chance to find out what Champion Homes of Texas is up to.
The first thing that impressed me is that when you call their office a real person picks up the phone. I hate the “for xyx dial 123″ answering systems -by the time I get through to someone I forgot why I called! They seem very in tune to customer service and these little touches can make all the difference.I went out to their Burleson Texas plant to see what was new, and I can’t give away all of the details but there are very exciting times ahead for Champion. They have great people in place that are going to take the company to the head of the class. Their customers love them, they understand and listen to their buyers and they have done some very innovative concepts, including the “Suite Retreat“. Everyone talks about doing a luxurious spa bath, but Champion is delivering it. With a fireplace, glass surround shower, and plantation shutters being included, this is a room that has the “wow” feature that customers are looking for. I got to merchandise a few homes with this retreat for Young’s Factory Built Homes and they are even more beautiful in person.
If you are looking for a new approach to modular housing, check out what Champion has to offer – you won’t be disappointed – tell them the Lifestylist sent you!
Building a Community
Feb 20th
As an industry we have done a remarkable job of designing a product that consumers need, but what I am seeing is most consumers don’t know we offer that product. The stereotypes of “trailers”, “mobile homes” and “sales lots” drive away many people who could really benefit from what we do. This includes everything from the most affordable housing to amazing estates we all would love to live in. There has always been a lot of talk about doing an image campaign (and the cost) but maybe this is an idea who’s time has come by taking a different approach.
I’ve never been very good at doing what everyone else does – that’s why I became a Lifestylist instead of a traditional designer or merchandiser. Consumers want more than just a decorated house – they want a home that reflects their lifestyle. This takes a little more time and research but it shouldn’t cost anymore – it might even cost less. I also really believe in spreading the word about the great things my clients are doing as well as talking about trends and ideas that can help everyone. I don’t charge my clients for this - I consider it a service and part of my cost of doing business. I also go to trade shows, events and do work in the site built industry so I can bring back more than “what we’ve always done” as an industry.
This week I got invited to a meeting of the Social Media Club of Dallas. In a few hours I met some amazing new people who I was able to share the message of factory built housing to and they shared with me the importance of social media. Social media by definition is the various online technology tools that enable people to communicate easily via the internet to share information and resources. Social media can include text, audio, video, images, podcasts, and other multimedia communications. These include Twitter, Facebook,YouTube, FourSquare and blogs. For $20 (which included dinner) I learned what to expect from these groups and how to make them work for myself and my clients. They shared case studies that had mind boggling results.
What really made an impression is how easy and cost effective it could be if the members of our community came together and started using social media to promote our industry. There would be minimal or no cost and think about what could happen if every person who benefits from being in our industry got on Facebook or Twitter and started telling the world what a great product we provide. Is this the ultimate answer to change our image? With technology changing as quickly as it does it might be the solution we have been looking for. At least we would be doing something and getting our community connected.
Tony Kovach has done an amazing job in a short period of time sharing the message and bringing the community together with his Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management site. It is always full of great information and he is always updating what is there and keeping the message current. And I think his idea of having a Virtual Louisville Show is right on trend. I attended most of our traditional shows for the past 8 years and the last two have been painful as far as attendance and sales. We designed some beautiful homes but it was like having a party and no one came. What a great opportunity for the factory built industry with a virtual show to take back our place in the market as an innovative, cost effective and green way to build. I know I’ll be attending this virtual show and will also be tweeting and blogging about it.
Let’s get this party started and get connected. You can find me at:
Twitter: @homeideafactory
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LifestylistDesign/104907317529?ref=search&sid=1370651794.2078388608..1 (or search LifestylistDesign)
Blog: www.aboutmodularhousing.com
See you at the show!
Falling in Love
Feb 14th
Using color is one of the least expensive, most terrifying but also most rewarding ways to change a room. When I’m designing a new model home most builders will encourage me to use memorable colors, but when they first paint the room and see it without any accessories or furniture I often get a call wondering if they have the right information.
These rooms are a perfect example. You can imagine the call the builder got from the superintendent the first time they saw these! This is a model for Canoa Homes in Tucson, and they trusted me enough to wait and see what happened. This is also a great example of designing for your buyer, not yourself – we were targeting families with school age children. A Lifestylist targets in on what the buyer is really looking for, even when they may not realize it themselves.Once we had a few families go through the home we found that almost every female from 2 – 50 wanted that room with those paint colors. It was something the buyer might not have been brave enough to try on their own, but when they saw it completed they loved it.
This is also a great example of Partnership Merchandising. The Home Idea Factory had a great relationship with Home Interiors and Gifts – a direct sell company that we had done styling and product development with. Many of the accessories and “wallies” – the decals on the bath wall – we theirs and we identified them as such so buyers could reproduce what they saw in the room at a price they could afford. The bedding was from Bombay and the furniture from Ashley so all could be bought at local stores or from a Home Interiors and Gifts consultant.
Let your child have a say in what they want their room to look like. It might not be a color you would chose or a style you would like but by letting them be a part of the decorating decision they’ll take ownership of their decisions and be even more proud of what they accomplished.
