NewHomeSales.com at IBS 2018

I finally met up with Quint Lears of NewHomeSales.com at the International Builder show. We talked about the importance of social media content and what kind of content to bring to your audience.

"Not only do you need content, but you need to be able to produce content that make's people care about your company and your brand."

Transcript:

Quint Lears: Hi, everybody. Quint Lears of newhomesales.com. Finally, you can run, you can hide, but you can't. Wait a minute. Finally, I got you on the program. Will Duderstadt, thanks so much for being on the program.

Will Duderstadt: Absolutely, Quint. It's a pleasure. I've been watching your stuff for a long time, so this is long overdue.

Quint Lears: I like what Will does because he's the kind of What's that movie when you're the guy, the puppet master, you're the digital puppet master of the home building industry. Talk a little bit about what you did. You're a speaker, you're contributing, you're a thought leader. What's big, what's happening now?

Will Duderstadt: You know, for me, content is huge, and I love talking about new ways to develop content, to distribute content. And more than anything else, to stand out today, you really need to add in emotional content. You have to really fight apathy and make people care about what it is that you do. As builders, we have a lot to really be happy about. These are joyful occasions. People are really excited to build new homes and to put their personal touch on it. So we have something that's really easy to market. We just need to do a little better job.

Quint Lears: We need the duder a better job.

Will Duderstadt: Duder a better job. I love it. I might copyright that.

Quint Lears: Duder a better job, everybody. Now look, you wear a lot of different hats. You're doing speaking. Tell me about the homebuilder you represent, what you spoke on at the homebuilder show. You're not, the interview's not over yet. You're shaking my hand. You're doing something big with Zillow. Let's talk about it all. builder.

Will Duderstadt: Yeah, so I'm with M/I Homes. We're headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and we build in about 15 divisions. Texas, Florida, Chicago, the Midwest. So we're really all over. I think we're the 14th largest builder, and I tell you, that's a lot of content to have to create. Thousands of homes, hundreds of communities. It's really quite invigorating to be able to be a part of such a large organization.

Quint Lears: You're doing big things with M/ Homes. You're one of the stars of the show here. You had a very, very interesting, one of the best attended, most interesting programs. Talk about the throwdown, the big, the main event.

Will Duderstadt: It was. It was a huge event. Kevin Oakley, Dennis O'Neill, and myself took three really kind of polarizing topics and we debated them. And we really did it kind of like SNL style where we went to extremes. We didn't actually believe what we were arguing, but we wanted to illustrate that Sometimes you have objections within your organization, and you really need to see both sides of an argument before you can find the middle ground and come to a solution that makes sense for you and your company.

Quint Lears: Who won? I got to tell you, who won.

Will Duderstadt: I think I won them all. There were a few tears that were shed. Seriously, I don't think there's a winner. If the audience was able to walk away and just apply a little bit more critical thought, they're going to be the guys that win.

Quint Lears: Listen, you had great reviews. I would say there's win-win-win. I mean, you, Dennis, Kevin, the audience, the homebuilding industry. Let's talk about-- you're into drones. You're into gardening. This is like my dream interview because I got so much cool stuff to talk about. You did a really cool blog a little bit ago with Meredith about gardening. Talk about that, guys. I thought you did some really insightful things.

Will Duderstadt: Well, thank you. I love my garden. I had about 40 tomato plants this past season. And it's a really, I think as a digital guy, it's nice to sometimes step away and do something very tactile and real that will exist even if the power goes out. Like I said, as a digital guy, sometimes it's hard to feel what it is that you're doing. So that's a nice balance. And in that particular article, I took some cues about lead generation from my garden, culminating really in this idea that you have to weed every once in a while. You have to cut out the stuff that isn't working for you, that's sucking up resources. And that's OK. As marketers, we need to do a better job, and we need to apply our time and energy on the things that are going to yield some fruit.

Quint Lears: Almost forgot, a little side note, Pro Builder magazine, 40 under 40, what did it mean to receive that and to be recognized at that level?

Will Duderstadt: Oh man, a tremendous honor. I think the world of the team at Pro Builder. So to be able to sit alongside so many other fantastic individuals and end up on the cover of a magazine I've read for years, truly, truly honored, incredibly touched, and thank you for remembering.

Quint Lears: You're doing all these cool things and you're kind of the star of the show tonight, but who are some of the people, the mentors, the resources, could be anything, podcast, book, anybody that people that have really been spoken into your life.

