Have you made resolutions for this year? Why not add a “Create a best-in-class online sales program” to that list?

I recently had a conversation with a very large home builder about starting an online sales program and they basically said, “Mike, we like to make slow and calculated decisions. We will get there eventually, but we have to wrap our brains around this first.”

What can you say to that logic? All I know is “slow” doesn’t work when it comes to life and business on the Internet. They kinda work like dog years. Every moment counts!

I understand not wanting to make the wrong moves, but moving in some direction is better than doing nothing at all. Don’t allow yourself to succumb to “analysis paralysis”. If you want to reach more customers for less money and to sell more homes, here are five fundamental principles that will enable you to make “no-lose” decisions. (Plus bonus content to dive deeper)

1. Spend More Money on Your Website—Rarely have I found a builder that spends too much money on their website. This tool houses the digital hub of your universe, the virtual model home. You may need a redesign, a new feature, a mobile site, or more exciting content. The investment in your website is the best money you can spend with tremendous ROI! If you question whether putting money here is worthwhile, just compare your website’s unique visitors (using your site analytics) with your walk-in prospects and see which one gets more traffic. With a great site, you will drive more traffic through both your virtual and physical door. It might be time to Build a New Virtual Model Home >>
2. Move More of Your Advertising Budget Online—50% of home shoppers take their very first step by searching online. Compare that to 3% who will pick up a paper and 18% who will call a Realtor. What does this mean? You should be spending your advertising dollars where your prospects are looking. Get as close as you can to allocating 50% of your advertising dollars online.  10% of your budget to online advertising is like trying to spark a fire by rubbing two wet sticks together! If you are wondering how to measure what works, check out this post >>
3. Get a CRM Program That WORKS!—If you don’t have an effective Customer Relationship Management Program …get one. Don’t waste your time trying to make a tired, old clunky CRM system do more than it was designed for. Just ask yourself these questions: Does my CRM make my life easier? Does it automate the follow-up process? Do my salespeople actually use it? Does it track prospects on my website? Will it send mass emails? If the answer to any of these is “NO”, then you need a new system…immediately! Great guest post on CRM here >>
4. Get A Dedicated Responder—Let’s face it. Bad salespeople suck and they just won’t follow up with prospects. Good salespeople may not be able to follow up quickly or frequently enough because they are busy having valuable face time with customers. So you need a system that ensures communication with an interested prospect. Whether you choose a dedicated Online Sales Counselor or an automated responder, make sure all leads are responded to within five minutes or less and receive five to seven contacts in the first month. I guarantee that those prospects are getting better communication from your competition so you need to be on top of this step! Not getting the results you want, see this post on 10 reasons why >>
5. Establish an Online Sales Process—Building homes requires a process. Traditional selling follows a process. If you want sustainable results from your online selling efforts that you can replicate, you need to create and implement a process—from generating leads to follow-up to marketing, You can start by making sure that the first four tips are incorporated! Here is a quick video overview >> 

There you go. Five things that you can put on your board and chase after with Ricky Bobby-like speed. I guarantee, these are good decisions you can make as a company and ones that have never yielded a negative result. Get your new year off to a winning start with these “no lose” tips.

Photo Credit: Claire Wilkerson