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Awards Bring Credibility, Help Generate Sales
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2009 award-winning custom home, Wings in the Woods. Winning awards can bring recognition, sales to all involved. Photo courtesy of Woodley Architectural Group. |
 In a year when most of us are still slugging it out for survival and are completely consumed by challenging market conditions, internal morale and overall uncertainty, a discussion about the value of awards may seem a little trivial.
But with entries for the 2010 The Nationals — the National Sales and Marketing Awards, the largest and most prestigious competition for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities, due by Oct. 28, it seemed appropriate to find out if awards help business and have an impact in the marketplace.
To find out, I talked with several 2009 Nationals Gold winners.
Adrienne Albert is the CEO of The Marketing Directors, Inc., a marketer and exclusive sales agent for residential property since 1980. Through her firm, Albert has been responsible for the marketing and sales of more than $29 billion in properties. She is also the first woman to be designated a Legend of Residential Marketing through the awards program.
Gaining Respect, Inspiring Others
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Adrienne Albert
Legend award winner | “I’ve always marched to my own drum, set my own standards,” said Albert. “Awards were for the rest of the world. However, I learned that the rest of the world does pay attention to awards and respects those who get them.”
She said that displaying the awards in her office brought respect and confidence from prospective clients who had not worked with the company before.
Being honored as a Legend also helped her stand out in the industry — individually and as a woman.
“I always thought I flew below the radar, allowing my projects and my people to garner the accolades. To be inducted into the NSMC’s Hall of Fame as a Legend of Residential Marketing is the ultimate — a really powerful, impressive confirmation of our work and then some,” Albert said. “I have seen those who know what this award is and what it represents take me more seriously and respect my opinion more readily than before.”
Before being honored with the Legend award, Albert said she never paid attention to gender issues, aside from serving as a mentor and role model to young women in residential sales and marketing.
“I have tried to conduct myself as someone who everyone can admire and a woman could say, ‘I want to be like her.’ Now, perhaps, in my capacity of Legend, I can continue to inspire and forge a place for women in our industry.”
Can a Marketing Strategy Be Built on Winning Awards?
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The Miraval plan, the latest award-winning home by the Infinity Home Collection in Denver. Photo courtesy of Infinity Homes Collection. | Paul Schmergel and Dave Steinke, principals of Infinity Home Collection, a niche builder in Denver, view winning awards as a fundamental strategy for differentiating their firm from the competition. Schmergel and Steinke explain:
About 10 years ago, a branding specialist explained to them that if they wanted to be able to say they built the best home in Denver, they would have to prove it. The best way to do that, they were told, was to win the Home of the Year award every year.
“That was 1999,” Schmergel said. “Our company was one year old. We won Home of the Year that very year, and we won it seven more times over the last 10 years.”
The company also won several Gold Nugget Awards and several Nationals Gold awards, including 2009’s Best Single-Family Detached Home in the $400,000-$600,000 range.
“That statement from the branding guru was what helped us define our niche in this market,” Schmergel said. “Today we are sought after by developers, unlike the early years when we were chasing them.”
“The awards have defined us as a builder. We own the bragging rights for creating award-winning homes. Our lenders have reason to be confident in our brand and our execution,” he said. “We have survived this brutal market because we offer something that is so non-generic, buyers seek it out.”
They have reaped one other major benefit from the awards.
“We have a reputation and a following of referral business that allows us to spend significantly fewer dollars in advertising,” Schmergel said. “The sense of pride and work ethic we have is reflected in the extensive display of statues and awards adorning our conference room.
Consumers Have an Eye for Awards — And the Credibility They Bring
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2009 award-winning BackCountry model, designed by Woodley Architectural Group. Photo courtesy of Woodley Archtectural Group. |
Builders choose different business strategies for different reasons. Many say they don’t care about awards or don’t see any value in them. But one thing is certain, award-winning builders are viewed differently by consumers as well as business associates.
Winning awards creates distinctions in the market and provides a competitive advantage for sales people to leverage throughout the selling process, especially when the sale is product focused. That’s where superior architecture, floor plans and merchandising come in.
Architect Michael Woodley, of Woodley Architectural Group based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and winner of four 2009 Gold Nationals, says the importance of awards, especially during difficult times, should not be discounted.
“Today’s buyers are confused and insecure about whom they can trust,” Woodley said. “Being named the best on a national level lends instant credibility.”
“The positive impact on their potential buyers is huge,” Woodley continued. “Everybody wants recognition; builders want to say they build an award-winning home and buyers enjoy being able to boast that they just bought a home that won an award. Everyone loves being a winner, and nothing says ‘winner’ better than a bright, shiny trophy.”
Award Winning Work Stands Out in Crowded, Oversaturated Market
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The award-winning Miles Strategic DNA ad campaign for the 1010 Midtown high-rise in Atlanta garnered plenty of free publicity througout the area for the marketer and the developer. Photo courtesy of Miles Strategic DNA. | From my perspective at Miles Strategic DNA, awards have always provided an important measurement tool for examining how we stack up against national competition. We’ve literally built our business and professional identity around recognition for consistent leadership in the area of creative excellence.
In 2009, Miles Strategic DNA won five Gold Nationals, including one for one of my all-time favorite campaigns for 1010 Midtown, a high-rise residential tower in midtown Atlanta.
We created a series of images that represent the midtown lifestyle — everything from a martini glass and shaker to a piano to a black corset — and then embedded a portion of the tower architecture into each image.
The result was a strikingly elegant, sexy campaign that caused a major buzz in the market. It even garnered free advertising from magazines that wanted the ads to run in their publications because the campaign matched the stylish demographics they attracted.
At the end of the day, the real value awards offer is a celebration of excellence. That’s more important than ever in an economic environment focused on cutting back, consolidating and compromise.
It’s also worth noting that you can’t set out to win awards. Believe me, I’ve tried. Winning is the gravy, not the purpose.
The magic occurs during the planning and execution phases. When it all comes together something remarkable happens.
Enter The Nationals By Oct. 28
Enter your best in new home sales, marketing and design for the 2010 The Nationals — the National Sales and Marketing Awards, the prestigious award competition for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities. The deadline for entries is Oct. 28.
Sponsored by NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council, The Nationals honors the best in architectural achievement, product and community design, advertising and promotion, interior merchandising, Web site design, individual and team sales achievement and more.
David Miles is president of Miles Strategic DNA, a real estate branding company based in Denver. Named as one of the 50 most influential people in the home building industry by Builder magazine in 2004 and 2006, Miles has earned numerous local, state, national and international creative awards, including 86 Gold awards and more than 400 Silver awards from The Nationals, NAHB’s annual sales and marketing awards program. He is a frequent speaker at NAHB conferences and for the Urban Land Institute, the Seaside Institute and PCBC. For more information, e-mail Miles, call him at 303-586-6709 or visit his Web site at www.milesdna.com.
This article originally appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.
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