Getting Outside the Box and Hiring an OSC

I love it when a client says, “Honestly I would have passed over those two candidates’ resumes.” And then they see how strong they’d be for the OSC role when I vet them, and then we interview them together. This makes me happy.

I’m genuinely happy when I can help a client cut through the stacks of paper and find a good fit for their company, culture, and someone who is willing to learn to be the best that they can be in the role of an Online Sales Counselor.

Hiring an OSC is not like any other role. Sometimes you must read between the lines of a resume to see who the candidate really is and how they will be successful in this role. This is why builders hire me to help them find the right person for this seat.  From our recent Mystery Shop Report, it’s obvious some of the wrong people sit in the OSC seat, so it’s important to set yourself up with the best possible person.

All too often I hear builders looking for someone with “experience” as an OSC. The problem is it’s still too rare to have those people be successful. Why did they leave their last position? What are they seeking with you that they didn’t have somewhere else? How quickly are they going to grow tired of the role with you?

There are so few well trained OSCs out there, so you are taking your chances by hoping to hire someone with experience and skip the training.

Recently I’ve plowed through 144 resumes in 2 weeks’ time to hire a single OSC for a new client. They’ve had the role in the past, but it wasn’t successful. They’ve now invested time, money, and confidence into me to help them set up a strong, successful online sales program. It’s not cheap. “Quality only cries once,” but it’s effective when you take my expertise and utilize it to the fullest.

When I help a builder hire, I’m looking for potential, not perfection. A candidate needs to be coachable, have some kind of sales experience, though it doesn’t have to be in real estate.  They need strong customer experience skills; they must be tech savvy and have that right blend of empathetic and analytical thought processes. They must have great organizational skills and be a self-starter. In fact, rarely are career real estate agents right for the job. Sometimes though they are, so you can’t throw all their resumes away.

Even career sales managers who hire salespeople all the time have admitted to me they wouldn’t have thought to interview and hire the person they now can’t live without on their teams. (You know who you are.)

Often, online sales counselor departments for smaller local and regional builder are a one- or two-person team. Yet this role will touch 50% or more of the buyers who purchase your homes and create an impression for the countless number of people who don’t buy. It’s important to make sure you put the right person in the seat and train them well. It will benefit your company and your buyers. The right person will be that missing link between your marketing and your sales departments.