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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…
Webinars: Selling in a Time Of Uncertainty – Part 5: Energy, Optimism, and Action
We are continuing our FREE webinar series “Selling in a Time of Uncertainty.” In Part 5 myself, Carol Morgan Founder of Denim Marketing, and Kimberly Mackey Founder of New Homes Solutions will talk about Energy, Optimism, and Action. Register Here. Panelists: Carol Morgan, Founder, and President of Denim Marketing Leah Kaiz Fellows, Founder and Online Sales Counselor Trainer of Blue Gypsy, Inc. Kimberly Mackey, Founder, and Sales & Marketing Management Consultant of New Homes Solutions…
Selling in A Time Of Uncertainty Webinars
Over the past couple of weeks, life seems to be continually changing in the building industry. I’ve had the good fortune to have amazing industry friends who have pulled together to provide ideas and information during these unprecedented times. Myself, Carol Morgan, Founder, and President of Denim Marketing, Kimberly Mackey, Founder, and Sales & Marketing Management Consultant of New Homes Solutions Consulting, and MODERATOR: Kelly Ann Zuccarelli, SVP, National Builder, Renovation & Condo Program Manager…
What is Your New Home Sales Strategy for 2019?
As the real estate market cools, interest prices on the rise, and competition becomes more stiff there are several things that new home builders will need to do to stay on top of their game. One of the most important elements will be implementing or fine tuning their online sales programs. Having a dedicated Online Sales Counselor, who is there on the front lines, answering phones and emails quickly is the key to beginning successful…
20 Blind Men, An Elephant, and Your 360 Degree Evaluation
Have you heard that old parable about putting 20 blind people in a room with an elephant? Each person has a different experience with the elephant. The first leans against it feeling a sturdy wall. The second feels the tip of a tusk and believes it to be a spear. The next feels the trunk and thinks he has a snake in his hands. Yet another feels the substantial leg and mistakes it for a…
The Quick Response – Online Sales Training: Lead Management 101
Having a dedicated online lead manager is a good position to create, fill, and train. Whether you are a new home builder, a real estate broker, or a real estate team, online sales is a very important aspect for your business. 90% of new home buyers begin their search online. The majority of people are going to take information from the builder, company or individual that provides the quickest response. All too often frustration begins…
Grassroots Efforts: Cold Calling Under Rated Along With Other Outbound Marketing
I know, you are all cringing right now. Yuck I hate it when someone calls me unsolicited and asks me to do something, pay something, buy something, or well…something! You hear so much about inbound marketing these days, is outbound marketing dead? Just one aspect of outbound marketing is cold calling. These days it seems that people are not only against cold calls, but they are into scheduling their phone calls as well. It is…
Is Lead Management The Same as Gardening?
The other day I attended my first networking luncheon in Northern Virginia. I just moved recently and now that I’m starting out from scratch, it’s an interesting process. Sometimes networking is a little bit like traveling around the world. There are set questions that people ask as soon as you meet them. With travel it was the where have have you been, where are you going how long are you traveling variety of question. But…
Question: Who Wears The Pants in The Home Shopping Process? Answer: The Buyer!
I’ve been shopping some builder websites for an international project I’m working on. Perhaps I’ll finally be able to combine both my love of travel and my love of selling houses, but more to come on that later. It amazes me how much money is obviously put into some of these websites, yet they aren’t getting their money back out. So far I’m on 72 hours out, and no follow up off of 3 different…
Buyer’s Market Misconception
Here is the gist of a current phone conversation I had with a potential buyer exhibiting a total lack of understanding as to what the term buyer’s market really means. The phone rings on an evening after 9:00 pm. Me: “Thank you for calling our builder today, my name is Leah, how may I help you?” Caller: “I’m looking at your community online and I want a 1 story house.”Me: “Great, we do have homes…