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.

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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

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.

What helps sell more homes faster? A) construction science, B) deep pockets C) stellar sales people D) strategic marketing?

 

You guessed it, strategic marketing. You might have said all of the above, but not really because of the word “faster”. Why?  Construction science can build it faster. Money is great, but not if you waste it on poor marketing choices. Sales people help, but only if they have leads.  So, strategic marketing fits that bill.  

Do you think you are in construction? Too bad, you are also in marketing. You may have gotten in to this industry because you are a construction science guru, or maybe you are a brilliant architect, or you graduated from Business College and you got in it for the money or your parents gave you the business. It doesn’t matter, congratulations, you are now in marketing.

 

While most builders don’t usually do blow away marketing, some do. You can too. Whether you could build a home blind-folded, or you are a Harvard business grad, or you were a superintendent and are starting your own company, none of that matters if you are not marketing like a Transformer!  So here is a tip many builders overlook. It will help you out-position your competition. More...

Join us as we head to St. Louis!  Erik will present his "Managing Leads Like a Super-Hero!" as one of the presenters with Builder Homesite.  BuildTopia is part of a road show with Builder Homesite as we head to Home Builder Associations around the country giving builders real world advice on successful selling strategies to sell homes online, or anywhere else. Carol Flammer with mRelevance joins as well.

RSVP details are in the flyer below.

If you would like this at your HBA, contact Erik Cofield at ecofield@buildtopia.com.

St Louis 1-5-10 seminar on selling homes.pdf (54.78 kb)

The Greater Houston Builders Association holds their annual product expo on 10-22-09 and expects hundreds of builders of all types and sizes to come see nearly 100 exhibitors, to see new products, take the contract seminars and reconnect with vendors. BuildTopia will be there in booth number 30 showing the entire suite of products, BTBuilder, BTSales, BTService and BTLead. BuildTopia will also be communicating the GHBA member discount on BuildTopia's extraordinary lead and prospect management system, BTLead.

More information at www.ghabshows.com

Is your HBA ready for a great non-dues revenue source? If so, contact Erik Cofield at ecofield@buildtopia.com

For a web-based total construction management system, we sure get around!

We are rolling in to Jacksonville on 10-9-09 as a content provider for NEFBA's SMC council, and we could be at your association too! 

BuildTopia, and our partners, Builder Homesite's New Home Source and mRelevance are swinging in to town to present content on ways to out position your competition.

If only a few sales are going to be made, why shouldn't they be yours? They can be, but you will have to be good at your game.

If you are not near Jacksonville, ask us how to get this road show to your HBA. If you are near NEFBA, this is an investment with a quick ROI, and yes, just like always, when I leap to the stage, you will stare!  Then we will get to business. You really can close more deals!

More details at: http://www.smcnefba.com/

Erik Cofield, VP of Sales and Marketing
Ecofield@buildtopia.com or 240-399-0110 x213  

BuildTopia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Erik Cofield, to present at the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference in Charlotte September 18th.

Erik will be presenting an unedited real world Q & A session on CRM systems. He will be sharing previous questions and answers as well as soliciting questions from the audience, including on sensitive subject matters. He has empowered builders to make intelligent choices for over a decade. This session will provide builders answers on a wide array of issues such as: getting an older sales force to adopt new technologies, negotiating prices, do touch screen kiosks work, getting an entire team through the change engineering process and more.

Attendance for the conference seems to be good, especially on the heels of Business Week Magazine's top 30 strongest markets showing the southern us with the most cities on the list. Registration and more information at: http://www.21buildingexpo.com/

BuildTopia looks forward to seeing you in Charlotte as we continue to help builders streamline thier operations. Attendees (and BuildTopia customers) are welcome to a complimentary, unedited, copy of the presentation.