218 Successful Online Sales Counselors - Amberly Mioduszewski May 22 2024

Greg Bray: [00:00:00] Hello everybody, and welcome to today's episode of The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast. I'm Greg Bray with Blue Tangerine.

Kevin Weitzel: And I'm Kevin Weitzel with OutHouse.

Greg Bray: And we are excited today to have joining us Amberly Mioduszewski, who is the OSC at Melia Homes. Welcome, Amberly. Thanks for being with us.

Amberly Mioduszewski: Thank you so much for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here.

Greg Bray: Well, and why don't we have you introduce yourself and also make sure that I pronounced your name properly so that everybody knows who we're really talking to today? Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. [00:01:00]

Amberly Mioduszewski: Yeah. So, my name is Amberly Mioduszewski and I work in Southern California for a private home builder called Melia Homes. We're based in Southern California and we are an infill builder. So, that's our niche. And a little bit about me is I've been in online sales for a year now, and you might've seen me on LinkedIn because this past February, I actually took home the National Rookie Online Sales Counselor of the Year. So, that was exciting.

Kevin Weitzel: Heyo! Alright. So, before we get into your pathway to become an OSC and what you're doing there at Melia Holmes, I need to know something personal about you that has nothing to do with your job, the home building industry that our listeners will learning about you.

Amberly Mioduszewski: Okay. So, I thought about if this question would come up. I'll give you two, one fun, and then one kind of like, if you really know me, you'll know.

Kevin Weitzel: Bring it on. Bring it on, sister.

Amberly Mioduszewski: If you know me, then you'll know that I have a faith on fire for God and for all things in that [00:02:00] realm. I love to give back and work at shelters with some other people who are also in this industry who I met. So, that's something that I really hold near and dear to my heart. And something fun is I've been itching to go skydiving again because I haven't done that since I was 18. So, that's on the bucket list this year.

Kevin Weitzel: It's fun. Were you going to come over here to Arizona to do it?

Amberly Mioduszewski: You know, I did it in Vegas before, so I've done it in a desert before, but I want to do it over the ocean now in San Diego, if possible.

Kevin Weitzel: Are you doing full-on solo? Not tandem?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Oh, no, no, the one that you're tied to someone else. I think you have to go so many times to go alone. I've done it once before and I remember it felt like five minutes of just so much exhilaration and adrenaline. I wouldn't trust myself to pull the string to get the parachute going. I think I'd just be having too much fun falling, so.

Kevin Weitzel: I can tell you from firsthand experience, the Marine Corps does it in a slightly different way. You basically all just stand in a big line [00:03:00] with your pack and your rifle and everything all ready to go. And you just click this wire onto this cable inside the back of the C-130. They open up the plane and then they just tell you to start running. So, you just literally run out of the plane. It's not fun.

It actually was fun, but it was crazy scary at the same time. But it's called a static line where you just, as you run out of the back of the plane, just boom, pulls your chute and you just fall to the ground. So, yes, I can tell you that you can get past your fear if you go in the Marine Corps because they just shove you out of a plane. Fear gone.

Amberly Mioduszewski: That's good to know. I had no idea. Oh my gosh.

Kevin Weitzel: Yeah. Just enlist. It's real easy. There you go.

Greg Bray: In case this OSC thing doesn't work out for you, you know, you got options, right?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Yeah, I mean, hey.

Greg Bray: So, Amberly, tell us a little bit more about how you decided to get into home building and how the OSC position kind of came to be something you were interested in.

Amberly Mioduszewski: I'm really happy that you asked that because I've been very fortunate that early on with my time in Melia, my VP of sales and marketing, Amber Richard, you may have seen her as [00:04:00] well. I've talked about her a lot because she's just such an incredible leader to me. She would bring me to different conferences and different seminars, different things, sales summits, marketing summits, and one of them in particular was BIZ in 2022.

That's where I was able to sit in a seminar or session that was being hosted by Chris Hartley and Meredith Chapman with K.Hov. And if you've ever seen either of those two speak, they are electric and it was amazing. And they were talking about how to reboot, revive, and reset your sales process. And one key feature was the online salesperson's role in their processes.

