Roger Fiehn, MIRM, of Roger Fiehn & Associates in Houston, and Kyle Wright of the Polk County Builders Association in Lakeland, Fla., offered several suggestions during the recent Sales and Marketing Council call-in workshop titled “Rookie Councils — Laying a Foundation for Success.” While the workshop was designed for new SMCs, established councils can benefit from the following advice:

1)      Before launching your SMC, make sure you have critical mass. Find out if you have enough members to support your local SMC. The magic number is typically 100 members, which will give you a membership base that is sufficient to offer education programs as well as networking. If your HBA is small, your SMC membership should be between 20%-30% the size of your HBA’s membership.

2)      Develop a strong corps group of SMC leaders. One of the reasons why many SMCs struggle is because of a void of leadership, not because of an unsupportive Executive Officer (EO) or staff contact. Your SMC should identify an SMC chair as well as a vice chair, who can be trained to step into a leadership role the following year. Your SMC also should name chairs and vice chairs of your various SMC committees (i.e., Membership, Awards, Education, Sponsorship, etc.). Your leadership positions should not be ceremonial; your leaders must be prepared to roll up their sleeves and work. Your SMC staff contact can’t do it alone. Developing a steady stream of committed members will keep your SMC on track over the long haul. NSMC staff or national mentors also are available to conduct a leadership workshop to keep your SMC focused.

3)      Make sure your SMC activities are integrated with your HBA. The perception within some HBAs is that SMCs are “elitist organizations” for sales and marketing professionals only. However, most SMCs are diverse and include builders, developers, real estate professionals and others in the housing industry. Make sure your SMC is visible to the entire HBA. Have your SMC chair give an SMC report at each HBA general membership meeting and promote upcoming SMC events. Invite the HBA president and EO to attend your SMC events and make them feel welcome. The SMC also should support your HBA’s Political Action Committee (PAC), which will give the SMC instant credibility with the HBA. It’s important to have your SMC fully integrated with your HBA and not operating on its own.

4)      Reach out to other councils at your HBA as well as other HBAs/SMCs in your area. Want to ensure a full house at your SMC’s joint-venture education programs and events? Cross-promote your education programs with the other councils at your HBA (i.e., Associates, Remodelors, Women’s, etc.). Most of the IRM courses have information that is applicable to other councils. You also should coordinate your education schedule with other surrounding SMCs to guarantee you aren’t offering the same courses at the same time. If your next-door neighbor is holding the same course, it will kill your attendance.

5)      Promote national benefits and incorporate them into your SMC’s benefits package. Your SMC should communicate NSMC member benefits and services to your members to build value. Show the NSMC PowerPoint presentation/video at an upcoming meeting or play it on a laptop at your next event. The video highlights national benefits (i.e., Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine, NSMC e/News, ProNet Job Board, Million Dollar Circle Awards, Sales and Marketing Channel, etc.) and shows members how to access these services. In addition, NSMC staff is willing to travel to your SMC to give a presentation. You also will find NSMC product flyers and other materials in the Resources for SMCs section on the NSMC Web site (www.nahb.org/NSMC). Highlight national benefits in your SMC’s membership brochure, which will give your prospective members even more reasons to join.

6)      Make your SMC the place to go for education. One of the primary reasons people join an HBA is for education; they are looking for best practices to help them be better at what they do. Your SMC should take advantage of this fact by being the place to go for education — for the whole HBA.  Offer as many Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM) designation courses as possible. The Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) courses, in particular, have a wide appeal, especially “House Construction as a Selling Tool” and “Essential Closing Strategies.” IRM I-IV also cover topics ranging from market research to the challenges of new home sales managers. You may want to consider a survey to find out which courses interest your SMC/HBA members.

7)      Communicate with your members on a regular basis. A proven way to keep your SMC members connected is by publishing a monthly or bi-monthly SMC e-newsletter. An e-newsletter will allow you to promote upcoming educational events, your awards program and networking/social activities. You also can use the newsletter to reinforce your SMC’s member benefits. Make the newsletter available to your SMCs as well as other HBA members. It will raise your SMC’s profile.

8)      Know your market and your members. If attendance has been low at your events, you might consider changing the time. Breakfast meetings have been wildly successful at many SMCs. With people preferring to spend more time at home with their families, evening events might not work. You should consider external factors like traffic when planning your events. Talk to your members … they will tell which format works best for them.

9)      Pay attention to pricing for your SMC’s membership dues. Try to keep your membership dues in line with your SMC’s benefits. Most SMCs price their dues under $100, but some SMCs in larger markets may charge more. Look at what benefits and services you are offering to your members and price accordingly.

10)  Use the C.R.E.A.M. formula. How do you manage a successful SMC? Just remember — C.R.E.A.M. rises to the top. Check out the C.R.E.A.M. formula to set up your SMC for success.

If you have any questions, please contact Roger Fiehn 281-481-0831 x1 or roger@rfiehn.com or Kyle Wright at 863-665-0844 or kylew@pcba.com.

Save the Date … Participate in 2007 Conference Calls

Executive Officers, SMC/HBA staff and SMC leaders and committee members are encouraged to participate in the quarterly call-in workshops offered by the NSMC Membership and Local Council’s Committee.

Mark your calendar for upcoming conference calls in 2007:

• “Membership Mania: Planning Your Membership Campaign and Building Benefits to Keep Your Members Coming Back”
  Wednesday, March 21
  2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
  
  
• “SMC Boot Camp: How to Organize Your Army of Volunteers and Keep Them Motivated”
  Wednesday, April 18
  2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
  
  
• “Back to School: Getting a Jump Start on Your SMC’s Education Offerings for 2008 and Beyond” 
  Wednesday, June 20
  2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
  
  
• “Dollars and Sense: Great Ideas to Land Sponsors and Keep Them Happy”
  Wednesday, Oct. 17
  2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
  
  
• “Rookie Councils — How to Get Your New SMC Off to a Fast Start
  Wednesday, Nov. 14
  2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

To participate in the SMC workshop, call the following number at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Phone Number: 888-891-0496
Passcode: 2668292

Attend the SMC Roundtable Feb. 7 at the 2007 International Builders’ Show

It’s also not too early to make your plans for the annual SMC Roundtable at the International Builders’ Show. The Roundtable will take place from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Leading SMC experts will join dozens of SMCs from coast to coast for this one-of-a-kind networking and learning opportunity. Click here for the SMC Roundtable agenda and check out the complete NSMC/IRM schedule for IBS.

To RSVP for SMC call-in workshops or the SMC Roundtable at IBS, please contact Jeff Jenkins at 800-368-5242 x8292 or jjenkins@nahb.com. Reservations are strongly recommended to ensure that you receive minutes and also to keep you informed of upcoming events and activities.

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