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September 16 th
General Membership Meeting
 Pig Roast
& Dessert Contest
Belt Sander Classic!
Sponsor: Miller & Loughry Ins.
Arcadian Springs
•
6310 Wade Springs Rd
(in
beautiful Walter Hill)
Play RSVP for $100!
RSVP by Sept 8th for
TWO
chances to win, or by Sept 12th for ONE chance to win.
Must be present
to win. Congrats to Joey Allison, August
winner!
REMEMBER! Your General Membership meal is included in your
membership dues, so RSVP today! Call 890-8224. Guests, $15
at the door. Attendees without a reservation are welcome,
but will be served last and are not guaranteed a meal.
Highlights
include:
•
Ribs & BBQ Chicken;
• Award winning desserts...Yum!
Enter your favorite for a chance to win $50!
Winner’s
photo and
recipe
will be published in
the Nail Bender!
• AND  the BELT SANDER
CLASSIC!
Let’s go to the
Races!...Belt Sander Races, that is!
Bring a little cash
(proceeds go to our PAC) and enter The Fourth Annual Belt
Sander Classic. No skill required! The event includes races
held in “heats” in the following divisions:
Division 1 – “Stock” Sanders, sponsored by
Ram Tool
Contestants pay a $5 entry fee (there’s no limit to the
number of times you can enter), draw for position and race
one of four brand new Belt Sanders, generously donated by
Ram Tool. Winners of each heat will enter in the “sand-off”
for the opportunity to take one home. One of these sanders
could have your name on it!
Division 2 –
“Modified” Sanders Soup
it up, paint it up—wear your colors!—But bring your own belt
sander and enter! The entry fee is $20, and winners will
split half the pot. The more entries received, the bigger
the winnings! Heats will be determined by horse power and
belt width.
Fall Golf Scrambl e
Date:
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Rain Date:
Wednesday,
October 8, 2008
Course:
Indian Hills Country Club
Check-In:
6:30 AM
or
12:00 PM
(Required)
Luncheon:
11:30 AM
Shotgun Start:
7:00 AM
or
12:30 PM
Your entry fee includes...
Luncheon at 11:30
AM
Cart Rental & Greens Fees
Refreshments on the Course
Prizes Paid in 2 Flights
AM Refreshments
Sodas & Water
Coffee Bar
Cappuccino Bar |
PM Refreshments
Sodas & Water
Beer
Cappuccino Bar |
Exceeding our goal helps us donate to
Home Builders Care!
Prizes will be presented immediately following the afternoon
Scramble, in the Indian Hills Club House
Click
Here
for Entry Form
Questions?
Call:
Tammy Lane at 207-3264 or Terry Coleman
at
969-6030
RCHB
PAC
Rutherford County
Home Builders
Political
Action Committee
Why contribute?
Your colleagues in the association are
asking you to make a contribution and join in their efforts
to present a united front to local government. Yes, times
are tough. But unless we have the means to keep
watch-dogging government, it could get tougher still.
Consider your RCHB PAC investment the best
business decision you can make. The next 12 months will be a
critical time for your business and the home building
industry as a whole. The problems that loom before us
can only be
resolved with our political will, starting right here at
home!
Join us, and stand taller,
knowing you’ve done your part to contribute to the
association’s government affairs
efforts. We work hard every day to
keep YOU working!
Join the PAC club today!
Click to view PAC Member Flyer
Registration & Housing Now
Open
The 2009 International Builders’ Show
January 20-23, 2009
Tuesday – Friday
Las Vegas
Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
BuildersShow.com
In the dark about what the future
holds for housing? The 2009 International Builders’ Show is your
one-stop resource for the best and brightest ideas to help you
and your company succeed during these uncertain times. See the
latest product innovations. Network with fellow builders
and other industry professionals to help you develop key
strategies for your business success. Learn to position your
company for growth once the market turns. All of this will be
happening under the bright city lights of exciting Las Vegas,
January 20-23!
• 1,700 Exhibitors
• 250 Education sessions
• 90,000 Building–industry attendees
• The New American Home
New This Year!
We’ve lowered the cost to see the exhibits! Four day, exhibits
registration is now $50 for NAHB members and $100 for
non-members, if you register by November 7th! Also new
this year, registered attendees can purchase individual tickets
to IBS education. Registrants can purchase packages of four
tickets and get one free or seven tickets and get three free!
Register and Secure Your Hotel Early!
Las Vegas hotels fill up quickly and the best way to ensure the
hotel of your choice is by registering today!
From the Executive Officer
Karyn Beaty
It is my sincere pleasure
to
announce that two of our association’s publications were
selected as Association Excellence Award winners at the
Executive Officer’s Council (EOC) seminar last month: our
monthly “news-zine”, The Nail
Bender, and our weekly email
correspondence, “Next Week at RCHBA.”
Competition was fierce, and it was indeed an honor that
The Nail Bender
out-placed the other EO’s entries
in our division, including David Hartley, Eastern Panhandle HBA,
WV (staff of 4); Linda Revenaugh, Southwest Montana BIA (staff
of 3); Rick Herman, Rochester HBA, NY (staff of 3); and 25-year
veteran Shirley Kruesel, Wausau Area BA.
Executive Vice President Susan Ritter of our state association
entered their magazine,
Tennessee HomeBuilder,
which won an award in the Communication–Magazines division. I
wonder, though, if that award wasn’t eclipsed by her
installation as the national EOC president for 2009? With her
background with the National Assn of Home Builders, Susan has
the experience to serve the association well. Congrats, HBAT
EVP, Susan Ritter!