So, we were sitting there and I was just like, Oh, my gosh, this is so insightful. I love this. They're so brilliant. And then Amber turned to me and she was like, I want that to be you. And I was just like, sign me up. I'm ready. This is great. It's exhilarating. I'm ready for it. So that's exactly how I ended up leading into that [00:05:00] role.

Greg Bray: So Kevin, if I understood her correctly, it's all Chris Hartley's fault.

Kevin Weitzel: There's a lot of things that are Chris Hartley's fault. So, let me ask you this, because obviously your happiness, your excitement level, because we're not using video, so this all is just coming through. You can hear it in your voice. What do you do on those days where you just aren't feeling it? You don't want to deal with people, but you gotta clock in, gotta handle all those leads. What do you do?

Amberly Mioduszewski: You know, it's funny., If you worked with me, you would know 99 percent of the time, I am happy. Even last year, a lot of people may or may not know this, but when I was promoted to online sales, I still maintained all of my previous role and responsibilities in escrow and marketing. So, imagine drinking from a fire hydrant with all the responsibilities around you and you're like, I cannot. This is so much, and it would get super overwhelming. And so for me, I would say this last year, I really leaned into my faith because I knew that I couldn't see what the end was going to [00:06:00] look like, but that I just had to keep going. On those days when it'd be difficult, I would just get in a quiet place and I would pray.

And two, I love talking to people. So, sometimes it'd be a stroll with my colleague. I actually sit in the front at our corporate office. Which I love because people think I'm like a ray of sunshine and I actually love seeing their faces when they're smiling and coming in. So, that just continues to fill my battery up. I would say get a close-knit group of people that you can really lean on. If you have faith, like I do, then prayer helps. Yeah, so that helps a lot for me.

Kevin Weitzel: So, basically when I open my thesaurus and I see a ray of sunshine, it will say Amberly Mioduszewski.

Amberly Mioduszewski: It just might. It might just have a picture, you know, of me smiling, but you never know.

Kevin Weitzel: All right.

Greg Bray: Amberly, when you started that OSC, because again, you mentioned winning the gold award for rookie, so you're still new at this, right? Still learning a lot, which is a great accomplishment to be recognized in that beginning part. What was like the biggest [00:07:00] surprise you were not expecting when you started this role?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Honestly, any of it, I would say. Like, seeing how impactful my role was and being able to see that with the metrics, with our conversion rates, all of that, but also seeing how much my team was lifting me up and excited to continue to see me grow and eager to see what I could contribute to and what I could do. So that was really thrilling. And all of the awards. I mean, I am so honored and happy to have achieved such heights in one year alone but I never saw any of those happening.

And I feel like just being dedicated and having that perseverance really helped through the difficult times when it was just a lot at once. And this is for anyone out there who feels like, Oh, I'm just this one person. No one's ever going to know who I am or what I contribute to. It felt like my journey really did matter in the grand scheme of things. So, that was so uplifting in and of itself.

Kevin Weitzel: So, let me ask you this. You talked about getting to a high level [00:08:00] into, you know, basically hitting that altitude, what safeguards do they have in the company to help give you that parachute pack that lets you know that you're safe and that you can get your duties done? Do you have a CRM in place? Do you have a team that you can bounce things off of? I mean, how is that working for you?

Amberly Mioduszewski: I am so fortunate here at Melia with all of the support that I'm given, but also the investment that they've put into me. Because not only was it my VP of sales and marketing who would always check in on me and see what my workload looked like, anything that she could help delegate to others or handle herself, but also she ensured that I had an online sales coach and proper training too.

Because I feel like anyone who is starting in this role or implementing an online sales process, it's going to be challenging at first, especially if you don't know what you're doing. So, the investment that they put into getting me the right training, getting me a coach who could be someone that I could bounce ideas off of and also lean on in [00:09:00] case something came up and I just didn't know how to handle it. They taught me different ways that I could strategize and have better follow-up and all of that.

