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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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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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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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One thing I’ve learned over the past 19 years of building and rebuilding Online Sales Counselor (OSC) programs, and 14 years of consulting with builders across the country is this: Hiring a consultant doesn’t automatically change a program. It’s what happens between consulting, training, strategy, and leadership that makes the difference. I can build structure. I can train skills. I can create systems that make your OSC team run like a machine. But if leadership isn’t plugged in, reinforcing, and managing the program after I leave, even the strongest team…
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Being an OSC in the homebuilding industry isn’t just a job, it’s a balancing act, a communication art form, and a powerhouse role that lives at the crossroads of marketing and sales. If you’re looking to level up your performance and stand out, these 7 habits of highly effective OSCs will help you build stronger relationships, streamline your workflow, and ultimately set more appointments that convert. Let’s break them down: Be Numbers Driven Know your metrics like your best friend’s birthday. If you’re not tracking, you’re guessing. Your numbers tell…
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Every year I walk into the International Builders’ Show with the same challenge. There is simply too much good content. IBS is one of the few places where you can find yourself staring at your schedule thinking, “I want to be in three different rooms at the same time.” Between sales, marketing, technology, leadership, and customer experience sessions, there is always more to learn than any one person can realistically absorb in three days. That’s honestly part of why I keep coming back. This year is no exception. I’m especially…
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When margins are tight, it’s tempting to look for places to cut costs. Too often, the OSC program ends up on the chopping block. On paper, removing a salary line or trimming bonuses may look like savings. In reality, it’s one of the most expensive mistakes a builder can make. An OSC isn’t just another role. They are the engine that converts costly digital traffic into real appointments and closed sales. Without them, your marketing dollars evaporate, your conversion rates sink, and the homes you thought you’d sell this year…
Stop Hoarding, Start Helping: Why Being an OSC Is More Than Just Racking Up Bonus Bucks
Okay, I’m going to say it. Louder for the people in the back, the front, and especially for those OSCs sitting in the dark corner of the CRM, aggressively tagging every incoming lead like a kid calling dibs on Halloween candy: Just because a lead touched your pipeline doesn’t mean you are owed a bonus on it. You have to do the work. And more importantly, just because someone walked into a home for a…
The True Cost of Doing Business, and the Hidden Expense of Not Having a Well-Trained OSC
When it comes to building homes, every builder knows the phrase cost of doing business. But what’s less often discussed is the cost of not doing business the right way. Especially when it comes to your Online Sales Counselor (OSC) program. Profit Margins in Homebuilding According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average net profit margin for builders was 7.0% in 2020 and rose to 8.7% in 2023, the highest in more…
Marketing Messages vs. OSC Communication: Why Your Emails Should Sound Human
Let’s talk about something that trips up a lot of OSCs, especially those just getting their feet under them: the difference between marketing messaging and your communication as an Online Sales Counselor. Yes, yes… I know you’re working for a home builder. And yes, marketing is super important. It drives interest. It tells the brand story. It pulls people in. But here’s the deal OSCs: you’re not marketing. You’re communicating. Once that lead hits your…
AI Can Be an OSC’s BFF… But It Still Needs a Chaperone
AI is everywhere right now. And in the OSC world, it can be a great tool – or a nightmare. AI can be like that super-organized friend who always has a to-do list, a backup plan, and a fully stocked snack drawer. It can help you stay on top of lead response, follow-up, and appointment setting without breaking a sweat. It’s fast. It’s tireless. It doesn’t panic when you come back to 42 new leads…
How to Train Your Dragon… I Mean, Your AI!
I am a huge How to Train Your Dragon Fan. Not just because my husband loves animated movies and has bought me all the dragon stuffed animals that have been created from the original movies. But also, because dragons are amazing! And at the same time, they can seem scary. But when you try to get along with them, they can be your best friend! AI can feel a little dragon-like at first. There are…
Leading with Empathy to Address Fears, Objections, or Concerns in New Home Sales
In face-to-face communication, body language accounts for a significant portion of how we understand each other. According to one of the most often-cited (though frequently misunderstood) studies by Dr. Albert Mehrabian, communication is broken down like this when expressing feelings or attitudes: 7% is the actual words spoken 38% is the tone of voice 55% is body language (facial expressions, gestures, posture, etc.) Now, important context here: those numbers apply only when a person…
Unlocking CRM Potential: What to Look for and Why
Let’s get this out of the way right now: I am not a CRM implementation expert. My job is to train and strategize with Online Sales Counselors (OSCs) and companies to help them thrive in their roles and their adoption of the CRM across all departments. It’s important for the marketing, sales, and online salespeople to all be rowing in the same direction when it comes to big tools like the CRM. I’ll give you…
Meeting Buyers Where They Are: The OSC’s Key to Connection
In today’s world, where we’re all bombarded with information from every direction, it’s more important than ever for Online Sales Counselors (OSCs) to be adaptable, quick, and personal when reaching out to prospective buyers. This means we need to get creative and offer diverse ways to connect that cater to the buyer’s preferences—whether that’s via phone, email, text, or video email. But here’s the trick: we need to let go of our own biases…
The Right Way to Handle Online Sales Leads: A Tale of Two Companies
I recently heard about a company whose Online Sales Counselors (OSCs) were instructed to stop following up with leads after just 15 days of no response. That’s right, if a lead didn’t respond within two weeks, it was essentially treated as dead, or it was moved over to a broad marketing drip with no further personal outreach. I have to say, that’s absolutely insane! When I heard this, I couldn’t believe it. Abandoning leads after…
Understanding Lead Traffic and Conversion: A Guide for OSCs, Marketing, and Leadership Collaboration
In the competitive world of new home sales, Online Sales Consultants (OSCs) play a pivotal role in converting website visitors into buyers. Understanding lead traffic and conversion rates is crucial for OSCs to optimize their efforts and collaborate effectively with the marketing team. By tracking key conversion points and analyzing lead behavior, OSCs can provide valuable insights to the marketing department. These real-world interactions can help drive strategic improvements in marketing spend and overall sales…