Will Duderstadt: That's a great question because I think to be successful, you really need to surround yourself with people that inspire you. I'm incredibly grateful to Mike Lyon, who was really the guy who got me involved in this show in the first place. Continues to be an inspiration, along with Kevin Oakley. Dennis O'Neill's a great friend. He's written a fantastic book. He continues to inspire me. This guy right here, with all the work that he's doing on YouTube, I'm watching constantly. And then I like to look outside the industry for inspiration. Companies like Zappos and Tesla and Apple are doing amazing things with content and we can really integrate that into what we do as home builders.

Quint Lears: Tell me a book that's been really impactful in your life.

Will Duderstadt: Wow, putting me on the spot there. Other than Dennis's book, I would say this year I read a book called Vlog Like A Boss. A gal named Amy who lives in Columbus wrote that and it's really an awesome guide to video, video marketing and crushing it on YouTube.

Quint Lears: And just to talk about Dennis's book, Sales Actualization Based Upon the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and I would agree that's a very insightful book. I mean, Zillow, you're on the, let's talk about Zillow. Come on, man.

Will Duderstadt: Zillow is an amazing company. These guys are standing right here giving me the staredown, but I'm very proud to be part of their group of advisors for new homes and new construction. They're really dedicated to the industry. They're doing a lot of fantastic things, and it's a partnership that just makes sense for a lot of home builders. You can be on Zillow and compete directly with resale homes in your market. What better opportunity do we have to try and attract leads and potential sales?

Quint Lears: Now, how many times have I contacted you about being on my program?

Will Duderstadt: Probably just once. No, I'm kidding. It's been dozens. It's been dozens.

Quint Lears: Okay, so I want you on the program because Will is one of the best connected people in the industry. Now watch. How do people get connected? Because a lot of people feel lost, and we want people to be part of the homebuilding industry. That's part of the main benefit here. What are some of the tips that you've done to be connected, to make an impact, to become a speaker? Talk about that.

Will Duderstadt: You know, here's the deal. We get together as an organization once or twice a year, right, at a show like this. So social media means so much. Whether it's YouTube or Facebook or Twitter, have a personality. push some content, and really engage in the conversation. I think I do it really because I'm inspired by so many people. I want to continue to be better. So I'm out there asking questions, answering questions, and trying to build relationships that are going to just push that ball forward. Don't be afraid to jump in the conversation.

Quint Lears: Good point. one thing I see you do, you comment on stuff, and I mean, out of, let's say 1000 views, you're gonna have two comments, three, and you're one of those people consistently, so I mean, you get recognized through there. Any other tips?

Will Duderstadt: You know, everybody has an opinion, and you should be proud of your opinion. that we have as humans is this idea of critical thought, and that over time, our opinions can change. The only way you're going to solidify and get to the right answer is to engage with people, have conversations, have debates, and really challenge your own thought, be OK changing your mind, and continue to converse.

Quint Lears: You are always looking to the future. What do homebuilders need to know now in 2018?

Will Duderstadt: Man, that's a great question. There's so much on the horizon from VR and AR, but I really think this idea of personalized content is going to change the way we do business. If you look at an e-mail that you might get from YouTube... That e-mail is specific to you, Quint, and it's recommendations just for you. There's not a human that sits down and decides that. It's a human that sat down and wrote a really great program to deliver recommendations to you. We're going to be able to do that in the near future. It's going to change the way we market homes.

Quint Lears: You're crushing it at M/I Homes, and I know you get a lot of the praise for this, but who are some of the unsung heroes, the people in back offices making things happen that aren't here, that you would like to give a shout?

Will Duderstadt: You know, I have an amazing team at MI that I'm really proud to be able to work with. And those guys just crush it every single day. They're publishing a lot of the content. They're developing a lot of the content. And I think deep down behind anybody who is notable on YouTube or notable on Facebook, they have a team. And I've gotten to meet so many of those individuals. They are amazing and they're bright. And I think the moral of the story is behind every Quint or Will or Mike Lyon, there's a team of people that are just as engaging, just as intelligent. And it's worthwhile to have conversations with everyone whose path you cross.

Quint Lears: Last question, drones. Talk about it.

Will Duderstadt: Drones are awesome, right? I took my Mavic up earlier in the day. I have a Phantom. If you have the opportunity to fly, do it. It's an experience.

Quint Lears: What type of drone would you recommend?

Will Duderstadt: I would recommend the most inexpensive drone that you can to get started. And it's just going to climb from there.

Quint Lears: Thanks for being on the program. I know you've got a lot going on. Proud to have Will Duderstadt on newhomesales.com at the International Builders Show, Orlando, Florida. Keep on keeping on, my friend. You're making a great impact.

Will Duderstadt: Thanks, Quint. I love what you're doing.