What Can the Girl Scouts (and their cookies!) Tell Us About Marketing?!?

Jason Forrest, with Forrest Performance Group, offered a great blog recently, Five Sales Lessons from the (Girl Scout) Cookie Trade.  You can read it here!

The blog suggests Girl Scouts are learning 5 lessons about keeping the sale sold. We're going to focus on 2 of these lessons here:

#1: Communication Comes From More Than Words -- we all have heard sales people should make eye contact, smile, stay approachable. We've also heard a picture is worth 1,000 words.



Very few words; lots of communication!

#2: Spice Up Your Presentation -- You've all seen the folding table with box upon box of Thin Mints, Trefoils, Samoas, Do-Si-Dos.  Just looking at them brings back the taste, childhood memories, even a personal first selling experience!

Spicing-Up a 55+ Information Center!

How about combining these two concepts with an interactive touchscreen in your sales/leasing center?  Touchscreen systems are engaging, approachable and full of images (photos, video) about your product, your location, your selling features.  People will walk up and start touching because they want to find out about your community, what is unique.  The touchscreen will help you keep the sale sold.

Communicate your uniqueness; Spice Up your sales center! Find out more about CPS' interactive touchscreen system, SalesTouch, here.

Gen Y and Housing..beyond Tech to Location!

Gen Y, Echo Boomer, Millennial...regardless of label, we're looking at z population demographic whose members were born between the late 70's and early 2000's.

Much has been written regarding their approach to just about everything: technology, shopping, relationships, family.

Of course, they're more tech-savvy (although many "connected consumers" aren't part of this demographic). A current term is "digital native" (as compared to digital immigrant, for example).

As a result, according to a J Turner Research Study, What Do Residents Want? Trends in Resident Technology and Communication Preferences (read it here), Gen Y members shop using smart phones, laptops and tablets.  And, they use these devices when searching for a home, as well.  In fact, it might be noted that the younger the prospect, the more likely they will use social media and the internet to search. 


What's nearby? Try highlighting the neighborhood!

We'd suggest "test driving" your marketing processes on some of these devices; how do you measure up?

What has also been found when analyzing housing "hot buttons" for this group is: Gen Y housing wants/needs aren't that different from previous generations.  Builder, in a 9/25/12 article, suggests "satisfying the needs of those prospects still seems to be an exercise driven by community location and service reputation."

Location trumps design and amenities and McDonald states "location, efficiency and adaptability" as critical decision points.