| Best Practices |
Now in its 26th year, the National Sales and Marketing Awards pay tribute to superior new-home sales and marketing achievements by individual sales and marketing professionals; home builders and associates; and sales and marketing councils.
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| Innovations |
Philips Lighting Co. has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency to get the lead and mercury out of its U.S. manufacturing processes. The company has been recognized by the EPA as the first U.S. corporation to launch a company-wide effort to meet EPA's National Partnership for Environmental Priorities waste minimization standards.
Here's an example that shows when you integrate green elements early in the design process, a green home's look can fit into a typical neighborhood. And when you plan ahead, the costs of building green can be manageable.
On the longest unprotected border in the world, a war of wood and words has been waging for years over softwood lumber imports into the U.S. An April agreement has calmed the situation, but neither side is particularly pleased with the compromise, and builders still worry.
Approximately 55 percent of homeowners express concern about mold, according to a 2005 survey by CertainTeed. For builders, mold can translate into costly and time-consuming callbacks for remediation, particularly if mold is found in the drywall. With news about the dangers of mold spreading, innovative manufacturers have launched mold-resistant gypsum products.
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| Emerging Issues |
While no reliable statistics could be found on the exact number of minority owners in the home building industry, it is clear to see at housing industry gatherings that there are few minority faces in the crowd.
One size does not fit all when it comes to home buyers and their preferences. Data from the Joint Center for Housing Studies and the U.S. Census Bureau combined with home builder interviews provide a telling report on how Hispanic and Asian influences shape the way home builders design homes.
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| Best Practices |
This builder asked its suppliers and trades to help it identify waste in processes, materials and labor using a structured process. The message from the builder was "Help me preserve my margins without cutting yours." The effort resulted in the identification of more than $1 million in savings.
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| Perspective |
Very few new homes have been bought in the last year; hundreds of thousands, though, have been sold. If you don't quite get that statement, ask your salespeople. They understand it. They see it every day. Over the last year, we have tended to point an accusatory finger at our sales staffs. For the last decade, they've been order takers, we've said.
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| Best Practices |
The goals of the new home sales professional are to understand the priorities of the customer and build builder value. You cannot wait for customer questions to begin this process.
Every home builder, especially those past 50 years old, should be training a successor in the art and science of running the company. Having a successor in place not only makes retirement possible, it adds value to the firm today.
An assessment can quickly provide information not obtainable other ways and allows home building employers to compare applicants against industry and peer benchmarks.
Home building companies with the highest customer satisfaction ratings have experienced little decline in their stock prices compared to companies not known for outstanding customer service.
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