Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/486601
APRIL 2015 26 THE JOURNAL Bad, Bad Words! BY ED HICKS DEVELOPMENT MARKETING Oh, how I cringe when I hear a new (or worse yet, experienced) salesperson use language in a sales situation which, in many ways, tends to perpetuate many of the negative concepts which are often associated by some, with manufactured homes. When I am meeting with a first time manufac- tured home buyer, as someone who lives and loves my high quality manufactured home, I am well aware many prospective buyers have many misguided impressions about our homes and the community. So everything I can do to show re- spect in my communications goes a long way to helping them see the potential in our homes, and lifestyle choices. First, of course, a good, respectfully attired, salesperson listens to the prospective buyer, and most important of all, remembers his, her, and their names, instead of hearing only his name when he introduces himself to them by asking: "how may I help or assist you today", not "how can I . . . " Starting with the home's nomenclature itself, let's not refer to it as a: trailer, box, coach, mo- bile home (officially, legally changed to manu- factured home as a part of the Housing Act of 1974), and applies to homes shipped after June 1976 from all states. It may also be referred correctly as a manufac- tured home, factory built home, or modular home if it meets the states (non-uniform) site built equivalent building codes. There is still a lot of confusion by many about this issue. More about it in another article. Lets not call the parcel of land on which the home is installed on a: pad, slot, space, notch, slip or spot. It's a homesite; a cleared location on a parcel of land on which the home is sited on a foundation. What is: skirting, or underpinning? Isn't the term foundation fascia, wind barrier, or perime- ter under blocking when using concrete block or the brick-front better terms? And, for crying out loud, it's not a: trailer park, or even mobile home park anymore. It's a manufactured home land lease community, or cooperative, homesite condominium, or sub-di- vision. Lets try not to call it: foundation blocking, or setup and tie downs. It's a home installation. And it's not the setup guys, its the licensed sub- contractor, installer. It's not just a metal frame with outriggers for the side walls under the home, it's the steel home base system for the transport and the sub- sequent home installation; which when attached to the load bearing piers and/or blocking as the key foundation component for supporting the home weight and live loads over the homesite. The term total investment makes it sound like there is sustained value rather than using the term total price. And, when referring to the down payment under the home financing terms, please use the term: initial investment. Try using: monthly lease payments instead of lot or space rents. It's a lease agreement not a lot rental agreement, even if it is month-to-month. And how about instead of: rules and regula- tions, how about community guidelines for living Use damp proof membrane instead of plastic ground cover or the trade name Visqueen Please don't say tenants - those are ones who live in apartments and rental homes. Please use community residents, or resident homeowners, or just plain homeowners. And above all never use the term renters when you can say resident lease holders Other replacement, positive terms to start using: Consider that it's not a shed but an auxiliary storage building. Please don't use tin roof, say all weather metal roofing. Tongue vs. hitch or tow bar. Remember many prospective buyers don't now some home manufacturers include the length with their home designations. It may be confusing for buyers, so I always use the term "net length" when referring to the actual physical size of the home. Try referring to the pedestal (when used in a land lease community, to a utility and electrical metering stand. Doesn't waste water lines or treatment facil- ity sound nicer than sewer lines or sewer plant? It's not site drainage, it's storm water manage- ment areas I am sure many of you out there who are suc- cessful, professional sales persons have many more of these to add. So, please send me an e- mail, and I will add them to a future column for us all to enjoy. While to some, these differences in terminol- ogy and home nomenclature may seem preten- tious, they really aren't. Using them among ourselves as professionals, will eventually become a regular part of our vocabulary when providing marketing services to prospective home buyers. It will certainly raise their opinions of us as providers of quality housing, and eventually their opinions of our safe, attractive, affording hous- ing alternative to site built homes. Edward "Eddie" Hicks, lic. RE Broker, and Lic. Mort- gage Broker has been a manufactured housing commu- nity developer and industry consultant, retailer and home manufacturer since 1963, and is currently a manufac- tured home resident and the sales manager for a seniors Age 55+ m/h condominium homesite community in Central Florida: Hidden Harbor on Lake Harris. He may be reached at (813) 300-6150 and at easted- die@aol.com His websites are: www.mobilehome- park.com www.factorybuilthome.com and www. fha207m.com T J