Greg Bray: So, with you taking on this role, is this a new position at Melia Holmes as far as you guys have not had kind of that online sales role previously in your process? Is that correct?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Yes. Correct. So, we are a privately owned, smaller infill builder I should say. We have about 40 people on our team, and that includes supers and everyone that you would imagine who's in a builder's company in general. That's where it's so nice because I was able to quickly get to know everyone. We do feel like a family here, and that's why you'll constantly see me call them, my Melia family or my Famelia. there's a pen for you. But it also allows you to learn so much more because you wear multiple hats.

And so it really, it goes to the people who have that can-do attitude and are ready to take on [00:10:00] something new or grow. So, we didn't have online sales before, but as soon as learning about the role and seeing how much it could have an impact on our sales and overall everything, that's where it was just nice that we're very eager to continue to grow, and try new things, do different things we haven't done before.

Greg Bray: So, you guys are new with this role. The role has been around for a while, but there's still a lot of builders who don't have it yet. Are you aware of what triggered Hey, it's time for us to start looking into this. Is that something that you had insight into from the marketing and sales leadership standpoint that said, you know what, we need to improve our process, this is what's kind of not working as well as we want to and we think this OSC role will help?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Oh, yeah. I would say our leadership is so forward thinking and they're also so involved in the industry and they love to hear from others who are also in their role or even in different companies who are [00:11:00] trying something else. So, that's where my leadership was definitely excited to continue to move forward with trying new things. We've done different programs just to test them out. Including like automated text messages and things like that.

But we did realize too, it wasn't sustainable with a person in the seat of online sales, because onsite their goals are a little bit different than what mine are. And so, it's hard to ensure that no lead is left behind with them when they have people coming in, especially during the summer when everyone's signing up for more information, it's harder to keep track of. Where me, on a daily basis, I'm reaching out, I'm following up, and I'm the face that they know before they get to one of our sales offices.

Greg Bray: So, what is your goal then when you first engage with the buyer? Somebody reaches out through the website or a phone call, how do you decide I want to do X or Y, or Z with them? What's your process look like?

Amberly Mioduszewski: So, my first goal, first and foremost, is to get to them as quickly as possible. Because the [00:12:00] faster you are at reaching out from them showing that initial interest that equates to, I matter, you know, and that equates to I'm important and they want to talk to me, so they're eager to share at that point. But two, my ultimate goal is to build trust with them, bring their wall down. Especially with today's buyer, I feel like they like transparency more than anything else.

And this is just a side note, but I love to try and make them laugh in the first phone call, just because then you're more friendly, you're kind of showing your personality. Like you mentioned, no one can see me here, but I hope that when they hear me and hear my voice, they know how excited I am to speak with them and to get to know what they're looking for.

Greg Bray: What's been the reaction to the on-site sales team as they've had you now inserted into this process? Has there been any resistance like, oh, she's stealing our leads, or is it all like, great, we have help? What's been kind of that process?

Amberly Mioduszewski: I would say I was pretty lucky in that before going into that [00:13:00] role, I was someone that they would turn to for assistance for little things or for help with strategizing different ways for outreach. And so, when I got in the role, they were all eager and excited for me because they're like, yes, this is great. And they looked at me as part of their team. Even to this day, they're like, we're so proud of you. And it's so sweet. And I love that. But I was nervous at first because I know there are some who've shared with me that they experienced the resistance.

And for us, it was more so just the learning curve of where my role and responsibilities begin and end and then how important our handoff processes. Because it's not like I'm going to try to sell them and get a contract signed over the phone or through an email. That's not ideal or possible in any way, shape or form. But I am trying to build them up and make it so that when they are at the sales office, they're ready, they're excited and their just energy is completely at an all-time high.

Kevin Weitzel: So, before that boxer goes in the ring, they're getting a shoulder [00:14:00] massage. They're getting pumped up. They're getting arms shaked out. You know, you're making sure that happens. Then you go, Here you go. Go get in that ring.

Amberly Mioduszewski: Totally. Video has been so essential on that also. Because not only are they seeing me through a video that I've created personalized for them specifically, but also I can use that to showcase what our team members look like too, so that before they even get in, they're ready for it, they're excited, they already know who they're going to be meeting with. And I've shared all the things that we've been talking about with my team. It's such a warm handoff that they're like, Oh, great. You already know who I am. You already know things that are important to me that we discussed. You might even know that I just had a child or my birthday was last weekend, things about me before I even had to share that with you and it helps so much.

