C.S.I. Orlando (Case Study in Orlando)

C.S.I. Orlando (Case Study in Orlando) tells the story of how Weiss Homes transformed their company and profits.

Rita Weiss, CEO of Weiss Homes tells her story. They are a South Bend builder/developer. They wanted to grow into a regional builder. In 1995 they became a production homebuilder. Pat Sargent helped them put their back office into place and they also brought in Bob Schultz and Richard Elkman to help grow the business.

“An ad agency is only as good as the information you give to them.”

They focused on sales and advertising. Bob Schultz – “The entire company is the sales team.”

Here are the principles they held to transform their sales results:

• The company is the sales team
• It’s about retail, not about real estate.
• Open for the convenience of our customers (they used to be open on 4 hours each week with onsite agents)
• Top-Graded Recruiting (They were looking for eagles and would reward well the top performers)
• Targeted Compensation Model tied to profitability and rewards (Big pay – stellar performance, poor pay – mediocre performance)
• Curriculum Based (new training, lots of training)
• Benchmarking & Evaluation (video shopping on an ongoing basis)
• Take Command of the Transformation (you can not waiver)
• Don’t be held hostage (by your sales organization)

Kim Baker, Director of Sales – She led the charge

The sales team quit when the hours were shifted and then the went looking for eagles.

Their 10 Step Process for Hiring

• Identify the needs
• Find the Candidates
• Start with the resume
• Pre-interview package
• Initial Telephone Interview
• Face-to-face interview
• Reference checks and behavioral Style
• Second face-to-face
• Group interview
• Offer the position

The conversion ratio is now 1:7. Now can the time for advertising:

Richard Elkman supported them in this effort.

Two tips form Richard:

1. Turn your ad upside down, squint, and the main call the action should still be the most noticeable element on the page.
2. Take your ad, cut out the graphic physically place it on a newspaper to assess how it will really look to consumers

“Quality and Value at No Additional Charge”

“Develop a position that no one else can earn.