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 thoughtful approach.

Turnkey is all fine and good until you get in the car and realize – there are no keys anymore. There are buttons. AND WHERE IS THAT DARN BUTTON TO TURN THE THING ON?  Recently I had to move my neighbor’s car, and when I got into it, I realized I had no idea where her start button was. It wasn’t in the same place as mine. I didn’t know where her break release was. It wasn’t in the same spot as mine. I did realize there were lots and lots of buttons.

In today’s technology there are lots of options, and lots of things to learn before you can be the best that you can be in any technology or position that requires the use of technology.

There will be mistakes.

Nothing is perfect.

It takes time to ramp up.

But the truth is, when you work with a knowledgeable consultant who has seen the ups and downs of the industry as well as the ups and downs of the role of an OSC, you will ramp up with intention and direction and avoid a lot of the pitfalls and potholes along the way.

I don’t believe there is one right way to set up an online sales program, and each builder is going to be different in their needs.

Evaluations need to take place. You won’t know the elephant in the room until you take off your blindfold. We can feel around and make assumptions but that won’t get you anywhere. We are going to find opportunities for greatness in different areas for each builder and that’s the fun of the challenge. But that also means that out-of-the-box solutions aren’t going to work most of the time. At least they won’t be optimal.

If you find yourself saying, well, that’s good enough, it means you know in your heart you could do better. To me, turnkey or out-of-the-box solutions are sometimes not even good enough.