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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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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…
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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…
I’m Not Just an Online Sales Counselor Trainer, I’m an OSC Advocate
Look. This post COVID climate is crazy. First it was crazy when everything went online and builders FINALLY started to embrace the role of the OSC, and those that had them thanked their lucky stars that they were able to pivot quickly. And now it’s crazy with the rising cost of materials, interest lists 100’s deep, and sales being limited because we can’t keep up with the backlog as we sell more homes than we…
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…
Engaging Questions that Make Your Job Easier
There are many facets to the role of an online sales counselor. OSC’s are the face of the company and are positioned to be that “guide” throughout the online sales process. The goal is to build trust, provide information and open up rapport with everyone who reaches out and shows interest. One aspect of that is being a great investigator. Investigation happens when the RIGHT questions are asked. OSC’s are trained to lead the…
Quick Tip Tuesday – Getting the Most Out of Educational Opportunities
Both online sales counselors and leadership can benefit from opportunities like IBSx. It’s important to take the time to expand knowledge and explore new possibilities when trying to constantly refine and improve your online sales program. This year with IBS education being presented in an online format – IBSx (thanks Pandemic!) this is an opportunity for many more to attend what used to be only an in-person event. For more information on signing up for…
Upcoming Events and Speaking Engagements for Blue Gypsy Inc.
The Month of February is packed full of events! Leah Fellows, the owner and online sales counselor trainer at Blue Gypsy Inc. will be speaking at several virtual events across the country. IBSx February 9-12 – Make sure to get your all access pass! With 100+ education sessions across 9 industry tracks there will be something for everyone. Don’t miss Adapt or Be Left Behind – Lessons Learned from Online Sales Counselors, as Leah Fellows,…
Help!! My OSC is Making Too Much Money!
As a new home builder did you really just tell me that? Did you really just say that? The worst thing you can do in this current climate is to throttle your OSC income or change the way they are compensated because you feel like they are, “Making too much money.” Don’t kill your unicorn. There is a misconception sometimes when appointments increase – that “anyone can do this job.” Get that out of your…
Quick Tip Tuesday: Possession vs. Ownership
This may be controversial in some circles but I feel this is a really important part of online lead management. If you are familiar at all with the online sales program — and lets face it, if you weren’t you wouldn’t be here — then you know that an online sales counselors job is to set appointments for the site agents inn the model homes. But I’ve realized over the years that there…