How to Work a Local Home Builder Association Meeting Effectively

By: Steve Monroe

 

Donna Weatherstone pulled into the parking lot of Fisher’s Restaurant and immediately started looking for a place to park close to a car or truck with a familiar logo on the side. This was Donna’s first HBA meeting as the new hired employee of Crown Concrete Supply Company.

 

When she arrived at the table in the entrance to the Cape Fear Room, she was greeted by Brenda Johnson, a volunteer with the local HBA, and received her badge. Donna placed it on the right side of her blouse and began to look for the familiar faces she knew were here, builders and associates matching the vehicles parked outside.

 

Mel Mitchum emerged from a side room just as the Board was ending their meeting and saw Donna across the room. Mel was an active associate and had led the new members in orientation just last month. He had been impressed by Donna’s questions and the follow-through calls she made to him after the meeting. Donna turned and greeted her new friend with a smile, and quickly showed him that she had listened during orientation – there she was with business cards and calendar handy.

 

With Mel serving as mentor and guide, the night was not as formidable as Donna first thought. Her personal goal was to make two solid builder contacts during the evening, and she did. Allowing Mel, as part of her new network, to present her, Donna was introduced to David Klein, a medium size builder who did scattered sites in the county, and John and Kathy Spencer, a dynamic couple who had visions of building a large volume company within the next five years.

 

Mel also took time to introduce Donna to Kent Williams. Kent, unlike Donna who was new to the home building business, had worked in the industry for some time, but had joined Better Building Materials locally after moving to the area from another part of the state. Both had attended Mel’s orientation and had followed his wise counsel. They had arrived early enough to get in and get settled. Both had brought current business cards and a calendar – Kent used a copy of his monthly planner, while Donna carried a PDA. They both had set reasonable goals, as encouraged by Mel’s workshop, and knew not to pressure builders at general membership meetings.

 

They also knew the most effective way to meet a builder was to be introduced to him or her by someone the builder already trusted. Donna asked Mel to introduce her, while Kent, having been in the area for several months, had already begun to build a network of his own. He asked a builder friend whom he was supplying with framing packages to introduce him to some prospects. Both Kent and Donna remembered to ask for a card in exchange for a card and to determine the best means and time to contact the builder away from the meeting. By using reasonable goals and these simple steps in protocol, both left the meeting with solid contacts for the days ahead.

 

The builders they met were impressed by the degree of professional courtesy shown by both sales people, leaving the door open for contact in the future. Local HBA general membership meetings offer a profitable portal for those who are savvy enough to follow the simple principles that Mel taught in his orientation. You, too, can use these simple steps to grow your business and make positive first impressions with builders.