Host Jen Barkan is joined by the one and only Coach Melissa Fort to discuss strategies for online sales specialists to make the most of a historically slower summer market. The conversation centers on focus areas to maintain momentum and level up skills during downtime.

Housekeeping

• 2026 Online Sales and Marketing Summit - October 1-2, 2026 in Austin, TX - The biggest party for online sales and marketing and it’s already over 60% sold out!

TITO Shoutout

• We want YOU to send in your nominations to [email protected]!

Key Takeaways - 5 things that you can focus on right now 

• Mid year Gut Check: Revisit goals set at the start of the year, assess what's working and what isn't, celebrate wins, and recalibrate for the second half. This includes checking in with sales leadership to see if company goals have shifted and working backwards to understand how OSCs can contribute.
• Learn AI: Take some AI courses and lean into tools like Claude - think about how you can use it in your role to analyze call transcripts, identify objection patterns, draft prospecting emails, and build presentations. 
• Lean into prospecting (with a fresh approach): Get creative with your outreach. And make those calls. If you are getting a lot of bot leads, flip the script by leading with "I'm a real person" messaging to build trust and spark engagement.
• Refresh your follow up: Is it stale? Have you been sending the same thing for years in your short term follow up messaging? Audit existing follow-up, then tailor messaging by how leads found you, keep it simple and engagement-focused, and don't set-it-and-forget-it.
• Foster relationships: Use slower periods to get out from behind the screen. Is there an onsite sales person that you need to build a better relationship with? Get out onsite. Take them coffee. Record a video together. Tour an inventory home.

Skills Check

Which one of these 5 are you going to commit to doing right now? Write out a plan. Talk it over with your leadership, put it out into the universe, and then report your results!