ales training par excellence! And not at all an exaggeration. Take your pick, too: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 separate or successive days of manufactured housing sales and sales management education. I'd oft heard of this unique approach to marketing the HUD Code housing product but this was the first opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Everyone in the MH Business well knows how very difficult it is to find hands-on capable, MH Industry experienced, highly motivated contractors / consultants / instructors who...

1. know their subject very well

2. consistently & appropriately use contemporary terminology

3. are industry veterans who've experienced success

4. clearly and effectively communicate to their audiences

How many such MH Industry 'players' can you name? I'm aware of but a half dozen nationwide. That's why this learning experience was so timely and meaningful.

What marketing and sales subjects are offered in this series? The Psychology of Selling, Successful Sales Strategies, and Sales Management. Finance and Insurance Workshops round out the complete package.

Psychology of Selling is as basic as it gets; covering verbal and non-verbal communication (i.e. how to read body language, in the latter instance); the value of listening, and understanding the differences between selling to men and women. A particularly interesting segment of 'psychology' had to do with learning and sensing behavior styles relative to dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. Product knowledge, superior custom service, and variety of approaches (i.e. techniques) rounds out the psychology of selling training module.

Successful Sales Strategies is a natural follow-on to the psychology module. In this instance, the instructor and course material interrelate to do a stellar job making the process simple and straight-forward:

• PROSPECTING
• THE CUSTOMER INTERVIEW
• QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES
• HANDLING OBJECTIONS
• CLOSING THE SALE!

In addition to listing and describing these process steps, the value of referrals is strongly emphasized. Following this, the 'How To' of effective interviewing is presented relative to the personality types learned earlier. Questioning technique also builds on the earlier lesson of learning how to truly listen. Handling objections is always complicated, because they're so many ways to 'object', but the course distills guidelines down to several step-by-step procedures. Closing the Sale! Is the fitting finale to the second sales training module. Brought back memories of ABC and AFTO; 'Always be Closing!' and 'Ask for the Order!'

Sales center Management is the vital base of the illustrative equilateral Success Triangle of sales training; the two sides being Psychology of Selling, and Successful Sales Strategies. Here the student is taught basics of marketing the HUD Code MH Product; how to recruit, screen and hire really good salespeople, then to manage them effectively. Sales team motivation and pathways to profit round out the balance of this particular training module.

What about the Finance and Insurance Workshops? They're certainly integral to the complete five day program. And as you'd expect, the former covers credit interviews, components of a customer's statement, analysis of applications and finance laws to know. Subtopics in the Insurance Workshop include a comprehensive introduction to life, disability, income and physical damage insurance sales, along with a variety of service contracts.

So who puts on this superlative MH Educational program? Mobile Consultants, based in Alliance, OH. And they do a top notch job of facilitating the training program as well. The program I attended was in a popular, upscale chain hotel, the meeting room was set up classroom style for forty students, was well lit and cool enough to keep us alert. Mobile Consultants puts on twelve location-specific programs each year, all across the U.S. They're sometimes stand-alone affairs for groups of regional MH Retailers, sometimes in co-op with state MH Associations, and occasionally in-house for MH Manufacturer/Retailer teams. Program cost? Varies with the make-up of the course and whether sponsored or not. For further information, contact Kim Baddeley at (800)824-7508.

Frankly, I've strongly encouraged Brenda Wayt, the perennial seminar leader for this program, to consider packaging the firm's training material as a textbook, available for purchase before, during and after the above-described sales training program. For that matter, the material and teaching is so good and comprehensive, Mobile Consultants really ought to consider implementing a MH Professional certification pin to accompany the completion certificates distributed at the end of the five day program.