Veterans Day 2012: Join the Parade of Thanks!

Everyone loves a parade and what better reason to celebrate than thanking our military veterans for their service?

Sit back and enjoy these Veterans Day 2012 Parade photos from one small town here in the Sacramento region: join the youth organizations, adult service clubs, school bands, and residents as they honor veterans for their service.

Cub Scouts Remind Us

The Sikh Community

Girl Scouts Say Thanks!

 

And, all of us here at CPS remember and thank family members for their service:

Bob's father, Robert Musa Sr, US Marine Corps (retired)
Chris' father, Michael Lott, US Navy (retired)
Michelle's husband, Jerry Stone, US Navy
Sean's father, Chris Miyazaki, US Air Force (retired)
Troy's brother, John, serving today in the US Army
Zoe's father, Charles Miller, US Army and brother, Wilson Miller, US Army

Bob Strickland, one of CPS' founders, US Air Force.

Use Interactive to Address Top 10 Reasons for New Home Purchase!

Jay McKenzie recently wrote an article in New Home Source discussing why so many home buyers prefer new homes as compared to resale home purchases.  Even with the recent pick-up in new home sales, many areas of the country still have a backlog of resale homes available and sales agents need to be able to effectively manage the new home sales process vs. a resale (or even foreclosure/short sales) purchase.  You can read McKenzie's blog post here.

What do you think is the top reason for a new home decision?

SalesTouch: Facilitates Your Home Your Way Design!

 Hint: it isn't location!

McKenzie suggests Reason #1: Design your Dream Home Your Way. Buyers are encouraged to think of their new home as reflecting their taste, not someone else's ideas, as models explore the latest trends and Design Centers offer a multitude of cabinet, countertop, appliance and flooring choices. 

Reason #2 isn't too far removed from #1, says McKenzie: Choose a Floorplan and Room Layout that Meets Your Needs.  Interested in a 4-bedroom with lower level master?  That's available in this new home floorplan! High ceilings but..concerned about energy costs? 

We've found use of a well-designed interactive touchscreen will help guide home shoppers through a community and effectively address Reason #1 and Reason #2.  CPS' SalesTouch allows consumers to view current floorplans and mix/match available structural options.  Help your buyer design their home -- complete with den in lieu of bedroom 3, optional bonus room and kitchen island complete with veggie sink and wine refrigerator! They're able to drag/drop selections, print a brochure featuring "their" floorplan -- even email a copy to the mother-in-law!

SalesTouch: Buyers & Agents Highlight Favorites!

And, builders utilize SalesTouch to effectively brand their company and products.  Offering energy-efficient homes?  Add a "builder story" video, energy calculator (even compare your floorplan to similarly sized resale home) or take buyers "behind the scenes" with "stage of construction" construction tours.

Help your buyer understand why your home meets their Top 10 needs!

Interactive Touchscreen Systems: Encouraging Discovery

If you're a regular Solutions reader, you've seen our blogs regarding the value of interactivity.

We've talked about engagement, narrowcasting, the value of touch in decision-making and how using technology in your sales offices/information centers keeps your brand in synch with today's consumers. Whether Gen X, Y or Boomer, today's homebuyer is connected.

Recently, a CPS SalesTouch client posted a YouTube video highlighting their new Grand Palm Discovery Center located in Venice, Florida.

Go Interactive: take discover to an entirely new level!

Their SalesTouch presentation actively encourages the home shopper to explore and discover Grand Palm. The presentation, so colorful and full of life, provides actionable touch points: it encourages homeshoppers to visit the surrounding neighborhood, learn about Grand Palm's amenities, find a floorplan that meets their needs and customize it with desired options, as well as select and place furniture in the selected floorplan.

Take a minute and compare this experience to a buyer walking into a sales office with passive signage and a static brochure.

Everything about the Grand Palm's interactive system involves an action verb -- designed to actively engage the home shopper from the minute they walk into the Discovery Center.

And, when you think about it, shouldn't the homeshopping experience encourage discovery? Your buyers are looking for something new; interactivity actively encourages the process, helps answer questions and encourages the homeshopper to imagine living in this community!

Doesn't this type of marketing tool build your brand, as well?  Your brand is part of the connected world; it recognizes how critical the exploration part of home shopping is to the consumer.  And, take a look back at the Grand Palm presentation, above: wouldn't you want to start touching to discover  what this is all about?

Interested in finding out more about CPS' interactive touchscreen system, SalesTouch? We're available at www.cpsusa.com.

Multifamily Preleasing: Interactive is a Great Tool!

