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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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“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…
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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.…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
What’s Happening: Events in September
September is always a busy time of the year! But lots of conferences, summits, webinars and podcasts have recently been released or are coming soon in the month of September, which is always great for learning and industry education. I’m lucky enough to participate in some of them! Now through the end of the year, SEBC – This year the Southeast Building Conference went virtual and has all their education available through the end of…
CRM – Should it Integrate with Your New Home Builder Software?
So, I get this question a lot! Or I get this statement… “We don’t want to change CRM’s because it integrates with our contract writing, purchasing, building etc… software we already have.” Here’s the thing. Some of the companies tack on an inferior Customer Relationship Management tool, (CRM) so that you will utilize their entire system. They think this is a value add. It’s not that they mean for it to be inferior. At least…
Quick Tip Tuesday Video – The Value Of Video Emails in Online Sales Programs
Today’s Quick Tip for Online Sales Programs in the Building Industry is about Video Email. Video email is a MUST when it comes to the online sales counselor role. According to 2020 marketing statistics compiled by SNOVio Labs, an initial email with a video receives a click through rate increase of 96%. Using the word video increases the open rates 19%. When we use video email we cut down unsubscribes by 26%. This is not…
Online Sales Counselor Training isn’t a Sprint, It’s a Marathon
If you are not a runner how far could you run and how fast, before you just collapsed? We often hear about training for marathons. Do we ever even talk about training for sprints? Yet all new things need training right? I mean could you be a great, healthy runner if someone just handed you a baton and said go? Then why would we do that to an Online Sales Counselor in the new home…
How Do You Set Up a Professional Online Sales Program?
For smaller builders adding a new person to their team is a big step. So it’s important to start it out on the right foot. A professionally and properly implemented OSC program will convert digital traffic into appointments for onsite agents but it’s more than just a call center. The key factors in setting up the program is to implement it with proper process, competence, and to resist short cuts. Proper Process – There needs…
Fill Your Cup Up – Energy is Everything
So you know, you are going to have days that are up and those that are down. This is true no matter what your business is and what you do. I’ve heard a lot of people this week seem to be having a bad week. Is it because Jupiter is in retrograde right now? Is it Zoom fatigue? Is it COVID exhaustion? Is it Facebook Conspiracy Theory Overload? I’m not going to lie. I think…
Ideas to Help Older Leads Engage
It is amazing how much things change from week to week. This happens for a builder on a regular basis… but all too often we set up our follow up processes and don’t look at them that often. We rely on our marketing emails to give the latest information and our ongoing follow up process at times can be pretty generic. The sad truth is many of our leads don’t get personally touched after…
Free Webinar – Selling in a Time of Uncertainty: Part 7 What’s Trending – Inspiration and Spring Cleanup
Register Here! Free Webinar – Selling in a Time of Uncertainty: Part 7 What’s Trending – Inspiration and Spring Cleanup Friday May 1, 1pm ET (11am MT) May Day, May Day – No our ship is not sinking, we are hosting our next free webinar on a day traditionally celebrating the change in season. It may have felt that the months of March and April had 157 days, but as states start opening up and…
Buyers Expectations Moving Forward – Choose Your Own Adventure
In episode 6 of our webinar I talked about Buyer’s Expectations moving forward. If you are more of a reader vs. a webinar listener this is the gist of what I talked about. I think that some things are going to be permanent changes in the way a buyer shops for a new home. It’s kind of like a buffet. Some people never thought twice about going to a buffet and touching all the utensils…
WEBINAR Part 6: Selling in a Time of Uncertainty: Pave The Road to Recovery
Register Here! Free Webinar: Selling in a Time of Uncertainty Friday April 24, 1pm ET (11am MT) Six weeks ago, we started on this path of discovery with our friends, colleagues, clients, and industry professionals to lend ideas and insights and provide a forum for feedback for builders of all sizes across the country during these unusual times. The interest is positive and overwhelming – and we will continue to provide support, actionable ideas and…