Online People Talking with Jen Barkan

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! In this episode, Jen is joined by Trista Nixon of Brohn Homes! Trista hops on to talk about her journey as an Online Sales Specialist, the misconceptions about that role and how she has overcome those obstacles by ensuring that the "proof is in the pudding." Jen and Trista give their insight on how to count older leads and offer some great advice to those facing a team that doesn't understand the work going into the OSC role!

Word On The Street: How to count older leads that come back around and who owns the lead?  (03:01)

• Pick up where you left off.
• One lead, one appointment, one sale!
• Put the returning leads in a different color to help keep track..

Topic Of Today: Trista Nixon! (08:47)

• Trista is an Online Sales Specialist in Austin, Texas with Brohn Homes!
• She is a former on-site sales agent which gives Trista unique perspective.
• The misconceptions made about OSC's.
• Brohn's staff gets together once a month to train everyone on what each department does.

Skills Check! (31:49)

• When you're counting your leads, make sure you're going 1-1-1.
• Keep track of your b-backs.
• Don't lump it altogether, make sure you keep those leads separate. 
• Double check and be sure to notate the b-back in your CRM.

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! In this episode, Jen is joined by Jessie Suggs and the two share an inspiring story of an OSC who turned a small connection into a meaningful gesture. They dive straight into the topic of AI and Chatbots, addressing recent fears of it replacing Online Sales positions. Personalization is something AI can never replace and it's a vital part of the Online Sales world, however, it is time to step up and be the valuable employee who harnesses AI to their advantage! To wrap up, Jen and Jessie give their strategies for re-engaging leads from closed communities and tell OSC's to go try out an AI tool and see what works for you!

Word On The Street: Ai & Chatbots: What this means for Online Sales (08:48)

• A lot of OSC's are asking about AI and Chatbots.
• It was a huge conversation at the International Builders' Show 
• Are you a valuable employee or an adequate employee?
• Utilize AI to help you but know that it can never replace the human connection.
• Personalizing will "beat the bot"

Topic Of Today: AI Tools Online Sales Can Use (16:16)

• Make sure that if you use ChatGPT or anything similar to personalize the result it gives you to keep the the human touch.
• CallRail is widely used and Jen and Jessie LOVE Grammarly 
• Self-Scheduling isn't aligned with what Online Sales are trying to achieve.

Skills Check! (31:06)

• Go try one of the AI tools! Look into how it can benefit your day to day.
• If the word AI scares you: speak to how you can do what AI can do but BETTER.

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan In this episode, Jen is joined by Jessie Suggs and very special guests Nationals Gold Award Winners Terrell Turner and Amberly Mioduszewski! Jen and Jessie talk all things International Builders' Show from close calls to their key takeaways and what topics took center stage for most conversations and sessions. Amberly shares what winning the Rookie of the Year award meant to her after a tough year and shares what she learned from IBS! Terrell won OSC of the year and encourages every to keep applying even when you get discouraged! He shares that his goal for 2024 took inspiration from Jessie's word of the year "less" and is implementing it in conversations with leads to talk less and listen more. To shake things up Jen and Jessie let the top OSC's in the nation give their skills check for the week: adaptability and coachability! 

Word On The Street: The International Builders' Show & The Nationals (03:57)

• ChatGPT and AI was a HUGE topic!
• Marketing and leadership conversations.
• Talking about AI as a human assistant not a replacement. Thinking about how online sales can use it!

Topic Of Today: Gold Award Winners Amberly & Terrell! (08:10)

• Amberly shares recent wins and why it meant so much to her.
• Terrell reminds us why it is so important to never give up!

Skills Check! (36:29)

• Adaptability: You've got to bend with the wind, not break.
• Coachability: There's always something to learn and you have to be ready to take insight. 

On the latest Online People Talking episode, Jen takes us back to a previous episode featuring our very own, Julie Jarnagin! Julie hops on this episode to talk about her book Building Certainty and how it's not just for marketers but also online sales specialists as it relates to creating content. She walks us through her writing career as a published author of fourteen novels and what led her to write Building Certainty. 

