You’re speaking to the wrong guy.
That’s what Ron Harris, in a nutshell, said when asked how he pulled off a record-breaking year for the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council, boosting membership rolls by more than half.
“It’s all about the board of directors you put together,” said Harris, the group’s 2014 chairman. “By the time you reach this position, you’re not doing any of the work. You’re just captain of the boat.”
As captain, though, the vision and leadership that shaped the year fell to Harris. The results stunned even him.
The Northeast Florida Builders Association supports targeted groups through various councils. One of the largest is the Sales and Marketing Council, which supports the sales side of builders’ companies. SMC members get education, recognition and the opportunity to network with their peers.
The recession that downsized the housing industry affected trade groups even more.
NEFBA’s SMC, at one time 1,000 members strong, had dwindled to 208. So, Harris’ team shook things up with an ambitious goal — 100 new members by year’s end. Their counterparts across the state laughed.
But the membership committee at NEFBA’s SMC engineered contests and prize drawings. The council’s program director booked a broader range of speakers whose specialties ranged from sales and management to mortgage, title, legal and insurance.
SMC’s website was updated, enabling online registration. Newcomers were warmly welcomed.
They reached their membership target by June, surprising even Harris.
“I thought maybe we’d get 50 for the year,” he said, with a smile.
Harris has a keen sense of SMC’s needs. A real estate agent, general contractor and former sales manager for builders, he began his career as a site agent.
“These are my people. This is where I feel the most at home,” he said.
Harris’ father owned a large metal fabrication business, so he was around construction from an early age. But, entering real estate was Harris’ idea.
“I’ve always had a desire to learn and excel,” he said. “I’m not afraid of the next level.”
Harris started in 1978 as a Realtor for Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co., and picked up his broker’s license after a year. He became a site agent for Tradewind Homes soon after.
Over the years he expanded into sales management and general contracting — building everything from $20,000 HUD rehabs and historic renovations to new homes and commercial projects.
Back in the 1980s and ‘90s when Harris was involved in new construction, there was no training on how to sell new homes. So, he created some.
He brought Dick Russell, author of “How to Sell NEW HOMES,” to Jacksonville to talk to his sales team about concepts like the critical path of selling and model presentations.
“He was actually one of the first pioneers who tried to teach people how to do this,” Harris said. “I’ve always had a passion for learning that skill and teaching that skill. And SMC is a place is where that happens.”
Today, SMC members hear from known industry experts like Kimberly Mackey, John Palumbo, Melinda Brody and Meredith Oliver.
Training includes social networking and web design, skill sets that were unimagined in the 1980s when Harris got his start.
If Harris’ initial goal for SMC of 100 new members seemed ambitious, so does his larger vision.
“I’d like us to be the best SMC in the state and in the nation,” he said.
It’s actually an honor NEFBA’s SMC has enjoyed twice in the past.
“My thought was, if we didn’t focus on it, it wouldn’t happen again,” Harris said. “So I wanted to start the year with a focus on regaining that spot.”
This year, NEFBA was the runner-up for the best SMC in the state, after Tampa Bay.
It also became the largest SMC in Florida and the fourth largest in the nation.
A strong sales and marketing council may be a given in Jacksonville, but many other SMCs are not like NEFBA’s, Harris said. They are smaller and they struggle to gain the support of local builders.
NEFBA’s SMC, by contrast, enjoys a strong and infectious spirit of collaboration.
It’s a tone that is struck as each meeting begins, with an invocation by industry veteran Selby Kaiser that is followed by several minutes of hugging.
“It’s pretty interesting. I don’t know of any other place where that happens,” Harris said.
(904) 356-2466