Greg Bray: All right. Well, let's dive into a couple of things you've said. So, I want to drill into the video side a little bit more. Tell us a little bit more about how you decide what videos you want to use, how many of these are kind of personalized just for that [00:15:00] person versus some things that you've kind of put in a library that you can tap into? Talk us through some of those assets and how you use them.

Amberly Mioduszewski: Yeah. So, especially if I have had no response from a lead, I'll send them a video of me so that they know that. It's funny that sometimes when I'm on a call, someone thinks that my voice is like a robot or AI. I don't know why. I'm like, I know I'm not monotone, but I don't know if I should say thank you or I'm sorry. So, that's where I'll introduce myself with a personalized video with their name on it mentioning things that maybe they signed up with, whether it's questions or interest in a specific community. Just so they know, hey, I noticed that you're looking and I'm here to help in any way that I can.

And if I've already spoken to them, then maybe that won't happen immediately because I've made that connection and it would be more of a general email. If they haven't decided to move forward or anything like that, then I could utilize them for [00:16:00] prospecting and just keep up with them to see how they're doing. It's a little easier because instead of saying their name, you're saying you. So, if multiple people receive that, then it still feels personalized, even though it's not.

And I do prospect once or twice a month. It does vary. Either it's a short condensed email, trying to figure out where they're at. Maybe it's a mock survey, just so it's an easier response. Or it is a video so that in case they haven't seen me before, then here's another look of who I am, who you're talking with and just trying to break through that wall.

Greg Bray: Are you the only one on the team that uses the video messaging or do the onsite sales folks do it as well?

Amberly Mioduszewski: They have the option to use it. Some are more fond of it than others. I love it. I'll go into a different story after this, but some are more comfortable in front of it a video or a camera and seeing themselves than others are. They're like, oh no, I said this wrong, and I'm like just one take. Just do it once. [00:17:00] Don't overthink it. Keep going. And they're like, no, taking a million videos.

So, I'm still helping build a little bit of confidence with that. Letting them know, you know, with all the stuff That's out there on the internet, trust me, no one's gonna see this, but the person you're sending it to. So, it's not like they're gonna spend their time saying look at what this guy sent me the other day. I'm gonna post this on YouTube, you know.

So, that's one thing, but I will say, just to show how wonderful video is, I've gone to grand openings because obviously I'm on site. They never see me, but I do work with our, what we call VIPs, who are waiting for the coming soon community. At one grand opening in particular, when I was in the seat for a little while, and I'd been using video email, it was funny because I never saw them, but as soon as I was there, everyone left and right, Amberly, oh, my goodness, it's you, it's me, Susan, or like, hi, it's Steve, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I knew who they were once they [00:18:00] said their name.

That grand opening was also one of our largest events by any scale ever that I've ever seen, even from our competitions, there was maybe eight to 900 people. And all I could think was, Oh man. It's a wonderful day to be Amberly. Like, I feel like a celebrity over here. Everyone's like standing in a line to start talking to me. And I'm like, let me introduce you to like our onsite sales team. And how are you doing? How are the kids, you know? And it's just, it's really exciting to see that they feel like they know me so much and I do know them as well, but they're excited to see me too. So, that was sweet.

Greg Bray: So, that layers back into the comment you made earlier about building trust early on. So, the video is obviously a key piece that helps people connect a little differently than just via a phone call or an email. What are some of the other things though, that you are consciously doing to say, Hey, this will help me build trust and make a connection with prospective buyers? [00:19:00]

Amberly Mioduszewski: I would say it's so important for all online salespeople, anyone who's in front the buyers as well, whether you're a superintendent or if you're in sales on-site, you should always stay true to what you're saying. Stay true to your word. If you are making a promise, do not over-promise.

