Online People Talking with Jen Barkan

Jen Barkan is joined by Melissa Fort to talk all things end of year goal setting! Jen and Melissa share a rock-solid framework to help Online Sales Specialists improve performance, mindset, and strategies for success in the new year. This is your chance to pause and reflect on all the good from this year and all the goals worth pursuing in 2026.

Housekeeping

• OSA and OSAL are here! These one-of-a-kind training opportunities are your game changer. Don’t start 2026 without signing up. 
• Holiday voicemail - set it to set expectations.

TITO Shoutout

• Our Shout-out this week goes to all the fabulous Nationals’ Silver Award Winning OSCs for 2025 - congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

Jen & Melissa’s Framework Includes:

• Take a Victory Lap - Don’t leave your best work in the past unexamined and unappreciated. Celebrate before you accelerate. 
• Here I Grow Again… - Focus on the metrics that matter and assess how you measured up.
• Secret Shops and Self Audits - Take an objective look at your program.
• You reap what you SOW - Think in terms of Self, Others, Work.

Skills Check

Follow the framework: victory lap, skills assessment, SWOT, consider the shop, SMART goals, meet with your manager, SOW goals. Re-evaluate every quarter. 

Jen Barkan is joined by Meagan Baker, Senior Marketing Manager for Boise Hunter Homes, to explore what it really takes to build and lead a successful online sales program. 

From launching an OSC role inside a busy organization to rebuilding trust and structure within a sales team, Meagan shares the leadership moves, mindset shifts, and operational systems that lift performance. This is your chance to hear how strong management becomes the secret sauce behind a thriving OSC team.

TITO Shoutout

• Leah Russell – top producer of the year for the entire Gulf Coast region at DR Horton and a champion for heart, patience, and perseverance in the OSC seat

Key Takeaways

• Why the OSC program fails without clear leadership alignment
• How Meagan won buy-in from a skeptical onsite team
• The critical early steps for launching a new OSC program
• What leaders should prioritize when hiring their first or second OSC

Skills Check

1. Schedule a weekly standing meeting with your manager to review numbers and needs.

2. Build your agenda before that meeting so you lead the conversation with clarity.

3. Send proactive updates to sales leaders, especially when communication feels siloed.

4. Strengthen your dotted line by sharing quick video updates with sales teams.

5. Ask the questions you need to succeed, especially when you are new to the role.

Jen Barkan and Melissa Fort break down the results of Do You Convert’s latest secret shop, a comprehensive benchmarking effort evaluating online sales programs across the homebuilding industry nationwide. From initial outreach to follow-up and personalization, they share expert insights on where online sales specialists are excelling and where there’s opportunity to improve. Listen in to fine-tune your strategy based on what the numbers reveal.

Housekeeping

• Online Sales Academy is coming up in January 2026! Don’t miss out. 
• OSA Leadership Edition in person in sunny Orlando, FL coming in February - reach out to Jen to save your spot!

TITO Shoutout

• Nicole Arms at Empire Homes – Earned a five-star Google review for outstanding customer experience. Way to go, Nicole!

Key Takeaways

• How personalization is shaping buyer trust (plus the one detail most OSCs overlook)
• A crucial change in your discovery that leads to more engaged buyers
• How to make prospecting a daily habit without burning out
• Humans still outperform bots: what does that mean for your program?

Skills Check

1. Download the full secret shop report to benchmark your program.
2. Set up holiday voicemails to manage customer expectations.
3. Review and improve personalization and follow-up strategies.
4. Prioritize prospecting daily.
5. Focus on discovering customer needs, not just sharing builder info.

Host Jen Barkan and DYC Online Sales Coach Amanda Martin are digging into Q3 benchmarks on this episode! Tune in for a key conversation defining what really counts as a lead and how to measure your true contribution to your company’s revenue.

From aged leads to tracking, they uncover how top OSCs are keeping conversions strong and consistency high even as lead volume shifts. Amanda also shares insights from her latest article, “Playing the Long Game,” on how persistence and tracking pay off over time.

Special Announcements

• Online Sales Nation LIVE – November 19: Learn from the 2025 Home Builder Survey Shop Results
• Online Sales Academy – January 28-30, 2026: Ideal for new OSCs or anyone ready to sharpen foundational skills
• OSA Leadership Edition – February 20, 2026: An intimate, year long event that kicks off in-person after IBS designed exclusively for online sales leaders

TITO (Top Industry Talent Online) [08:10]

• Ruvam Yakimchuk at Holt Homes – Sending personalized video emails to every lead and seeing major results

Benchmark Breakdown

• The surprising share of total sales still coming from online appointments
• Prospecting that’s doubling the benchmark for aged lead conversions
• Count in dollars, not just sales, to highlight your true value

Know Your Numbers

• What truly counts as a lead and where “coming soon” communities fit in
• Handoff hygiene will make or break your paycheck
• Own your details, own your seat

Skills Check [29:40]

1. Track aged leads (because consistency compounds).
2. Share results in sales revenue, not just ratios.
3. Define what counts: leads, appointments, and sales.
4. Keep follow-up steady and strong.
5. Play the long game - it’s what builds your future pipeline.

Josh Selleck from TriPointe Homes joins host Jen Barkan to talk mindset, motivation, and the tools that keep you sharp when the market gets messy. Before stepping into the OSC role, Josh built a career in real estate, helping him deepen his understanding of where customers get stuck in the complex process of buying or building a home. 

In this episode, he shares how consistency, curiosity, and care make all the difference, especially in a tougher market.

