We recently published our 10th episode of Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! To celebrate the monthly video series for and about new home online sales specialists, we compiled the answers to a question Jen asks every guest:
“If you could go back in time to when you first started in this role, what would you tell your younger self?”
We know that being a new person in this position can be difficult, and so is starting an online sales program from scratch. But please know that you are not alone! Here’s some sound advice from seasoned and award-winning online sales specialists who have been in your shoes and are now among the most respected in the industry. Enjoy!
There is one Online Sales Specialist for every 12 on-site sales specialists. Even though you may be the only person in the role in your company, there are hundreds of others in the industry. Seek networking opportunities to meet and connect with other OSSs, so they can be a sounding board or source of advice. Tanner Brewster recommends attending Do You Convert’s annual Online Sales & Marketing Summit. Since this year’s Summit has been postponed to August 2021, the virtual 2020 PULSE (October 6-7) is a great way to meet colleagues and even form accountability groups as you navigate the next year and beyond.
In fact, there’s almost no possible way to know everything there is about your communities, salespeople, processes and industry when you first start in this role. You can build confidence by studying your product (more on that later), answering questions that you know, and getting back to prospects quickly with information that you don’t have readily available. National award winner Chantee Brown advises being friendly and a great listener to build trust, even when you don’t have all the answers.
If you don’t know all the answers, don’t wait to get back to a prospect. Get them on the phone and start your qualification process so that you begin to establish trust and build rapport. According to Jen Barkan, in the online sales role, speed is 80 percent of a job well done. Speed is what today’s customer expects when they fill out an online form or leave a voicemail. At Do You Convert, we recommend that you follow up with a personal email or phone call within five minutes of inquiry.
National award winner Astrid De Lima creates cheat sheets filled with details about each community and keeps them organized in a binder that she takes everywhere with her. The sheets are updated daily and she studies them constantly so that she can answer questions both common and obscure. Knowledge = authority and credibility.
When you’re just starting out, it can be frustrating to not reach the goals set by yourself or your leadership. This job is a learning process and it can take time to build momentum. Had a great phone call? Fantastic! Did one of your voicemails prompt a response? Awesome! According to Astrid, these small victories will start to add up and soon you’ll be closer to your goals than you thought.
As mentioned above, there are others in this role and some have been doing it for at least a decade! Mike Lyon says to reach out to successful online sales specialists and ask for advice. More often than not, they’ll be eager to share knowledge and help elevate the online sales position within the home building industry! (Martha Clifford is a great example of someone happy to share best practices.)
With phones ringing off the hook, emails coming in one after the other, requests from management and on-site salespeople, it’s easy to become quickly overwhelmed, even for the pros. Steven Buterbaugh suggests time blocking, dividing responsibilities if you are part of a team, and tackling one task at a time.
Every phone call and email is a new opportunity to make $$ – which is a truly exciting aspect of this job. However, says Becca Rogers, once you start dreading calls and emails – it’s time to talk to your leadership about time off or help.
With brand new online sales programs, it takes time to establish trust with the onsite sales team and set the right expectations with leadership. According to Rachel Starratt, it also requires soul searching within yourself to understand the mindset of your colleagues. Trust, understanding and communication go a long way.
Erin Fitts explains that, especially in today’s hot market, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s most important. Come back to your center and examine the responsibilities that are critical to doing your core job. A great resource is the article, In Online Sales, Focus On What You Can Control.
We hope this advice motivates you to continue building your online sales program and advocating for yourself as an online sales specialist. If you have questions about your role, or are interested in connecting with a fellow OSS, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Do You Convert team!
The post 10 Success Tips for New Online Sales Specialists (from the OGs) appeared first on Online Sales and Marketing for Home Builders - DYC.
