Top 3 National Sales and Marketing Councils Recognized
Three Sales and Marketing Councils (SMCs) across the country were recently recognized as the National Sales and Marketing Council’s (NSMC) Council of the Year in the small, medium and large categories. The winners — Building Industry Association of San Diego SMC, SMC of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and Triangle Sales and Marketing Council of North Carolina — were announced during the 2021 NAHB NSMC Board Meeting in January.
“We are so honored to recognize these three motivated and successful councils across the country,” said Kelly Ann Zuccarelli, the 2020 chair of the NSMC. “They were all able to achieve high membership rates, revenue and participation, even in the midst of the pandemic.”
Building Industry Association of San Diego (BIASD) SMC
The BIASD SMC saw membership growth, including an 80% renewal rate and reaching more than half of its overall annual membership goal in less than six months. Despite the COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates throughout the year, the council came together with innovative ideas and generated several new notable programs. These events were held at new home communities throughout San Diego County, and designed for networking and getting membership out to see new communities and observe new trends in successful developments.
The BIASD SMC also created several new educational programs, including ongoing think tanks and educational webinars, which involved occasional partnership with NAHB’s NSMC.
SMC of the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA)
The SMC of NEFBA also reached great successes throughout the year. They achieved a membership goal of 265 members by Sept. 30, 2020, with a retention rate of 55.6%. An additional 87 SMC members were recruited by year’s end.
The SMC of NEFBA’s monthly breakfast meetings have been one of its longest continuing networking events, attracting an average of 100 attendees per breakfast and generating more than $22,000 annually in sponsorships. After the April, May and June events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, the council revived the breakfast meetings in a virtual format in July and rebranded it “Wake Up with SMC.”
In 2020, its SMC Education Committee grew the value of SMC membership through expanded programming. All education classes in 2020 were free for members and included a breakfast or lunch. All non-members paid $20 to attend. The SMC of NEFBA held Its annual awards ceremony, the LAUREL, on Feb. 21; the event generated 177 award entries, more than $32,000 in sponsorships and 291 tickets sold — all of which resulted in a profit of more than $39,000 for the council.
Triangle Sales and Marketing Council of North Carolina (TSMC)
The TSMC impressively secured 468 members (99 new and 369 retained) to remain the largest SMC in the country for the third consecutive year. TSMC started the year with in-person meetings which averaged more than 150 attendees. However, with the onset of pandemic restrictions, it pivoted to monthly meetings via Zoom without missing a single month. Its virtual breakfast meetings were provided free to TSMC members, with attendance often between 150 and 200.
Its annual awards ceremony, the Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence (MAME), was virtual but still generated more than $120,000 in sponsorships. More than 75 awards were presented, and it recognized 167 Million Circle agents who sold nearly $2.3 billion in new home sales. The TSMC also participated in many fundraisers for its home builders association and other community organizations, raising thousands of dollars and helping to market the council.
Join NAHB on March 5 to see more top sales and marketing professionals, innovative projects and other leading home building professionals recognized as part of The Nationals virtual reception. Register today.