Today's renter economy is strong enough -- in many areas-- that preleasing is gaining popularity as part of a multifamily property's revenue management strategy. 

In evaluating a prelease strategy, we'd like to suggest several ideas to consider after you've determined property specifics, audience, features, amenities and the like. We think they'll make your marketing process more effective as you reach out to your audience and enable them to better see your property's value (and values!).

(1) Use Interactive In Your Messaging -- Start Branding: Of course, you've considered your audience but..we're suggesting a bit more as you evaluate marketing messages to the audience.  Are you thinking, Gen X, Gen Y, Boomers ... does it really matter? 

Recent studies suggest that all 3 demographics have much in common (the "Connected Consumer" isn't limited to only Gen Y, for example).  And, your "most connected" consumers are women..regardless of age group.

 

While Gen Y has grown up in the digital age and are recognized as comfortable with technology, there are unique opportunities with interactive systems (large touchscreens and tablets) to connect with all audiences.

Today's consumer wants immediate information. Interactive touchscreens respond to their particular interest. 

Does your visitor want to see if their furniture fits into the your 2 bedroom unit  (which they can't visit)? CPS' interactive SalesTouch Move it/Move it feature allows consumers to select from a "sized" furniture palette and move furniture into the unit.

What about your building's amenities? The pool; the clubhouse; the fitness center -- all still to be built What will they look like?

Neighborhood? Will there be a local coffee shop? How about restaurants in the area?

Key to providing information is making it actionable: provide a way for your visitors to imagine visiting the coffee shop (how about an exterior image) or visiting a new restaurant (highlighting the "best" menu item) or riding the bike trail (how about the sunset along the river?). 

Pre-leasing works best when your audience -- boomers, Gen X, millennials -- can imagine living in your building, the selected unit and the neighborhood.  Interactive touch systems let your visitors start telling stories about how the property will meet their objectives! And, you're building your brand in the process.

(2) Energize Your "Green" Messaging: Study after study suggests Gen Y will spend if a product is shown to be cost effective and eco-friendly.  The latest consumer neuroscience studies suggest boomers appreciate marketing messages illustrating what value will be gained.  Highlighting green's cost-effectiveness is a powerful marketing message for all audiences.

And, while there are lots of "big ticket" green products, your message can highlight that it's the little things that count, too.

Do you have a "green" strategy?  Use your touchscreens and tablets to leverage that message.  Start your eco-friendly messaging at the pre-lease process --  highlighting unit features such as low-flow faucet/toilets, energy efficient appliances and low-e windows.

Build on it with the little things that are part of your pre-leasing process: CPS' SalesTouch offers e-brochures and prints brochures "on demand" and only the desired floorplans.

Add-on with features that come as a result of move-in: e-leases/renewals, streamlined recycling programs..maybe even a community garden.

Keep all of this information in front of your prospects as they're touching to discover your property's amenities and your brand.  Touch is powerful; neuroscience tells us touching a monitor generates completely different brain processes than using a mouse.  If you'd like information regarding CPS' interactive touchscreen system, SalesTouch, plrease visit our website, www.cpsusa.com.

55+: Ideas to Fine-Tune Your Marketing Messages

Many marketing studies (and our own Solutions blog!) spend quite a bit of time talking about the Gen X and Gen Y audience.

As they should: these demographic groups constitute a significant buying segment in today's economy -- whether you're selling big ticket items such as homes and cars or day-to-day products including cable, groceries and cell phone plans.

Interactive touchscreens, CRM: nuanced messaging!

Nevertheless, the Baby Boomer generation is still a noteworthy demographic in terms of purchasing power; fresh insights, based upon Nielsen NeuroFocus consumer neuroscience research, suggest revisiting preconceptions and marketing approaches for this demographic.

In essence, mature minds respond differently to messages, input and information.  Differently doesn't mean less or slower or diminished.

No one wants to be considered "old" or be treated as such -- particularly this generation.  60 is the new 50, right?  Stereotyping doesn't work.

But, did you know that mature brains respond better to positive advertising messages and actually have broader attention spans than Gen X and Y? This enhanced attention span suggests more nuanced messaging is not only appreciated but critical. 

Nuanced shouldn't suggest busy or overly-detailed, however; this generation doesn't like clutter or rapidly changing graphics/information. Progressive Grocer's Boomer Brain Marketing Assumptions: Think Again article suggests, "While the messaging can be complex, the delivery and format should be simple."

Implications for your marketing efforts? Imagine you're 55+ (and take the above comments into consideration): when viewing the Colonial Heritage interactive touchscreen "welcome" image, what message do you take away?  Engaging, peaceful, serene, inviting?  Wouldn't you like to explore more?