Because one thing I do encounter quite a bit is I will call someone we've been communicating and then life happens. Something happened in their life where either they had to postpone their search or they just need a couple of weeks to get things figured out and I'll share, oh, you know what? I completely understand. I make note of it both on the CRM and also mentally. I'll let them know, I'll reach out to you in a few weeks just to see how you're doing, if you're ready to kickstart your search again, or if there's any questions, and just to see how you are overall.

In a few weeks, I will give them a call, and they'll say like, so shocked and just amazed. They're like, I didn't think that you were actually gonna call. Because a lot of people, [00:20:00] you speak to them once, and then you're done. Like, or if you're not ready right then and there, you're no longer someone who's like a hot prospect or something. Not that they use those terms, but you understand where we know that sometimes people can be judged based on where they're at in their timeframe to move. And so, I just go in with a completely neutral overall view of it. Whether you're at the very beginning or at the end, I'm here for you.

Greg Bray: That's powerful that our society has gotten so used to just hearing people say stuff like, Oh, I'll check back with you, and then nobody ever checks back with you, that something that simple can qualify as keeping a promise, you know, of just making sure you check back with them. I mean, Kevin, have you seen some of that too, where people just use that phrase casually and don't really mean it when they're checking back?

Kevin Weitzel: All the time. It's ridiculous. It's crazy how, just a simple process of just keeping an appointment or saying that, yes, I'll email you back tomorrow with the [00:21:00] pricing that you asked for, or I will schedule your appointment with so and so on this day. Those kinds of commitments that are kept establish so much trust because if you break a promise on something that simple and so minute, what about when it's important? Are you going to break promises then too?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Yeah. And honestly, I feel like there is such a clear difference between customer service and customer experience. But if you're a home shopper, you kind of mesh the two. So, how quickly someone's responding to you if they're keeping their word, that matters.

This is a tangent, but I remember in January, I went on my first vacation in six years. We got stuck in Hawaii and the airline was impossible to reach. And I was like, Oh my gosh. How am I going to get home? This is insanity. And I was making calls. I was emailing and no one knew how to help me with the airline that I initially traveled with. And I'm like, okay, it looks like I have to just figure it out on my own. So, we did that. And it took, I want to say a month or two for the [00:22:00] initial airline to say, Oh, Hey, yeah, it looks like the runway got cracked in Hawaii. So sorry you couldn't make your flight. And I was thinking, a month? You were gonna have me stuck there for a month?

Kevin Weitzel: Your youth is showing and here's why. Because let me tell you as a 53-year-old, if I get stuck, and I'm using finger quotes, in Hawaii. My call isn't to the airline, my call is to my boss saying, Hey, guess what? Can't get a hold of the airline. I'm stuck in Hawaii, bro. I'm gonna have to stay here. Shocka. Whatever. That's what I would be doing.

Amberly Mioduszewski: It was so funny though because like you said, I mean, when it happened, the day it happened, I was like, What I'm a going to do? The first person I texted was Amber, my VP of sales and marketing. And I was like, Hey, so, um, this just happened. I don't know if I'm going to be in on Monday. And she was like, Oh, but also cool.

Kevin Weitzel: Yeah, you shouldn't even have called the airline. You should have just been, oops, whoop a dee doo, I'm stuck in Hawaii.

Amberly Mioduszewski: That's what happens if you don't take a vacation within six years. I kept [00:23:00] on postponing and postponing. I'm like, nope. Work is first, work is first or, you know, whatever's going on in life. Like that's first.

Finally, I was like, you know what? We're going on vacation. And then my plans got changed completely. And it was like, it looks like this is not over yet. Okay.

Greg Bray: Well, Amberly, one area that I think OSCs can contribute a lot to is actually helping the marketing team with improving the website. What are you now seeing from a website opportunity because of the questions you get and the places that people get stuck, what is some adivice you would give for what builders should be doing on their websites?

Amberly Mioduszewski: The website is so important because it's like your 24-hour model home and it's the only place that your home shoppers or your leads can search up at midnight in the safety of their own bed. So, I think that it's important just knowing that all the information on there is as easy to understand as possible and that you're not using builder jargon or anything like that.

