Tweet #IBSVegas -- You will be on CPS' Social Media Wall!

CPS' Social Media Wall has been selected as a Finalist in this year's IBS Most Innovative Building Product category.

CGC is Tradigital -- Marketing Copy/Images + Social Media

Are you planning on being in Vegas this week and attending the Builders Show?  Take a minute and Tweet or create an Instagram post to #IBSVegas -- we'll be curating and posting all week! You'll see CGC (consumer-generated content) continues to rise as the most powerful and trusted content by today's consmer.

You'll be able to see your photo and/or comment on the Wall in our booth -- #2856 in the nextBuild section of the Central Hall.

And, we're showcasing the Wall along with our interactive touchscreen system, SalesTouch, and the full suite of CPS software products (CRM, construction management, warranty/customer service and Portals supporting all three!).

We look forward to seeing you -- don't forget: #IBSVegas and Booth 2856!

2016: What's New in CPS CRM?

Today's new home buying experience, for the home shopper, frequently isn't seen as too very different than any other retail experience. Of course, prices are a bit higher than in a car dealership or a furniture store but overall we see an interest in a seamless -- and efficient -- consumer shopping experience.

CPS CRM provides builders with a unique design and approach to manage the new home sales process through a single experience.  Bob Musa, CPS' President says, "Our job, as software developers, is to harness technology to help make a great buying experience for consumers along with a consistent, reliable and powerful back-end processing environment for the builder."

2016 CPS CRM: Seamless Integration is a keyword!

Several key concepts emerge:

• Supporting a seamless customer interaction: Home shoppers come into contact with the builder and specific communities through multiple channels -- builder website, mobile registration, 3rd party marketing sites, a developer information center and, last but certainly not least, the sales office itself.  No one wants to register multiple times, providing the same (or different!) information.  CPS CRM accepts registration from all sites, seamlessly, and recognizes when a prospect has previously registered, as well. 

• Cloud Enhancements: CPS CRM is, of course, a cloud-based system -- available anywhere/anytime.  We've added another cloud-based application, DocuSign, to our integration processes so agents can generate purchase agreements using CPS CRM and provide anywhere/anytime purchase agreement execution access for buyers -- as well as co-op agents, lenders, escrow agents and the builder -- via DocuSign. And, this is an end-to-end enhancement of the current contract wizard -- prospect registration, floorplan/homesite/option selections, loan program calculations are seamlessly integrated into the DocuSign forms.

• Enriched Back-end Processing: The new home sales, construction and document process is a series of key dates and steps.  CPS CRM facilitates sales processing with easy-to-maintain checklists along with automatic email reminders regarding pending or behind-schedule activities. 

We'll be in Las Vegas for the IBS Builders Show -- stop at Booth C2856 and we'll show you how to enhance your home builder sales process with CPS CRM!

Content Marketing: Telling Stories, Building Relationships

How are you doing as far as all the terminology revolving around today's concept of Content Marketing?

Grab your audience; encourage participation in your brand!

Saw a nice blog on Contently: 10 Content Marketing Buzzwords You're Going to Hear Way Too Much This Year. 

No, we're not going to review all of them! If you're interested, you can read the entire blog here! It's still January so great idea to get a jump on the year!

We particularly liked and wanted to encourage use of Storytelling (as in: your brand encouraging storytelling) and Storyscaping (a new one for us but defined as "Stop creating ads, start creating worlds").

Take a look at some of CPS' other blog posts (including our most recent: Social Media Engagement: try it in your sales offices!). Storytelling and Storyscaping are key components of our SalesTouch and Social Media Wall products.  Take content (words, video, images) and engage your audience by actively soliciting touch and social media participation. Watch your audience and sales grow!

Planning on attending NAHB's Builders Show in Vegas?  We'll be telling stories all week; look for us in Booth 2860!

Builders: How are you taking the Connected Customer into consideration?

A recent article by Brian Solis, Meet Generation C: The Connected Customer, makes a startling point: "the gap between how Gen Y communicates and connects and how businesses, educators, governments, et al. approach them is only widening."  You can read this very intriguing article here.

