AVID Acquires R.A. Heaston and Company Madison, WI- Released January 14th, 2009
AVID Ratings, a research and consulting firm specializing in surveying and consulting, has acquired R.A. Heaston and Company, the leading provider of results based sales training to the home-building industry.
Effective Jan. 1, 2009 the purchase strengthens AVID's consulting division - AVID Advisors, which offers extensive sales training, strategic marketing analysis, as well as organizational development, home quality audits, value engineering, and customer experience management.
Rick Heaston, a 20-year veteran of the home-building industry, founded R.A. Heaston and Company in 1992 and developed a sales training program proven to increase sales by 30 percent. Leading clients include, Pulte Homes (NYSE:PHM), Centex Homes (NYSE:CTX), DR Horton (NYSE:DHI), and Mattamy Homes along with hundreds of other top builders throughout North America. As part of the acquisition, Heaston is joining the AVID Advisors division as its Executive Sales Advisor, working directly with the company's top clients.
“We are extremely excited to have Rick onboard,” says Paul Cardis, CEO of AVID. “I have known Rick for over 10 years. During that time, I have developed the highest respect for his sales training program through the success it has brought to leading builders throughout North America.”
“When I was first introduced to Rick's program, I was blown away,” says Scott Himelhoch, Executive Vice President of AVID. “After searching extensively for a better way to market and sell new homes, I finally found someone who truly understands the unique nature of new home sales.”
The AVID TouchPoint Selling program unravels the homebuyers' decision-making process and turns that knowledge into, more sales, faster sales, and ultimately delighted customers.
Heaston, who will continue to work out of his Greenwood Village, Colo., office, is excited to be joining AVID. “The old model of selling no longer works,” he says. “I'm thrilled to offer this fantastic program to AVID clients which is geared for today’s customers and will enable clients to outsell their competition.”
About Rick Heaston:
Heaston, who is a Contributing Editor to Professional Builder and GIANTS magazines, has published numerous articles on the sales process and been a frequent speaker at major industry events. As a former vice president of sales and marketing, Heaston was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the "National Marketing Director of the Year" in 1992.
About AVID Ratings:
Since 1993, AVID Ratings has been the top provider of homeowner data throughout North America, providing enterprise-level surveys, organizational strategies, employee training, and proprietary solutions that create delighted customers and drive increased profitability. Over the years, AVID's organizational development programs have helped hundreds of companies maximize homeowner loyalty, resulting in increased referral sales, better customer cooperation, reduced warranty costs, and greater brand awareness. The company’s best clients achieve more than 50 percent of their sales from referrals, a statistic that trumps the industry average of only 15 percent. For more information, visit www.avidratings.com.