Special Announcements

Registration is now open for the next Online Sales Academy! If you’re brand new to online sales or have been in the role without any formal training, this event is tailor-made for you! The Online Sales Academy gives you proven systems, expert guidance, and a solid foundation to build your success. Space is limited, so register now to reserve your spot.

That’s a rap - Listen all the way to the end of this episode for a very special OPT musical debut…

TITO Shoutout [04:32]

• TriPointe Homes team made 30,000+ outbound calls in six weeks

From Politics to Prospecting

• Josh shares his industry story
• How to stay positive when it gets tough
• The 3 skills an OSC needs to be successful

Wisdom from Josh’s Perfect-Secret-Shop-Score-Earning Practices

• Start where your influence actually lives
• How do winners use the CRM? Together.
• The three qualities it takes to succeed in this market
• The mindset Josh brings to every single lead

Skills Check [26:31]

1. Make a two-column list
2. Fill the first column with everything you can control: attitude, follow-up, process
3. Fill the second column with everything you can’t control: interest rates, cranky buyers
4. Stay motivated - focus on what you can control

On episode 47, Jen Barkan joins Melissa Fort, Molly Adams, and some special online sales guests - Emily Tucker from Robuck Homes and Colleen Sagan from McGuinn Homes - to discuss highlights from the recent Online Sales and Marketing Summit in Chicago. The crew is back, but they’re keeping the party going on this special episode! 

Housekeeping [3:36]

Our next Online Sales Academy is coming up January 28-30. If you’re new in the role, managing someone who is new in the role, or simply never received a foundation of solid Online Sales training, don’t miss this opportunity.

TITO Shoutout 

• Today’s guests: Emily and Colleen - they stood up at the Summit and shared with everyone some cool things they are doing for follow up!  

Key Takeaways

• Reflecting on why “AI isn’t going to replace something that has hair on it”
• Subtle shifts to transform your relationships with on site agents
• Steal Emily’s little trick when sending a text to get a response and make a connection
• Why these two think every Online Sales specialist should attend Summit

Skillz Check [32:46]

1. Level up your prospecting.
2. Discover, don’t dump.

In this episode, Jen Barkan welcomes guest Kendall Pashak, Online Sales Manager for Hartford Homes to talk about what it really takes to be a standout performer even in a slow market.

Kendall shares priceless insights from her award-winning results in the OSC seat to help you prospect, nurture, and track even the longest leads so you can communicate your full value. 

TITO [4:01]

• Danielle Evans with Bishard Homes - Danielle made 908 outbound calls in 30 days; way to go! 

Key Topics

• Intentional prospecting efforts: how to do it and why tracking results makes a difference
• Texting vs. phone convos - what's the difference?
• How Online Sales can be a forecasting resource well beyond the 30 day window - when done right
• The what, how, when, and why of communicating value to other departments
• Retrospective advice Kendall would give her past self on Day 1 

Skills Check [41:44]

1. Email your leadership and on site sales weekly
2. Include prospecting efforts and results
3. Keep a running list throughout the week for easy compiling later

Jen Barkan is here with a remix! Drawing on last year's interview with Lisa Parrish, Chief Creative Chick with Team PMP - Peter Mayer Productions, Jen reminds listeners that the Nationals are upon us! The Nationals is the NAHB's premier awards event. Jen dives into all the insider details that will help you shine when submitting for this prestigious award.

Note: last year's deadline is referenced in this episode, but the current 2025 deadline to apply is October 6th. 

Key Points include

• What categories of awards are available for Online Sales
• Why you should consider applying
• Insider tips on the submission process

Skills Check! 

1. Research The Nationals
2. Have a discussion with your manager to see if this is something you are able to apply for! 

For more resources and information on the NAHB National awards, visit www.thenationals.com.

In this episode of Online People Talking, Jen Barkan hosts DYC rockstar, Kevin Oakley, on his first-ever OPT appearance. Listen in to find out how many hours Kevin puts in daily to stay on top of his game, how he sees Marketing and Online Sales finding alignment in this market, and whether or not Kevin wants to see golden retriever puppies present at this year’s Online Sales and Marketing Summit. 

Housekeeping

Jen is getting excited for the Online Sales & Marketing Summit Oct 2-3 in Chicago. Don’t miss the special contest to win a free ticket. Listen to both MPM or OPT, leave a review, and send a screenshot to [email protected] before Aug 29th to enter; the winner will be announced September 2nd. 

TITO Shoutout 

• Colleen Sagan at McGuinn Homes - Colleen is crushing it with her phone skills. Keep up the great work!

In This Episode

• How many hours it takes to get to the top vs. how many hours it takes to stay there
• Why down-funnel efficiencies are the only ways to win the market and the moment 
• It takes an “insanely (what) kind of follow up” to turn leads into sales right now?
• Kevin’s unfiltered take on chatbots

Skills Check

1. Meet with your marketer - have a mini-agenda planned
2. Revisit follow up messaging and explore unresponsive leads
3. Schedule meetings for once a month, more if you have new communities coming
4. Outline for your marketer what objections you’re willing to have sent your way

Don’t be fooled by doom and gloom narratives. In this episode of Online People Talking, Jen Barkan and DYC Sales Coaches Amanda Martin, Melissa Fort, and Molly Adams gather to show and tell how individuals are still meeting and exceeding goals. With reminders of benchmark bright spots, process best practices, and how to stay positive when nobody else seems to be, these pros are here to remind you: you can’t know what you don’t track.