Happy Valentines Day from all of us at The Home Idea Factory!
Memorable Model Homes
Feb 7th
Noted designer and retailer Alexander Julian made the following observation:
“We have to be creative about getting people into our homes and stores now. In deciding if what you offer turns them on, consumers look you over for an average of 15 seconds. In that time, you need to rock ‘em and sock‘em and give them something that moves them. And you can’t do that with anything but product that is visually stimulating and exciting.”
With the contraction of the economy, everyone is on a budget and there is a lot more thought and time spent on how they are going to spend every hard earned dollar. Consumers visiting an average of 30 model homes before they even begin to think about making a decision. What makes your models memorable and brings them back to your sales center/ community? One of the favorite models Lifestylist Design worked on was the Purple Cow model and campaign with Patriot Homes. Tying into Seth Godin’s Purple Cow book by building and merchandising something remarkable, we created a home and marketing campaign people still talk about, as well as winning a marketing award at the Nationals.
Making a model memorable doesn’t have to be extreme or expensive – it just needs to be well thought out. Highlighting a local non-profit can bring interest into your home. Doing a room that displays materials from the local Boy Scout troop, a gymnastics team or the aquatic center that is part of the planned community you are building in can give the buyer a memory point to make them remember your model above the rest.
New Lifestylist Articles at MH Marketing Sales Management
Feb 6th
This year has started off as a busy editorial one -we had our Design Trends article published, then our answers to the Design Trends 2010 survey, and now we will have a new article published as of Wednesday on merchandising your model homes! There’s lots of information that can help the smallest to the largest builder, retailer, and developer – be sure to check it out. Lifestylist Suzanne Felber loves sharing all of the things she see when she travels across the country so be sure to check in often and see what’s new.
Shaw Carpets stages the Worlds Largest Pie Fight
Jan 8th
Shaw Carpets had a great event in Grapevine, TX yesterday. A pie fight that was the largest in the world with 1,200 pies and 434 participants took place on their Anso Nylon carpet to show how easily it could be cleaned. Shaw understands lifestyle, and this Lifestylist has seen firsthand how well their carpets not only hold up to pie, but to other challenges as well such as pets, toddlers, and wine dinners. The best part is that Shaw made donations to Dallas Animal Advocates and their volunteers got to do the throwing. Feeding America was also a benefactor, and Shaw’s donation to the organization will provide up to 70,000 meals to people in 13 Texas counties.
Thanks to Shaw for a fun event and your support of a great organization.
Modular Homes to be Showcased at International Builders Show
Jan 5th
The countdown has begun for the International Builders Show – in two weeks we will be attending this annual event that will be held in Las Vegas, NV. USA Today had a great article today about the modular and prefab homes that will be on display. Palm Harbor Homes and Champion Homes will both have modular houses to see, and I’ll be sure to take photos to share with all of you here. Designer Anthony Lucas and Sales manager Steve Reyenga both had great careers with Patriot Homes and I loved working with them there -I know these homes will do all of the Patriot alumni proud.
If you are attending the IBS show and would like to meet with us and see what a Lifestylist can add to your homes,please contact us at: answers@lifestylist.com so we can walk the show together!
Lifestylist Marketing – Back to Basics
Jan 1st
Happy New Year! One of the things I like to do at the end of every year is to go back and see what people have searched for or asked on my websites – it gives me a great snapshot of what people are looking for and want to know about when they visit. Thsi year, what exactly a Lifestylist is and what is Lifestylist Marketing was the number one question. The second most asked question is what makes me a Trailer Diva!
The Lifestylist philosophy is that “It’s all about You” – the clients life and style is what dictates how a Lifestylist works with you. My favorite example is I had a client in Phoenix, Arizona that was a major Phoenix Suns fan, and their team colors are orange and purple. The client wanted their entire home done in these colors. What they wanted is what they got, complete with a child’s room with a hardwood floor striped like a basketball court.
I just spoke to a friend who’s dog had just dug up her entire garden and her daughter slammed the door on the neighbor’s hand – all in about 30 minutes time. Her needs and lifestyle are completely different from my Son – no kids, no dogs, and lives in front of his computer. What my style is wouldn’t work well for either of them which is why I need to understand the client and what their “hot buttons” are. It’s takes extra time and sleuthing to achieve this – many times the client has trouble putting into words exactly what they are looking for but they know it when they see it. I take the responsibility very seriously – a person’s environment can truly change their lives in a positive or negative way. If someone is happy in their home their quality of life improves.
Lifestylist Marketing is about you, and what your needs are. Customer service is an obsession with me, and if I can’t help you with what you are looking for I’ll always try to find someone who can help you. With Patriot Homes no longer building the wonderful homes that there is definitely a market for, I’ve been helping people find new manufacturers that can build a similar product. Let us know what your needs are and we’ll try to help you find that special something that you are looking for.
Lifestylist Design Trends 2010 Published
Dec 27th
Our 2010 design trends story is now online – check it out at Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management. This is also a great source of what is going on in the factory built industry.