-
October is here, which means we are officially entering the last quarter of the year. And I think this is a really important time to ask ourselves a question: What are we going to do with the next 90 days? There is a lot of uncertainty in our industry right now. Interest rates, affordability, consumer confidence, traffic and the economy are all creating questions about what the rest of this year will look like and what we can expect when we head into the spring selling season. We can’t control…
-
The Builder Marketing Summit has wrapped up for another year, and after two fast and furious days in Dallas, I walked away energized, full of ideas and, as always, wishing there had been just a little more time to talk with everyone. This was my fourth year joining Greg Bray of Blue Tangerine and Kevin Weitzel of Outhouse for the Summit, where they once again gave me free rein to lead the Online Sales Counselor track. That opportunity means a lot to me because there simply aren’t many industry events…
-
Recently, a seasoned OSC reached out to me because she knows I do mystery shops. She also knows about the Annual Mystery Shop Report we conduct every year to get a pulse on the state of the industry when it comes to customer experience and the customer journey. She had been mystery shopped. On a Saturday. Her day off. Actually, it was the beginning of a four-day weekend for her. And as a solo OSC, she needs to take time off. Gone are the days when we should expect an…
-
Why an AI Tool Isn’t the Same as an AI Strategy AI is everywhere in new home sales right now. Chatbots, automated follow-up, texting, dialers, lead nurturing, appointment setting. There are some incredible tools available, and I am certainly not anti-AI. Used correctly, AI can help us respond faster, manage more opportunities and take some of the repetitive work off our plates. But buying an AI tool is not the same thing as having an AI strategy. You don’t just buy it, unbox it, plug it into your website or…
-
One of the first things I ask for when I start working with a new builder has nothing to do with conversion rates, lead response times, or appointment-setting percentages. Well okay I ask for all of that stuff. But I also ask for this… I ask to see every follow-up sequence living inside their CRM. The automated emails. The texts. The videos. The call tasks. Everything. Why? Because before I can coach an Online Sales Counselor, I want to understand what the buyer is experiencing. Every email, every text message,…
-
“Everyone knows something you don’t… learn from them.” It’s a simple phrase, but one that’s resonated with me for decades. I’m not even sure where I first heard it, but it’s become part of who I am and how I approach life. Long before Blue Gypsy. Long before I was speaking at conferences or teaching classes. Before I ever became an Online Sales Counselor. It’s a mindset I’ve carried with me from experience to experience…country to country. I learned it years ago while traveling the world. Every place I visited…
-
In our last blog post about One Team, One Experience I talked heavily about alignment. If the move from online to onsite is done well, it should feel natural from the buyer’s perspective. Exciting, even. The OSC should be building anticipation, not creating confusion. It should sound more like: “I’d love for you to meet my good friend; they’re going to have a much better handle on those specific house questions and help you take the next step.” That is a handoff. Not: “Here’s the appointment. Good luck.…
-
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining an NAHB Shop Talk with a title so good I figured it deserved a blog post of its own: One Team, One Experience: Turning Spring Traffic into Sales. When a topic is this relevant, this timely, and this painfully familiar to anyone in home building, you don’t just leave it neatly tucked inside a one-hour conversation. You bring it back out, dust it off, and say, “Alright, let’s talk about what this really means.” The discussion was moderated by Kelly Fink,…
-
I feel like I make a post about this almost every year… but spring cleaning isn’t just for closets, junk drawers, and that cup holder in your car full of receipts, hair ties, mystery crumbs, and old empty coffee cups from Starbucks. It’s for your follow-up too. Let’s be honest… somewhere in that CRM is a sales process you built with the best of intentions and then never looked at again. She’s out there. Collecting dust. Sending old emails. Possibly embarrassing you. This time of year, is the perfect excuse…
-
Alright, friends. We’re closing out March Debunking AI Month with one more thing I need to get off my chest: I am deeply skeptical of these micro learning AI courses that keep popping up all over my social feed. You know the ones. “Learn 47 AI tools in 28 days!” “Become an AI power user by next Tuesday!” “Master the future with our daily 10-minute lessons!” Meanwhile I’m over here thinking… who has time to collect apps like they’re Pokémon? What do I need 10…or 28 different tools? And more…
