15 Lessons Learned In Vegas (Part I)

I’ve recently returned from an exhilarating 3-day trip to the International Builder’s Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. It was my 2nd time attending IBS, but my first time in Vegas. Wow! It’s the kind of place everyone should see at least once in their lives. So what if I gambled away my family’s life savings? At least I had fun doing it…if you call paying $10 to watch a little silver ball spin around a black and red wheel “fun”.

Notwithstanding my horrible luck in every casino I visited, the convention itself was an electrifying experience for those struggling through this difficult economic era. While there was certainly an overlying sentiment of doom and gloom, attendees came to IBS with a renewed vigor to pull through these difficult times. With the stakes higher than ever, many came to learn not only how to succeed, but SURVIVE.

I, of course, gravitated towards sessions that dealt with marketing and technology, and learned quite a bit. So as a public service to my faithful readers, I am pleased to share with you a list of 15 lessons learned during my trip to Las Vegas (split over the course of two editions of MAILbytes), with the hope that you’ll find at least a couple that are useful to you and your business…and a few that are completely useless, but interesting nonetheless.

(Unfortunately, I did not jot down the names of all of the speakers I was privileged to hear. So, if you’re reading this and see an idea YOU shared at the conference, please accept my apologies for not acknowledging you properly…but know that your sagely words of wisdom will live on eternally in the blogosphere.)

Here’s an interesting use of email. With company employees receiving so much negativity in their inboxes each day, start emailing ALL employees to celebrate whenever you make a sale. It will just help reinforce the message that everyone’s efforts are critical to the company’s success, especially in these difficult times.
Contrary to what many are doing these days, now is NOT the time to stop advertising! We never know when a potential buyer will be ready, able and willing, and we need to be in front of them when they are. Whether by email, postcards, newsletters or print ads…keep the relationship going!
Prostitution is legal in Las Vegas. That may be old news to many of you, but for a first-time visitor, it’s shocking and amusing at the same time.
At a session on email etiquette, or “netiquette”… if everyone proofread their emails just once before hitting “send,” there would be much less email cluttering our inboxes. Why? We often send emails on impulse, and if we took the time to read them over once, we would decide not to send a large number of the messages we compose.
After a prospect comes to visit you in the sales office, follow up with a friendly, personal email within TWO HOURS to reinforce their visit. Then, immediately hand-write a friendly thank you note…with a hand-addressed envelope as well.
The first spam email ad for that infamous blue pill began hitting inboxes in 1998. Today, the average mailbox receives about five of these messages daily. Now that’s information I’m sure you always wanted to know!
The internet has leveled the playing field, allowing smaller builders entry into a league they’ve never had access to before. Small builders can now look equal to the big guys online! Invest in a well-designed, good quality web site, fill it with informative content and professional full-color photography and make it search-engine friendly…and even the smallest mom-and-pop company can look like one of the nation’s top homebuilders. It’s a lot cheaper than you’d think, and the investment is WELL worth it.

Eight more to go…all in our next exciting edition of MAILbytes. Stay tuned!

Were you at IBS? Learned a great new strategy? Share it with us below!

Tags: customer service, e-mail marketing, email marketing, home building, homebuilding, International Builders Show, internet marketing, Las Vegas, NAHB, real estate, sales tips