Connecting to today's "new" Customer: Different Strategies Needed

Solis goes on to say, "I often wonder whether or not we are simply trying to talk to ourselves in our approach to Millennials."

Should you examine this gap or worry about it?  Here are a few numbers that suggest anyone selling anything needs to care:

 --- Millennials trust strangers over friends and family; they lean on UGC for purchases (that's user-generated content)
--- They are 3X as likely to follow a brand over a family member in social networks
--- 66% will look up a store if they see a friend check-in.

But, Solis suggests, this techno-focus isn't just about age.  There is now a "class of consumer" that can be referred to as "the Connected Customer" and their behavior and habits mimic those associated with Millennials in that traditional marketing efforts aren't very influential in their decision-making process.

At a minimum, it appears the traditional marketing "funnels" are no longer appropriate; we need to consider multiple engagement strategies.  Do you have ways for prospects to "check-in" at your sales offices; do you have at least one "non-traditional and/or experiential" display as compared to the traditional wall images (think: touchscreen, iPad), are you building your brand using technology?

Did you know women rule the Connected Customer world?  As builders, it might make sense to review thoughts about women-centric design and marketing.  Check out our blog on March 2!

What is Your Unique Selling Proposition?

Why should someone buy from you?

Robert Clay, in his blog, Marketing Wizdom Tips No. 1 & 2, suggests that fewer than one business in a thousand can answer that question in a compelling manner. 

Are you that powerful number one or a member of the anonymous 999?

Don't you agree: there's a unique selling proposition here?

Can you tell someone what differentiates your business, what's unique, offering a superior benefit or providing something irresistible? 

There's actually at least two elements involved in that conversation: your actual unique selling proposition and how you tell that story.  We'll let you work on what is unique as we concentrate on telling the story.

Communicating your benefits quickly, clearly and effectively is critical -- and an interactive touchscreen will help.  Guaranteed.  Have you been in a sales location that has one?  It brings energy; immediately engaging visitors and getting them involved in your product. 

We're going to be at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Feb. 8-10.  Talking about our unique selling proposition as we demonstrate how we can help you communicate yours -- stop by!

Jeff Shore's Nationwide Sales & Marketing Survey

Jeff Shore

With over 20 years of new home sales and Fortune 500 experience, Jeff Shore blends hard working, real-world expertise with humor, insight and wit in his unique approach to new home sales training.  CPS has sponsored several of Jeff's sales agent and management training programs throughout the US over the last several years. 

And, we're really excited about the latest opportunity to partner with Jeff during this year's International Builder's Show in Orlando.  Jeff is asking new home sales/marketing professionals to participate in a nationwide sales/marketing survey.  He'll forward survey results to participants as well as discuss What's Hot/What's Not in Orlando at a fun and free event scheduled for Weds., February 8 at B.B. King's Blues Club.

You're invited to participate: take a look at the invitation from Jeff here:

I am conducting a nationwide survey of New Home Sales and Marketing Leaders about what’s working, what's hot and what’s not – and I need your help! This anonymous survey focuses on industry benchmarks, key challenges and emerging trends that will enable all of us to grow and improve together in 2012. Please know that I am doing this to better understand and share with you the current pulse of our ever-changing industry and not to solicit business. In fact, if you participate in our survey, it would be my privilege to send you a copy of the final survey results and analysis at no cost to you. On top of that, I’d also like to invite you to join me for a fun, energizing and free event during the International Builders’ Show in Orlando on February 8th at B.B. King’s Blues Club from 3:00 - 4:30 pm where I will present the results of The Sales & Marketing Pulse 2012. https://www.builderwebapps.com/pulse/ So, if you are a Sales Manager, Director or Vice President, would you please take about fifteen minutes now to complete our survey? If you are a Sales Professional and you think your Sales Leader would benefit from this offer, please feel free to forward this email on to them! You can find the survey here: http://jeffshore.com/pulse My commitment is to make this small investment of your valuable time pay you a handsome return once the survey results are compiled. Thank you in advance for your time and best wishes for a very successful 2012! Jeff Shore