13 Years… So Much Has Changed
It’s funny. If you had told me I’d be doing Blue Gypsy Inc. for 13 years, my first response would have been, “I spent 13 years traveling around the world, I can’t imagine spending 13 more owning my own business, and not getting out on any adventures.” Little did I know what an adventure owning my own business would be. From the beginning I knew I was going to be an active participant in the…
IBS Recap: Teaching, Learning, Winning, Caring, Meeting, and Socializing
This year in Vegas was a little different than any other year I can remember. The longer you attend IBS the more people you know, the more companies you interact with, the more invitations you get to events! Teaching and Learning: On top of two presentations – one on the Building Knowledge Track with my friends and Colleagues Alisa Poncher, Angela McKay, and Cori Masters, and one just me presenting in 55+ Central – I…
Value vs. Pricing – Consulting and Training is the Same as Selling a House
As a builder, I would never want you to chase your competitor’s pricing to the bottom. As a consultant, strategist, coach, and trainer why would you want me to? Remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for?” That’s true in the training realm as well. No matter how much you think you know about the online sales program, there’s so much you don’t know. I know this because I talk to companies with…
IBS 2023 – One of the Best Educational Opportunities All Year Long
If you’ve never been to the International Builder’s Show, or when you do go, you spend most of your time walking the floor, there is an educational component that just shouldn’t be missed. This year I’ll be presenting two different topics on Online Sales in 2 different educational platforms. The 2023 builder show kicks off in Las Vegas, NV January 31st – February 2nd. However, there are also pre-show educational opportunities and some of those…
Digging Deep into Empathy and Asking the Right Questions
Developing relationships. When I first started as an OSC, I saw this as my focus. Develop authentic relationships with the people who call me or email me and ask me about a house. This was my strategy, and it helped me become a high producing OSC. “What?” you might ask, “Does that have to do with setting an appointment for sales?” Well, the people who called me and who were interested in more information in…
You Can’t Train Online Sales in a Bubble
This is how the conversation often starts. Someone says to me, “I need training for my OSC.” If the online sales program already exists there are several things that probably need to happen. One, for sure, is training. Especially if you have an OSC that’s only been doing this job for the last couple of years or less. But is training the first thing you need? Maybe not. And it may not just be about…
Thanks & Giving: Reflections Over the Past Year
November always seems to be the month of reflections. For a couple of reasons. There’s the obvious reason that it’s the month of Thanksgiving, and often we find ourselves thinking about what we are thankful for, the good things in our lives, but if you are at all like me you also reflect forward, to the coming year. It’s the perfect time in November to think about the closing of this year and what the…
Foundational Reflections for Successful OSC Programs
There are certain things that successful OSC programs need, and as we prepare for the coming year it’s time to make sure that we are doing the best we can with this important program. The Right Person or People in the Right Seats – I’d love to say that every online sales counselor is gold… but that’s just not true. Many of them can be with the right training and coaching. But sadly, there are…
Better Together: Reflections From the Tropical Sales Training Retreat
Every day this week in Florida, I’ve woken up at 2am. And then I start reflecting on the day, the week, and really this entire year. It’s amazing how much planning goes into an event like the Tropical Sales Retreat. And I also reflect on how grateful I am on so many levels. Grateful to Roland Nairnsey for taking me up on my offer to do an OSC track at the conference. Grateful for my…
Guest Post: Ready, Set, Market!
Guest Post by Carol Morgan Founder & President Denim Marketing Want to reach the finish line and score? Then it is time to shape up your marketing strategy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many home builders sacked their marketing budget, and it is time to kick it back into high gear before calling for a Hail Mary! With interest rates rising and the Federal Reserve pumping the brakes on the economy, the housing market is cooling…