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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…
Do You Understand What A Facebook Page Admin Is?
Key Points to Facebook Fan Pages: Multiple administrators are important in case a personal account gets shut down The fan page is not tied to the personal account that has set up the page unless they are the only admin Your business should always be a page and not personal account with a business name You should always be able to like a business not have to friend it You can now change a name…
How are You Making Twitter Work for Your Business?
Do you keep asking yourself how can twitter help my business? How can I use twitter? And what is the point? If so you are not alone. Many people get started on twitter and don’t know what they really want to use it for. It is not a business tool for everyone, but it can be a powerful business tool if used properly and with a plan. The types of questions you want to ask…
Goals For The New Year – They Might Surprise You
So here we are almost the last day of 2011. Blue Gypsy Inc has nearly completed it’s 2nd year of existence and through hard work, top notch service and dedication we’ve doubled the gross income of the company and pleased many clients throughout the year. But the blog for Blue Gypsy Inc has taken a hit, as has the twitter feed. Which is somewhat ironic since we’ve probably put out an average of about 2000…
Thankful for The Amazing Blue Gypsy Road
What are you Thankful for? These are the days when we start asking this question. Just before thanksgiving between the craziness of the holidays we begin to ask ourselves what are we thankful for. I am so thankful that in less than two years time I’ve been able to build Blue Gypsy Inc into a thriving business with amazing clients who respect me as much as I respect them. As a gypsy wanderer it was…
Steve Jobs: Words To Live and Work By
Steve Jobs was an innovator and a visionary. He pushed the envelope and strove for excellence in everything he did in his short yet amazingly productive life. If we could all strive to be the best at what we do in life, in our work, with our family we will be lucky and full filled. The following are quotes from Steve Jobs to help inspire in many areas of our lives. On this sad day…
Time and Priorties: Event Planning for Your Business
Now if there’s one thing I can emphasize to individuals and companies, and especially to individuals who are sole proprietors, it’s to have a very clear business plan for your event. My plan for Blue Gypsy Bluesfest was, “hey I want to have a party and brand my company!” At first it was targeting the real estate industry in Hampton Roads, but then I just said, hey lets do this for charity and get anyone…
Business Coach Vs. Snake Oil Salesman
Wow folks, I’ve just got to get this out there in a post to go on the record. I am very skeptical of business coaches, and people who train business coaches. There I said it. My skepticism comes from watching a whole business arise in this flagging economy. Have you ever heard that old Woody Allen quote, “Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym.” Well when it comes to your business,…
Balance: Work and Life
When you work in front of computer all day, and you own your own business, the tendency is to work to fatigue. At least that’s what I do. There is always something that needs to get done, and there seem to not be enough hours in the day to get it all done. At some point, you, have to step back and say, it isn’t all going to get done today. Set reasonable expectations for…