G1440, owners of BuildTopia and Builder1440 are pleased to announce that Erik Cofield has published his newest book, “Turn-101 Ways To Improve Your Business Now!” which offers builders of all sizes and types, remodelers, associates, trade partners and home owner associations advice on how to run a better business and make more money.

It is available as an eBook for $9.95 through Builder Radio www.builderradio.com. 

You can hear a live podcast radio interview on the book for free by clicking: http://builderradio.com/blog/?p=3131 

You can purchase the book with an immediate download from: https://builderradio.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=4&i=p290&navicat=4&navisubcat=6&naviprod=290 

BuildTopia's Erik Cofield will be interviewed by Scott Stroud with Selling More Homes Media, aka, BuilderRadio in advance of Erik's book, "Turn - 101 Ways Builders Can Improve Business NOW!"

See www.sellingmorehomesmedia.com or www.builderradio.com for more details

 

Smartphones, Twitter and Bing, Oh my!  No doubt about it, technology is changing how we market, connect with buyers, and sell.

On the one hand, Sales is still - maybe more than ever - about building rapport, developing trust, and forging relationships with buyers.

But how those relationships are being built is changing... and fast!

Fewer people use the phone; more use email and text messaging.  Fewer people read the paper or use the yellow pages; instead, they'll view headlines on their BlackBerry and ask their Facebook friends for recommendations.

Which means that if we're going to connect, we need to learn which tools are the most effective for marketing and selling our homes.

On Wednesday, December 8, BuilderRadio will present the webcast, Technologies and Tools to Increase Productivity & Sales.  Two industry experts, Erik Cofield (BuildTopia) and Bob Musa (Computer Presentation Systems, Inc.), will join us with their take on the most important tools and technologies for salespeople today.

What we'll cover:

• Marketing 2.0:  Tools buyers are using to shop, learn and communicate
• Email:  When and how to do it right
• Automating your follow up - so you have more time to sell
• How to get Internet leads to qualify themselves
• Technology that captures attention and educates buyers
• Presenters Picks:  Top 10 Techno-Tools for Marketing & Selling Homes
  

There will also be a Q&A Session, and plenty of opportunities for you to engage, comment, ask questions, or just listen.

Technologies and Tools to Increase Productivity & Sales
When:     Wednesday,  December 8  2:00pm
Cost:       $37.00  Register here>

The webcast will be recorded and all registrants will receive a link to the recording.

What new tools will help you make more sales... and which ones are a waste?  Join us for this fast and fun webinar to find out.
Register here.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Mollie Elkman 
215-561-2200, ext 284
melkman@grouptwo.com
September 16, 2010 

Announcing the Launch of the Builder to Builder Network
The first information sharing resource for homebuilders using social media 

PHILADELPHIA – It’s a revolutionary idea, yet remarkably simple: a network that allows home builders the ability to talk to other builders as well as a variety of industry professionals.  This introduces The Builder to Builder Network on Facebook, the homebuilder’s resource for answers about sales and marketing, research, management, product design and so much more.  Talk, share and brainstorm directly with other builders and a specially selected committee of qualified industry professionals. 

Why is The Builder to Builder Network a good idea?  The homebuilding industry is changing rapidly.  Thanks to this evolution, situations change on a dime.  Products, designs, industry developments… things can seem to change overnight. Builders can’t afford to get information from dated publications or understaffed vendors, yet they often find themselves in just such an information void.  The solution?  A building industry resource that is open 24/7 - The Builder to Builder Network, at http://www.facebook.com/BuildertoBuilder
 
Why use Facebook?  500 million people are now actively involved on Facebook. While it started with teenagers and college kids, Facebook now attracts the interest of parents and grandparents, too.  Facebook was created to maintain social relationships between friends. McDonald’s, Ford, FedEx, and other major corporations have found ways to make it work for them.  So why can’t the homebuilding industry use it to share homebuilding industry information?  It’s a perfect vehicle that will allow builders and industry professionals to interact quickly and efficiently.  Builders simply post their questions, allowing other builders and qualified industry professionals to respond.

The Builder to Builder Advisory Board currently includes: Social Media Maven Mollie Elkman, vice president of Group Two Real Estate Marketing and Advertising in Philadelphia; Sales & Management Motivator Roland Nairnsey, senior vice president of Training and Development for Bob Schultz & The New Home Sales Specialists in Boca Raton, FL; Architect Steve Moore, Senior Partner of BSB Design in West Des Moines, IA; Strategic Planning Authority Al Trellis, president of Home Builders Network in Mount Airy, MD; Market Research Expert John Schleimer, founder and president of Market Perspectives in Roseville, CA; Interior Designer/Merchandiser Lita Dirks, founder and owner of Lita Dirks & Co., in Denver, CO; Active Adult Specialist Bill Becker, president of The William Becker Organization, in Teaneck, NJ; Internet Marketing Expert/ Website Designer Greg Bray, president of Blue Tangerine Solutions in Vero Beach, FL; and Business Management Software Systems Expert Erik Cofield, who manages North American sales for Constellation’s BuildTopia and Builder1440, in Baltimore, MD.

