Doing business with Community Associations is a great opportunity for any vendor. With over 370,000 HOAs in the United States, spending over $15 billion a year on their communities, working with Associations is a fantastic way to grow your business. Not only will you be able to work with professional, reliable clients – you’ll likely get a lot of work! And you won’t have to hustle for every individual job. Less time spent marketing to community associations and winning clients ultimately means more money in your pocket. No wonder you’re excited to work with Associations!
There are some things you should do, and a few things you should not do, to get the attention of the Associations you hope to do business with and to convert that attention into contracts. Here are a few tips for marketing to community associations:
DO value their time.
Association board members are often volunteers. They decide to serve on their community’s board because they have a vested interest in their community remaining a great place to live. They are likely to ask you detailed, probing questions about your products and services, and they are likely to listen closely to your answers.
DON’T mistake their interest in specifics and tendency to deep-dive as a sign that board members have nothing better to do.
This board is not their job and it probably isn’t their hobby. Provide relevant information in a clear, concise way and answer their questions honestly and succinctly. If they follow up to ask you for more information, respond as quickly as you can.
DO time your marketing to community associations wisely.
Associations are more likely to consider adding a service or changing vendors when the need is apparent. If you run a snow blowing service, you aren’t likely to catch the interest of an Association in July, when snow is the last thing on their minds. Also, the vast majority of boards hold their annual meetings between November and February. Associations are most likely to make major changes and purchasing decisions then. Marketing your services in the months prior to the annual meetings is a great idea.
DO consider regional differences, too.
For example, many Florida board members leave during the summer months and travel north, so marketing to them in the summer months might not be effective. Your marketing strategy should contain a mix of both seasonal and year-round marketing efforts.
DON’T miss an opportunity.
The opportunity to find new clients in the winter months when they’re more likely to make or change purchasing decisions.
DO offer value to the whole community.
Associations represent all the homeowners as a group, not individuals. The primary goal of a board is always to retain and increase property values for the whole community. If your company typically works with individual homeowners, you may need to tailor your pitch so that it applies to an entire community. Look for creative ways to package or bundle your services so that you’ll be seen as providing value to the whole community.
DON’T offer free services or perks to individual board members.
As much as they might want what you’re offering, HOA board members are not allowed to receive any form of compensation. You can, however, offer perks or freebies to the community as a whole, just be sure to go through your Ardent Community Association manager first.
DO consider board turnover.
Serving on an association board can be very rewarding, but it can also be exhausting. Board members find themselves constantly fielding calls and complaints from their neighbors. For this reason, turnover on boards is often quite high. New board members may need time to learn about your services. Be ready to make your pitch again, if necessary, and to answer questions from new board members.
Ardent’s team works hard to make sure that the needs of both vendors and Associations are heard and met. By working through the professionals at Ardent, you can be assured that your relationship with the Association is being handled in a clear, responsible manner.
DO: Communicate directly with your Ardent Community Association manager.
Ardent’s team works hard to make sure that the needs of both vendors and Associations are heard and met. By working through the professionals at Ardent, you can be assured that your relationship with the Association is being handled in a clear, responsible manner.
DON’T: Reach out to the board’s directly without the Ardent manager’s knowledge.
Board members are usually busy volunteers and it can be confusing for them to field messages from vendors. To make sure your messages get through, it’s best to go through your Ardent Community Association manager.
By crafting a strategic approach to Association marketing that considers the unique locations, seasons, and needs of individual Associations, and by showing that you truly value the time and efforts of the board members, you’re likely to cut through the noise and find new clients. As in all business endeavors, treat the bBoard members you market to as you would like to be treated and you’ll soon be adding these valuable customers to your rolls!