Lately, I’ve been pondering the attributes of an effective
leader. I’ve noticed, too, that the majority of EOs
serving the 800+ HBA chapters are women—women who can, and must,
exhibit strong leadership skills.
Not long ago, I read that a recent study conducted by Princeton,
New Jersey-based management consulting firm, Caliper, and the
London-based organization that advances women, Aurora,
identified several characteristics that distinguish women
leaders from men when it comes to qualities of leadership:
“Women leaders are more assertive and persuasive, have a
stronger need to get things done and are more willing to take
risks than male leaders....
Women leaders were also found to be more empathetic and
flexible, as well as stronger in interpersonal skills than their
male counterparts....enabling them to read situations accurately
and take information in from all sides....These women leaders
are able to bring others around to their point of
view....because they genuinely understand and care about where
others are coming from....so that the people they are leading
feel more understood, supported and valued.”
Author Esther Wachs Book examines the careers of 14 top female
executives – among them Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay –
in her book,
Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: The Unique Female
Qualities of Leadership, to learn
what makes them so successful. Her discoveries support the
Caliper study, including a willingness to reinvent the rules; an
ability to sell their visions; the determination to turn
challenges into opportunities; and a focus on ‘high touch’ in a
high tech business world.
This home building industry is a tough environment for women
to succeed in. But we do! However, a smart woman knows that it
takes teamwork to accomplish our goals – which is why the RCHBA
continues to be successful, even in these uncertain times.
So, Hillary wasn’t necessarily the right woman – and 2008 wasn’t
the year – but 2012? Madam President? Not I, but she’s out
there, somewhere. I can feel it!
Associate’s Tip-of-the-Month:
Networking Dos &
Don’ts for Associate Members
Building
Better Relationships with Builders
 The
principal reason most Associate members join the HBA is to get business from
Builder members. However, it is not always easy and it is never automatic.
Membership does not give an Associate member the right to a builder’s
business. What it does, rather, is give him/her the opportunity to seek
business from builders. Many builders in turn will try to do business with
an Associate member, provided there is a favorable balance to him in price,
service, and quality. Consider some of these basic principles in building
your relationships with Builder members:
DO:
Visit the builders
regularly with good reason--do not waste their time. Don’t
underestimate his/her interest in new products. Keep the
literature current. The builders need current information if
they are going to use your product, not only to show their
customers, but also for other suppliers or trade contractors who
may be involved in installing your products.
Keep the builders informed if there are pricing
or product changes. There has never been a builder who
liked price increases, but they dislike surprises even more.
Timely notice will allow them to adjust the budget.
Let the builder know
immediately if a product is discontinued or going to be
discontinued, and what the replacement options are.
Tell the builder immediately if a product or
service is going to be delivered late. Stay in touch with
him/her so you know when you and/or your product are needed.
Remember that other suppliers and subcontractors may be affected
when you are late.
Sell quality products and do not compromise your
reputation with inferior products or services.
Be honest with the builders about what features
or benefits they may gain by paying a little more. If your
offering has deficiencies, tell them in advance so they can make
adjustments.
Do not waste the builder’s time -- take care of
his or her needs quickly. When you make an appointment, be
on time or call to say you will be late. S/He has to deal with a
lot of suppliers and trade contractors.
Be knowledgeable. Try to understand their
business. Is s/he building luxury homes or affordable housing?
Take Certified Graduate Associate (CGA) classes to stay informed
of trends in the building industry and be a source of
information to him/her. Find answers to his/her questions.
Reliable information will keep the builder coming back to you.
Get actively involved in
the home builders association. Just as builders make their
living from the building industry, so, too, do you. Getting
involved not only benefits the industry as a whole, but also
gets you the recognition you need from builder members. Regular
meeting attendance will give you additional visibility. Devote
some of your advertising budget to placing ads in the
association’s newsletter.
Encourage pride and service throughout your
company. You are judged by the attitude of everyone who works
for you. Polite administrative staff, accounting staff, and
delivery people are greatly appreciated.
However, DON’T:
Don’t speak negatively
about your competitors or their products or services. S/He may
be a personal friend of the builder or even a fellow member of
the home builders association. We all have to prove ourselves to
be accepted. You will not succeed by speaking negatively about
your competition. Also, the builder may have been using your
competitor’s product or service. By speaking negatively, you are
saying that the builder was not very smart for using it. In
either case, you are going to make the builder defensive.
Instead, focus on making positive statements about your products
or service. Provide the builder references of other builders who
have been satisfied with your product, service, quality, and
price.
Don’t underestimate the builder’s interest in
new products.
Don’t misrepresent the facts, or, to put it
bluntly, don’t lie. Whether it’s about a delivery, what you or
your product can do, or about price, never become an
untrustworthy businessperson. Do not tell the builder you are
offering the best price in town when you may have given someone
else a better price. Prices can vary based on quantity,
delivery, and a variety of other factors, and builders know
that. They do not want to be lied to any more than you do.
Bottom line, selling to builders takes a lot of
common sense and courtesy. Your membership in the home builders
association is a tremendous asset to your business. By applying
these basic rules to your sales strategies and actively
participating in the association, you can greatly enrich your
builder relationships, increase your sales opportunities, and
grow as a consummate professional.
Other Helpful Links for Associates Networking &
Business Development Tools for Associates –
www.nahb.org/associatetools
Associate Member Resources – www.nahb.org/associateresources
RCHBA Associate Vice President
Mike Shivers, First Tennessee Home Loans
Welcome
New Members
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New
Affiliates
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Rutherford County
Home Builders Care
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