Skills Check! (31:27)

• Speed to lead! Check your speed of response.
• Go into your CRM and look at what your average speed is.
• Jessie has her apple watch connected to her email.
• Only be in a meeting if you need to be. Jump in, do your thing, jump out.

In this episode, Jen, Mike & Jessie celebrate National OSC Day with a few special guests and a video shoutout from Amanda Martin! We want to celebrate the amazing people who serve as new home Online Sales Specialists and recognize their hard work today and everyday!

Online sales specialists play a vital role in new home companies and the entire home building industry. They are often the first people to interact with potential customers. Frequently, they’re at the forefront of testing new and innovative techniques that lead to success within their organization. 

Guests:

Eric Alarid

Jessica Myers

Elena Mora

Erin Yarbrough

Whitney Ghere

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! In this episode, Jen is joined by Jessie Suggs o talk workiverseries, 2023 Benchmarks, and onsite leads! Jen and Jessie jump right into the recently hot topic of whether online sales should take over onsite leads and give their expertise into why they advise OSC's avoid doing this! They break open the 2023 Benchmarks Wrap-Up giving a detailed look into last years data and share Q4 numbers as well as state their predictions for 2024. Lastly, they offer some tips on your speed of response!

Word On The Street: Should we prospect to onsite sales old leads? (10:48)

• Why OSC's Taking Over Onsite Leads is a Bad Idea - Jessie Suggs
• Jessie and Jen do not recommend online sales taking on the those leads.
• Time is best spent with new customers.
• The statistics show it's better for online sales to NOT take care of those leads.
• Use your extra time to teach on-site.

Topic Of Today: 2023 Benchmarks Wrap-Up (16:59)

• Appt Made to Kept Conversion 90%
• Lead to Appt Conversion 41% (up from 36% in 2022)
• Appt to Sale Conversion 20% (up from 18% in 2022)
• Online Sales Contribution 47% (down from 52% in 2022)

Skills Check! (37:29)

• Speed to lead! Check your speed of response.
• Go into your CRM and look at what your average speed is.
• Jessie has her apple watch connected to her email.
• Only be in a meeting if you need to be. Jump in, do your thing, jump out.

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! In this episode, Jen is joined by Reyna Estrada, the National Internet Sales Manager for MI Homes and a former OSC herself! Reyna shares all about her superpower ability to make a human connection and how she applies it to her work life choosing to view it as Transformational versus Transactional. Jen and Reyna have seen a lead increase in the first few weeks of the new year agreeing the spring market has come early and they give advice on what a new OSC should do when coming up against resistance. 

Word On The Street: Leads are up! (08:39)

• The spring market came early. 
• Traffic is almost reaching record highs!
• Plan out your day, be prepared.

Topic Of Today: Human Connection (15:30)

• Having the passion to serve others.
• Build trust by being an active listener and getting curious!
• Ask "How can I help them? How can I give them reassurance?"
• Transformational vs Transactional.

Skills Check! (37:25)

• Make the human connection!
• Practice your "phone greeting"
• Your tone and what you say is all you've got!  

Welcome to Online People Talking with Jen Barkan! In this episode, Jen is joined by Jessie Suggs to celebrate the successful start to the New Year and share some positive data on website activity! They discuss their "word of the year" and how it helps to set their intentions and goals for the year. Jen and Jessie answer the question: "What tools OSC's should be using right now?" and talk about the importance of creating time blocks on your calendar to make sure goals are apparent and at the forefront. 

Word On The Street: Increased Traffic (07:29)

• People are busy!
• Kevin Oakley says website activity nationally is up 10% from Dec 28- Jan 1st.
• New OSC's are gearing up.

Topic Of Today: Word of the Year (11:06)

• Jessie's word of the year: Less
• Jen's word of the year is: Success (Context: "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou)
• Do the hard better!

Video Mailbag: What Tools Should OSC's Be Using? (18:04)

• Master the tools you already have!
• Use prospecting cards to help your memory during calls.
• Have a set of wired headphones.

Skills Check! (24:35)

• Time blocking.
• Map out priorities.
• Utilize your calendar!