The past six months have been the hardest yet. The daily grind oflead - response - messages of price increases and priority waitlists - lackluster appointments - limited opportunity to convert to sale = market fatigue. Combine this with the uncertainty of pricing, interest rates, and timing of available homes, and as Mike from Jersey Shore says, we have a situation. 

So how do we stay motivated and provide an amazing experience for our customers despite all this? 

First, we need to figure out what motivates you. I’ve been asking our online sales specialists this very thing, and here are the top answers so far.

1. Helping customers - Seeing the lead through from appointment to sale.

2. Pride of work- Knowing that the work you are doing is quality.

3. Value to the organization - Company culture, knowing that what you’re doing makes an impact.

4. Money

Let’s break down these top areas.

1. Helping customers and seeing the lead through from appointment to sale.

As I dug deeper into this one, the OSC’s faces lit up when they talked about conversion. Not necessarily because of the numbers but because of the thrill of the next step. In this market the next step might not be an appointment. Getting to the next step might involve a waitlist or lead nurturing. Or the next step might be determining that currently what you have is not a fit. Guess what. You are helping everyone in each of these scenarios. 

Right now, the biggest conversion challenge OSCs face is the resistance to move forward to appointment because of the increase in price or an unknown time frame. When you hear this, it’s imperative to have the dialogues ready to go. Don’t forget our buzz words this year areconsistency, transparency, and authenticity.

2.         Pride of work

The key word here isquality. We’ve been talking about quality over quantity all year - even longer. Now more than ever, we must push the quality factor. Be proud of the quality appointments you’re sending out. Be proud of the database clean up you’re doing. They make a huge impact. On a recent call with a team about prospecting, Jessie mentioned it was her least favorite thing to do. But she also said that putting pride-of-work behind it helped her get better results. 

Right now, prospecting consists of database cleanup and verifying interest. We can’t take comfort in the database we already have, banking on the fact that prospects from six to nine months ago are our buyers. Most likely they’re not, and we need to do the work to move them off our radar. 

Now, let’s talk about qualifying our appointments. I can get cranky when it comes to this. If we don’t start qualifying, we’re going to be replaced by bots on the website, which really scares me. Qualifying appointments must remain a priority.

3.         Value to the organization

Online sales is in the spotlight. With an OSC contribution of 57% in the second quarter, this is your time to shine because you are an integral part of your organization. But don’t get complacent. There’s still work to be done, and the work is changing. It’s motivating to know there’s always something to do. When you feel a little lull, here are some things you need to plug back into your process.

1. Video – This can be follow-up or going onsite and doing some community-specific videos with your sales team. Let’s have some fun!

2. Personalized follow up - Add the three calls a month back into your short-term follow-up process.

3. Refresh your follow-up templates - If you removed CTAs from your emails, add them back in if it makes sense with your lead volume. 

4. Start making outbound calls! – You might be asking, “Why do this if we have nothing to sell?” That’s ok! We are saying hello, verifying interest, letting them know what’s happening with Happy Acres, and PRACTICING MAKING CALLS. I’ve been doing this very thing by randomly calling our OSCs. Do you know what has happened? They appreciated it. It can make a big impact with your customers. 

4. Last but not least, financial motivators

We’re all here to make money and provide for our families. Don’t be ashamed to admit this. In fact, this is a good thingbecause you are in a sales role in the real estate industry.If you are motivated by money, then go for theyesevery time and move customers forward in the pipeline.

Whether it’s making money, helping customers through the process, having pride in a job well done, or proving your value to your organization, focusing on what motivates you will carry you through this uncertain market.