Melissa, Amanda, and Molly take over the OPT studio to share Q1 industry benchmarks, discuss key trends in online sales, and offer actionable advice for OSCs and leaders navigating a lower-volume, higher-quality lead environment.

Housekeeping

Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Oct 1-2 - Austin, TX - We encourage OSCs to attend, with new interactive programming planned.

TITO Shoutout

Monica Fikany at New Home Inc - Monica had great lead-to-appointment conversions in Q1.

Danielle Evans at Bishard Holmes - 38% of Danielle’s appointments came from aged leads.

Key Takeaways

• Lead volume is down, but quality is up: The top of the funnel remains constrained, volume hasn't fully bounced back. However, conversion rates are improving, meaning OSCs are doing more with less.
• Prospecting is the biggest win of Q1: Normally, prospecting dips in Q1 as new leads come in during selling season. This quarter, prospecting stayed consistent and even increased -- a major highlight. The 22% age lead appointment rate is a direct result of sustained prospecting effort.
• Your CRM is your most valuable asset: Maximize CRM usage by logging detailed notes after every interaction - aged leads hold untapped opportunity, and leadership relies on quality CRM data to make strategic decisions, so consistency matters.
• Personalization wins appointments: Buyers are on a longer journey right now. Personalizing outreach and follow-up, based on good notes and CRM data, is what sets top OSCs apart.

Skills Check

For Leaders:

Stop measuring program success purely on lead volume. Conversion percentages are the more meaningful metric right now. Scorecards should reflect this shift.

For OSCs:

• Be disciplined and consistent with prospecting.
• Treat every lead like it's gold.
• Respond to new leads fast, speed to first response beats the competition.
• Stay process-driven: no lead left behind.