The Builder to Builder Network Facebook pages will be managed by Mollie Elkman at Group Two. There will be no self-promotion, no advertising, and no selling by any of the participants. All activity will be monitored, and anything deemed inappropriate will be deleted.  The Builder to Builder Network is sponsored by Builder Magazine.

The success of The Builder to Builder Network will be based upon interaction among builders and associates, and offers an exciting opportunity for builders to share information 24/7. Visit http://www.facebook.com/BuildertoBuilder  to quickly become a valuable member and get the maximum benefit from the knowledge of your peers.

###

 

Topic: CRM: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools help you keep in better touch with your prospects and buyers, give you better control over the sales process, and give salespeople the freedom to concentrate on selling without worrying about their schedule.

This seminar will help you learn to get the most from your CRM program.

Date: Wednesday, September 8th Time: 2PM Eastern, 1PM Central, 12 Noon Mountain, 11AM Pacific, 8AM Honolulu
Presented by: Roger Fiehn, Erik Cofield & Mary LeBlanc
Cost: $37 No charge for Silver and Gold members. Program length: 1 hour.

Note: This presentation will be recorded. Your registration includes access to the full video recording so you can view and review the program as often as you like at no additional charge. Register today: CRM: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful

Courtesy of Blue Tangerine Solutions, Erik Cofield and Wendi Pannell presented Project Management Gone Right. You can download it now!
Learn what you can do in your next project to ensure success from the beginning.
Know what pitfalls to avoid.
Get the key critical decisions to make long before starting any project
Understand Critical Path Project Management - What comes first and whose on second!
http://www.bluetangerinesolutions.com/webinar/4_20_2010_Webinar.wmv

BuildTopia is very pleased to provide business best practices for an upcoming project management best practices webinar  Think: Project Management Gone Right.

Join us for "Successful Strategies for Builders Changing Business Processes" April 20th at 1:00 Eastern, sponsored by Blue Tangerine Solutions. Register at http://bit.ly/NsN6r

Wendi Pannell and Erik Cofield offer insight and business best practices for builders, or anyone, facing a project involving business process change.

They will cover:
Action items you must know and do long before starting the project
Essential elements for a successful project management engagement
Pitfalls to avoid
and Critical Path Project Management - What comes first and whose on second!

Attendees receive a copy of the presentation to share with the rest of your team.

BuildTopia is pleased to recognize Erik Cofield, VP Sales and Marketing, as a new consultant for Builder Radio!  More details available at www.builderradio.com.

Erik Cofield, CGA has leveraged technology and provided business management consulting for all sizes and types of builders, developers and Remodelers since 2000, including volume, multi-family and custom, to help them improve their business. He is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing with BuildTopia, a widely used international construction management software company.  He enjoys applying best practices to businesses and being part of their success, growth and financial stability. As a long time advocate for education and professionalism in the residential construction industry, he managed the education program for the Greater Houston Builders Association for 2 years and holds the CGA (Certified Graduate Associate) designation from the National Association of Homebuilders.  

He speaks on a variety of subjects and provides content to outlets including Home Builder Associations, HGTV, NAHB, magazines and e-zines. 

He has been published in the 2008 and 2009 NAHB Business Management Guides He writes the business management best practices blog here at BuildTopia www.buildtopia.com/blog 

He is an NAHB Approved Instructor for:         
Customer Service         
Sales and Marketing for Remodelers         
Introduction to Business Management 
The CSP Course-Certified New Home Sales Professionals

One of the best compliments we here about Erik is from builders who tell us he has made a difference in how they run their business.

Congratulations Erik!

We are happy to expand our role at the Epcon sales conference in Columbus this month.

As a preferred vendor for Epcon corporate and franchisees, it is not just about having customers. BuildTopia is also pleased to be providing training support on the system and sales best practices to help leverage the system to out position the competition. 

We know it has been a tough year for builders.  If you are going to have a smaller piece of the pie, make it very rich!  As a partner to Epcon, we are happy to announce we are as steadfast, solid, still growing, and still willing to give back added value to our clients.

BuildTopia supports and participates in numerous on site events, speaking engagements, presentations at home builder associations, on site group training, webinars with Builder Radio, Blue Tangerine Solutions and road shows with strategic partners such as New Home Source.

If you are interested in discussing our involvement in your organization, please contact Erik Cofield at ecofield@buildtopia.com

The recent selling strategies seminar BuildTopia was at in St. Louis proved to be the most successful yet. BuildTopia's VP of Sales, Erik Cofield, joins Builder Homesite's, Chad Bria and Carol Flammer with mRelevance to promote the Builders Trifecta: You have to get leads, you have to have a great web site and social media presence and you have to manage leads like a Super-Hero! 

The attendance was incredible strong with over 60 attendees. BuildTopia ended up signing up 14 builders on BTLead in one day!

More "road shows" are planned. If you would like this seminar at your HBA, contact Erik Cofield at ecofield@buildtopia.com. The presentation may be complimentary in some cases.