Smart Can Still Outsmart Big

There are numerous homebuilders that have tried and failed to gain a competitive foothold in their market, and all have one thing in common – they think of themselves as builders.

Many small to mid-size builders pour their heart and soul into delivering a quality product worthy of their name; only to find out that nobody knows they exist, or even cares. Sales fall stagnant and they are compelled to price away their entire profit margin. If they could turn back time what should they have done different? Marketing.

What transpires next (without the sling of marketing), is a painful right-of-passage for some builders. Goliath competitors are fierce opponents causing smaller competition to shy away to a niche, or become completely discouraged and fold.

The surviving few are David companies – who have a clear plan of attack, confidence in their vision, and can amp-up their marketing message so it is louder than a solo squelch.

In the biblical account of David and Goliath; the Philistines and the Israelites are pitched against one another in war. Goliath demands a one-on-one fight to the death against any challenger from the other side. The young David takes the challenge, and does so with only a sling, and 5 smooth stones. Goliath’s complacent assumption of an easy hand-to-hand combat is rudely interrupted as David delivers a fatal blow to the forehead with a single stone.

In every market area there are Goliath homebuilder companies: well-known local builders, builders with the financial capacity to self-fund their projects, builder/developers that can capitalize on two profit centers rather than one, and national builders that carry a diversified multi-market portfolio that protects them from local market anomalies.

The great majority of homebuilders today are David companies, BUT all is not lost. These smart homebuilders are the ones that continually look for ways to market themselves better, and act upon opportunities quicker than their lumbering competition. Smart can still outsmart big in the homebuilding industry exactly as it did in biblical times.