Tracy Miller has been the sales and marketing manager of Ryland Homes for three years.
HER HISTORY WITH RYLAND?
She started with Ryland Homs in Dallas as a salesperson for two years. She then became a field sales manager for two years and was promoted to sales and marketing manager when she moved to Jacksonville.
HER JOB?
“I train and motivate the sales team. I oversee the marketing for the division. I see my main job as lead conversion where we take a lead and convert it to a sale.”
HOW DID SHE GET HER JOB AT RYLAND?
She was a public school music teacher for six years in Texas. She decided to change careers and went to work for Centex as a sales counselor for two years. When her boss left Centex and went to Ryland, he recruited her and she joined Ryland Homes.
WHAT DOES SHE LOVE MOST ABOUT HER JOB?
“Working with salespeople and training them. Because I was a school teacher, the training part of the job is my favorite.”
RELATIONSHIP WITH REALTORS?
“We like Realtor business and enjoy working with them. We do special promotions and luncheons for them. We also train our salespeople to work with Realtors. We are very Realtor-friendly.”
WHAT COMMUNITIES DOES RYLAND BUILD IN?
Bartram Springs, Kensington, Sevilla, Northwoods, Biscayne Bay, and Doctors Inlet Reserve.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP?
“It helps a lot more than you think. As a schoolteacher you are always thinking about how to get someone’s interest in a subject. So you are always trying to promote the subject that you are teaching to your kids. That skill set is very similar to when I am thinking about how to get a buyer excited about a community and how I want to engage the buyer. ‘I want you to love my community’, is very similar to ‘I want you to love my subject.’ With the salespeople, I used my teaching all the time. Mondays are my favorite day because I love to do the sales meetings.”
HOW DID SHE GET INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF SALES AND MARKETING?
“I’ll use an analogy. You know when you are in a restaurant eating. Some people just like to be the patron and go to the restaurant and eat. I always wanted to know what was going on in the kitchen. I wanted to know how everything was working and how the company was run. As a sales person, you really should just focus on sales, so I wanted to get into management to be more involved. It was just fascinating to me.”
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree in music education from Southwest Texas State University.
BEST PROFESSINAL ADVICE EVER RECEIVED?
“To continue to learn. Don’t ever stop learning.”
ADVICE FOR SOMEONE NEW TO SALES AND MARKETING?
I heard Myers Barnes speak a long time ago and it really made an impact on me. He said if you read an hour a day in your field, you will double your income in a year. I stared doing that by reading books and listening to books on tape while I am driving and I went from being a salesperson, to a sales manager to a sales and marketing manager. I really think that is great advice.”
PET PEEVES?
Miller said rudeness. “I don’t think anyone should ever be rude to anyone for any reason.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
The Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis