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:…
With Quality, You Only Cry Once
“With Quality, You Only Cry Once.” I think this was once a message in a fortune cookie, but it was one of my dad’s favorite sayings when he talked about the cost of services and programs. Never, in a million years, did I think I’d follow in my father’s footsteps. He was a nuclear physicist, and I was a vagabond backpacking, beach bum dive instructor, sailboat captain and bartender. When my dad was in his…
OSCs Are Driven When You Give Them the Right Car
An OSC is going to be just as driven as a sales agent to create sales for the company as long as you give them the right vehicle to do so. That vehicle means having the right: Company Support Pay Structure Tools Training Company Support – The gas that fuels the car Energy is everything. The tone set by the leadership of the company can make or break a program. This role needs to have…
Turnkey Solutions Sound Great… But Are They?
I often hear builders say they want a turnkey solution for online sales. Really, they want turnkey solutions for everything. The truth is, almost anything worth while takes time to learn and master. As most builders like to remind me, they are different from their competitors. While we don’t need to re-invent the wheel every time we start up a new online sales program, there will be nuances that are different and require a more…
Hiring the Right OSC Requires A Social Media Check
In today’s digital world, it’s important to be careful about what you put out in the world, especially publicly. Time and again we see people removed from their jobs because they’ve expressed a stance that their companies cannot abide by, nor do they want to be held accountable for in society. As online sales counselors in the new home building industry we are especially susceptible to this sort of scrutiny. the online sales counselor is…
Hiring is a Value Driven Proposition: Adding New Online Sales Programs or Revamping Old Ones
Lately, as I have been helping builders hire online sales counselors – either growing their teams, starting new ones, or revamping old programs – we are not only matching the right skill sets that are needed to become an OSC (Hint, it’s not the same as your site sales people.) We also are making sure they will fit with the company culture. My father taught me long ago that when your values align with the…
Change Isn’t Easy – But It’s An Important Part of Growth
Recently, I’ve undertaken a huge task. I’ve been updating all of my training materials and my online sales counselor training program. From the way it flows, to the way it’s presented – it’s undergone a complete refresh. But most importantly the content is the most up to date and progressive online sales training program I can possibly put out there in the world. The first online sales counselor program I ever created was 14 years…
Performance Vs. Stress: How to Create Peak Performing Online Sales Programs
I was talking with my father the other day and Performance vs. Stress is one of the topics he discusses with his mentees. My father has spent several decades mentoring CEOs of companies and provides great insights to help them improve their company culture and grow their businesses. So, it’s great that I have this wonderful insight in my own backyard. We were talking about the change in the market and how much more many…
Online Sales Counselor Training Isn’t About the Hours or Canned Packages
I get asked all the time by builders if I have an hourly rate or an hourly package they can purchase. I also have builders that ask me if I have a recorded set of lessons. The thing is I can’t track hours, and I can’t feel good about putting together pre-canned “education.” If someone wants something that is only 30 days or 3 months… I can’t in good faith do it. That’s just not…
2021 Thoughts and Holiday Wishes from Blue Gypsy Inc.
I’m not going to weigh you down with a ton of goal setting rules and regulations. Just a few quick thoughts before we slide into the next year. While 2020 has had it’s ups and downs for many, for the most part the building world has been fast and furious. Record breaking sales have happened for so many, and the way we do things have changed. One of the things I hear from builders though…
Metrics Aren’t Everything…WHAT?
There, I said it. Metrics are not everything when it comes to a well-oiled Online Sales Counselor program. Especially in the Age of COVID. I just blew the minds of many people including all my perfectionist OSC’s. You know how I know this? I’m nominating several of my past OSC’s I’ve trained for National Awards through the NAHB, and that means getting all their current metrics to report for a 12 month-period. What are the…