Interactive touchscreen sales tools respond very well for this generation: the delivery and format can be specifically designed and consumers are able to progress through your marketing information at their own speed.

Consider your CRM activities, too.  Make your product "top of mind" with easy-to-recall messages -- and utilize an automated CRM system providing repeated follow-up with your prospects.  Keep the messaging positive and highlight what your consumer will gain with the purchase.

Boomers might be a consumer segment frequently overlooked; nevertheless, they continue to exert a major marketplace influence in terms of purchasing power.  Enhance your impact with nuanced messaging!

Interested in exploring how to enhance your marketing program to better respond to not only Boomers but Gen X and Y? We'd love to talk to you regarding SalesTouch and CRM 2.0 software products!

Your sales office provides a distinct home-field advantage!

Earlier this week, our CPS Solutions blog talked about marketing studies indicating that regardless of product -- that is, whether it is consumer electronics, cars or new homes, for example -- women are emerging as the primary role in decision-making.

We'd like to highlight another set of marketing data suggesting that even the most "dialed-in" retail locations (and..we're all retailers at heart..wouldn't you agree?) have room to improve their actual physical location as a place of engagement.  We're going to provide several ideas to consider-- and they're completely different from yesterday's Relater Suggestions #1 and #2!

In-house Idea #1: Be Bold and Strategic with Signage:

It bears repeating over and over...the mere fact a consumer walks through your doors indicates a level of interest in your product.  The good news is you have a physical location for prospects to visit and it is up to you to maximize its marketing value!

We spend a lot of time in this blog talking about interactive touchscreens and they're certainly a way to go Bold and Strategic!  Interactive touchscreens engage prospects from the minute they walk in your door -- and they're great conversation starters.

Small sales trailer goes Bold & Strategic with Signage!

They're other ways to go Bold, however, and several are probably well within your control.

No doubt, you'd like to engage your prospects and get them involved with your brand.  How visible are your calls to action?  Do you make connecting (via Facebook or other digital channels) clear and straightforward?

How about your prospect registration cards?  Do you "just" ask for information or do you include a QR code or piece of information found only on the card? Try kicking-up this process!  Think about the reg card as a means of two-way communication.

What about business cards?  Some might find them "old school" but..why not have them located so it is easy to pick one up?  Many times, business cards are put away in a desk or placed in some obscure location.

Selling new homes? Try putting a different piece of information along with your card in each model!  Mary Smith might not be interested in the rec center highlighted in Plan 2 but..very interested in the school information located in Plan 4.  Who knows what the next visitor will find interesting but..you're making an effort to reach out, offer something of unique interest and your contact info is attached to all of it! 

Did you know people find thowing out a business card with a photo very difficult?

Remember: your location provides you with a distinct home-field advantage.  Put it to good use!









HomeBuilder CMO's: Your Construction Team Can Help!

The rapidly changing relationship between marketing and technology has been discussed by many; we found an interesting article summarizing an IBM study analyzing CMO issues. We think there's an opportunityto utilize technology employed by your construction team to help address the areas highlighted as CMO concerns:

(1) data explosion and social media;
(2) growth of channel/device choices; and
(3) shifting consumer demographics.

What do you think?  Are these your concerns? And.. are we serious about how your construction team might help?  Absolutely!

Live from your job-site: relevant and engaging content!

We like to think your construction team can help you deliver value to your customers and help create lasting relationships with your customers, as well.  How?  By taking advantage of recent construction scheduling software features utilizing new devices mentioned in #2 (above). 

Encourage your Field Managers to take "stage of construction" photos or video.  CPS FieldConnect Mobile makes it easy to email those immediately -- from the jobsite. Then, post those images on your website! 

Have a special "behind the scenes" story to tell?  Going green in terms of materials or processes?  Here's a unique, up-to-the minute way to tell your story! And, these stories will help you stand out -- both to potential and current buyers.

Social media (#1 on the list) is another great location for these stories.  Post Lot #12's grading photo; there's no doubt Lot 12's buyer will re-post it on his/her Facebook page, too!  Now, your buyers are joining your marketing team; and they're telling your story!

Did you know over 60% of Millennial (aren't they are large component of #3 above?) social media users will look-up a brand mentioned on a friend's page? You've just expanded your marketing reach -- not only in sheer numbers but to a demographic that is very relevant in today's market.  And, you've made a huge step in keeping them engaged; who knows when you'll post another image or aticle directly relevant to them? 

Try it; let us know how your content is becoming more relevant, more appealing and helping address those concerns outlined above.  Want more information about CPSFieldConnect Mobile?  We can help there, too!