Print This Article			Print All Articles			Email the Editor

Valuable Tips on How to Market on a Dime

“When you are the busiest, that’s when you should do most of your marketing,” says Deborah Malone, of JP Malone Construction in Scottsdale, AZ. “That way, you can pick and choose the projects you want to do.”

Malone’s strategy keeps her custom home building and remodeling company from having to take on troublesome projects and clients no builder wants — but some are forced to accept — if things slow down. At the resent Custom Builder Symposium in California, she shared her secrets for getting plenty of mileage from a thrifty marketing plan, what she calls “Marketing on a Dime.”

Here are some innovative tips she recommends:

Make the Most of Signage

Since job site signage is your calling card, make sure you have a well-built, well-designed sign that makes your company stand out. Be sure your company name, phone number and web site address are readable from the curb.

Malone also cautioned that builders and remodelers should pay attention to where the sign is placed. “If there’s an information box attached to the sign and the sign is right next to the Port-A-John, people won’t want to pick up your flyers,” she said.

Malone stocks her information boxes on her job site signs with reprints of articles about her company and makes sure her project managers keep the boxes full. She tapes one of the reprints inside the box and checks the boxes during her regular visits to the job sites. “If I drive by a site and the box isn’t empty, the project manager gets a bonus,” Malone said.

Rethink Your Business Card

Malone’s business cards are actually postcards containing article reprints and photos of the company’s projects. She’s found that the postcards have a shelf life of about three years.

“If you give people a pretty picture, they will tape it up and keep it longer. If you give them an ordinary business card, they might throw it away,” she explained.

Malone hands out her postcard “business cards” to neighbors near her job sites. It puts the company’s name in front of them and gives them a place to send complaints. “Better they should complain to you than to the home owners association,” Malone said.

Get Free Reprints of Magazine and Newspaper Articles

It can be extremely expensive for a small company to buy reprints of a magazine or newspaper article that features its projects. However, if you place an ad in the publication, you may get the reprints for free. Just ask. “All reprinting is negotiable,” Malone said.

Don’t Overload Prospects With Marketing Material

JP Malone contacts prospects three times with direct mailings:

• The first mailing is a letter that congratulates them for buying a lot in the area.
• The second mailing contains a packet of information about JP Malone and a photo of one of its custom homes.
• The third mailing is a letter that states the company’s commitment to following through on what it promises.

“Trickle your information to prospects and target clients a little at a time,” Malone advised. “Don’t bombard them with it all at once.”

Streamline Your Web Site

Not getting much traffic on your web site? Your web site may be too complex.

Prospects find it hard to wade through sites that contain too much text or lack navigation bars. They also will pass up web sites that take too long to load due to large, high-resolution photos.

Malone recommended the “six-year-old” test for home builders’ web sites. “If a six-year-old can use your web site, then a client can,” she reasoned. To make your site more user-friendly, try adding these options:

• A navigation bar or simple menu that appears on each page of your web site. This “road map” prevents people from getting lost on your site and keeps the link to your contact information readily available.

• A button or form that encourages prospects to ask questions about something they’ve read or seen on your site. “Be sure to answer their questions,” Malone said. “Designate a person or two to do that.”

• A section for the press. The “photo galleries” portion of JP Malone’s web site (www.jpmalone.com) includes a “media access” link. “Magazine editors can view professional photos of our projects. If they want to use them, they contact us and get a password that lets them download high-resolution images,” Malone said. “Instant artwork is a boon for magazine editors.”

Work Smart With Realtors®

“Realtors® are a great marketing source, but you have to call the shots,” Malone said. Do that by asking for — and writing down — specifics about their clients: the client’s name, age, family size, children’s ages, what they are looking for, budget, etc.

To convince Realtors® to send business your way, go into subdivisions they control. Find out their commission percentage point and offer them a half to full point more to work with you. “You can take business away from the competition that way,” said Malone.

Pay Realtors® on the first draw so they are no longer part of the process and you can do your job effectively. “If you pay them only 50% of their commission on the first draw, then they think they own 50% of the project. Do you really need another expert in your business? Don’t let them become part of the building process.”

Plant Seeds for Referrals

Malone sends out questionnaires to clients asking for the dates of their anniversary, kids’ birthdays, etc. She downloads the information into Microsoft Outlook™, which pops up reminders to send birthday cards and call clients on their anniversaries. She does this for past clients, too — and they notice.

JP Malone’s reference list includes current clients as well as clients from seven and 10 years ago. She updates her reference list every year, but she asks each client for their permission before putting them back on the list.

If she shows a client’s home to a prospect, she brings a bottle of wine or a small gift for the client. If clients refer someone to her, she gives them a tree for their yard. “It’s something else to remember our company by,” Malone said.

It takes some effort to enter award competitions, but it pays off in the long run. Whenever JP Malone wins an award for one of its projects, the client “wins” too. Malone gives them a reprint of the award in a leather-bound photo album. “They proudly display the award on their mantle and show it off to all of their friends,” she said.

Farm Out Referrals to Other Builders

If you are too busy or the job is too large for your company, don’t hesitate to refer the prospect to other builders who do the type of work the prospect wants. Tell the prospect, “We don’t do jobs of that size but I know a builder who does. May I give that builder your contact information?” This turns a negative into a positive and the other builder may give you a referral fee, Malone reasoned.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2005 Custom Builder Symposium

The 2005 Custom Builder Symposium 2005 is scheduled for Nov. 11-13 in New Orleans. Mark your calendars. For more information, email the NAHB Business Management Department, or call 800-368-5242 x8388.

go to top