And two, [00:24:00] even when I'm on the phone and I'm talking to someone, they may very well be on the website. That's something that I do ask is, oh, are you on our website right now? And they're like, yeah, and I'm trying to see what's available and I'm like, oh, on availability, you can go there and they're like, okay, cool. And I have to share like, oh, it's also interactive. You can press on the home sites and it'll show you more details about it.

And they're not as familiar with that, which I was surprised by because I just assumed like, oh, we use this all the time. It's so easy. So, I think it's important to have some more call-to-action little items throughout every single page on the website so that they have someone to call.

Because more importantly than the website is having a dedicated online salesperson. I can get you your answers far quicker than you can find it. And I could help narrow down your search because I know everything about every single community we have to offer. Whereas they may just get hooked on to one community, realize, oh, this is out of my price range. I've been on this website long enough. I'm just going to get off. Or they may only be on the website for two [00:25:00] minutes and not realize all that you have to offer. So, having a clear call to action and also having a good number for them to reach out to is so important.

Greg Bray: So then, that said, how do you balance the fact that you can only talk to one person at a time?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Ask me in the summer. That's going to be, I'm just kidding. I'll never forget, I think it was June or July last year, it was like, I get off the phone, start typing notes, and then it's like call coming in. I answer the phone and I'm like talking, trying to multitask. I would say you just have to really be focused on the person you're speaking to right then and there. You can always call them back. The goal is to answer on the first ring, which would be amazing. And during times like these in March and in January, February, April.

It's just during those summer months, it may be a little bit more difficult, especially if you have an OSC like me, who only has one person in the seat versus two. That's where you have to give yourself a little bit of grace, and still stay focused on the experience [00:26:00] as a whole. Because you don't want the person that you're speaking to, to feel like they're being rushed or that the conversation they have, even if it's the very first questions that they're asking because they're not familiar with new homes, you want to make sure that they're feeling validated and that they're as important as they truly are.

Greg Bray: No, I think that's some great insights. So, when you think about another builder who is now kind of where you were a few months back, and they're saying, you know what? We really need to get this OSC role up and running, what's one tip or two tips that you would give them if they're just getting started setting up that program?

Amberly Mioduszewski: If they are just setting up their program, then please make sure that you are providing the proper tools and the proper training needed for this role because you don't want to throw someone in and expect them to know how to float or how to swim if they've never done it before.

Even if there's online [00:27:00] salespeople who are in the sea and maybe their leadership is questioning why they're not having more of a conversion rate that they were hoping for, make sure that they're properly trained. Because sometimes they need a little bit more insight. Make sure that their team, the onsite team, is very familiar and understands what their role is and how they're there to assist them and to maximize on their customer experience. And please have a CRM. Please have different tools that you'll need for the most efficient, follow-up and for proper tracking purposes.

Greg Bray: Well, Amberly, this has been a great conversation, and we appreciate how openly you've shared, and I think we've all learned a lot. Do you have any last words of advice that you wanted to share with those who are listening today?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Last words of advice, if there is one thing that I learned last year, it is that you should always believe in yourself and surround yourself with those who also believe in you and see so much in you because I, beginning in this industry, felt like no one [00:28:00] special. I was eager to learn as much as I could and take insight from those who have been in this industry for years.

But if you would have asked me last year. If I would have seen myself taking home a national award, or even being someone that people now know, I would have thought you were joking. So, I just wanted to say that, you know, you should always believe in yourself because you would be surprised of how much you could accomplish if you do.

Greg Bray: Great thoughts. Well, thank you again for being with us. If somebody wants to connect with you and reach out, what's the best way for them to get in touch?

Amberly Mioduszewski: Uh, you could always reach me on LinkedIn. Amberly Mioduszewski. I'll let you guess how to spell that. I'm just kidding. If you start with M I O D, I'll probably be the first one to show up, so don't worry about where the Z goes or the W. I know it's like half the alphabet. You can thank my husband later. Or you could shoot me an email. My email address is my first name, amberly@melia-homes.com.

Greg Bray: Well, thanks again, [00:29:00], and thank you everybody for listening today to The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast. I'm Greg Bray with Blue Tangerine.

Kevin Weitzel: And I'm Kevin Weitzel with OutHouse. Thank you.