240 Becoming a Golden Online Sales Counselor - Terrell Turner Oct 23 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 Terrell Turner. Terrell is the Chief OSC at Caruso Homes. Welcome, Terrell. Thanks for being with us today.

Terrell Turner: Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here. This is awesome.

Greg Bray: Well, Terrell, let's start off and just get to know you a little bit better. Give us a quick background about yourself.

Terrell Turner: Absolutely. So, again, my name is Terrell. I'm based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, the queen city, love my city. It's [00:01:00] growing leaps and bounds with new home construction. I've been in the online sales arena for about 10 years now. I'm married with eight-year-old twins who keep me busy when I'm not on the phone. Life is very, very busy, but great.

Kevin Weitzel: All right. So, that's a little bit about the personal side. Let's go even a little deeper in the personal side before we take a deep dive in the work-related stuff. Nothing with the family, nothing with work, nothing with the home building industry. Tell our listeners something interesting about yourself that they'll learn about on our podcast today.

Terrell Turner: Okay. They probably do not know that I was this voice of Charlotte 49ers athletics. So, basketball, football, I was the guy in the arena going, foul on number 45, Joby Thomas, his first team foul. That was me for about a good eight years.

Kevin Weitzel: That's awesome. I did radio puking for one day, Terrell. I did it for one day. You know, the radio puking for the listeners, that's when you see the ads that go, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. I did that for one day, I blasted out my vocal cords for a day. And when I got my paycheck after they [00:02:00] removed the Radio Announcers Guild and all the other fees that come out of there, I didn't get paid squat, and I wrecked my voice. And I realized that that wasn't for me.

Terrell Turner: I can relate to that. I didn't lose my voice, but the commute to do the games and the subsequent paid charges didn't equate to it being worthwhile, but I had a blast. It was amazing.

Kevin Weitzel: Now, do you utilize any of those skills when you're on with your potential homebuyers? You're like, Oh, and today I've got a special for you.

Terrell Turner: I tell you what comes into play. Sometimes being able to think on the fly, because there are some changes when you're dealing with a customer and a lead. So, we had to change and rewrite scripts on the fly in the arena. So, sometimes that comes into play.

Kevin Weitzel: Wait a minute, Terrell. You've got twins. Oh my goodness. The three bedroom two bath is not going to cut it for you. You're going to need a four bedroom three bath.

Terrell Turner: You know, you're giving me an idea. I may try this. I actually may try this on a call and see where it goes. This is giving me a good idea. I'm not afraid to try it. I will do it right.

Kevin Weitzel: All right, Greg usually has to put up with me doing this at the beginning whenever I get something fun [00:03:00] that I like to talk about, so I'm going to relinquish the crazy pill and turn it into The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast in three, two, one. Greg, take it, please!

Greg Bray: Oh, I don't know how to follow that. Terrell, who was that for again, that you were doing the announcing?

Terrell Turner: Charlotte 49ers. So I went to school there. And so I started with volleyball. And then went into men's basketball, soccer, and then, uh, did some football when we got the team.

Greg Bray: Now all those little off-side color commentator things, how much of those are pre-prepped before the game to just like a big list of things you can talk about and how much of those are just spur of the moment things that you have to come up with?

Terrell Turner: I'd say 90 percent is definitely scripted. And then there's 10 percent will be a rewrite of a sponsor read or some game got changed because something didn't happen, the mascot's late or something, and we got to just come off the cuff and just wing it off the top. So yeah, that happens.

Kevin Weitzel: Talking about on the fly, Greg, I'm going, cause I did some team announcing for women's roller derby league, professional women's roller derby league. We're talking about, you know, [00:04:00] some of them are paid and stuff. I'm going to give you my claim to fame single line that makes people blush and it was amazing. And this was 100 percent on the fly. In roller derby, women are slamming into each other and occasionally they make a big old face plant and tumble. And I said over a loudspeaker to thousands of people in attendance, folks, you just witnessed a 30-mile-an-hour mammogram. And I'll tell you what, it got chuckles out of me for the rest of the night. Whether or not people got the joke or not, I laughed about it literally the rest of the night.

Terrell Turner: Classic. I love it.

Kevin Weitzel: All right. Online sales counselor, home building, Caruso Homes, North Carolina. Where are we at?

Greg Bray: Terrell, tell us a little bit about Caruso Homes, where you guys build, who you're trying to work with as your customer base.

Terrell Turner: Yeah, thanks so much. So, Caruso Homes is a home builder that's been building homes for about 35 years, based out of the Baltimore, Crofton, Maryland area. So, we have that division. We do a lot of production, but a bulk of what we do is actually on [00:05:00] your lot. So, helping customers build their dream home on private land is really what we're known for in that Maryland area.

So, we've crossed over into Pennsylvania, Delaware, and now our newest divisions are Raleigh, North Carolina, and Charlotte, where I am. And so, we've got a lot of on-your-lot opportunities and then a little bit of production. And we service clients anywhere from the first-time home buyer with townhomes all the way up into million dollar homes, semi custom. So, there's a great range of product and opportunity for our clients that we can service and provide options for.

Greg Bray: So, how did you get into the home building industry and more specifically decide you wanted to be, you know, in this online sales role?

Terrell Turner: Now that is an answer. The CliffNote version is about 10, 11 years ago. I have a background in production. And so my best friend called me up and he's like, Hey, what are you doing right now? I was like, nothing doing right now. And he says, we just did a Superbowl commercial for my home builder and we're getting a bunch of calls. Do you mind like coming in and [00:06:00] reading a script and helping us out with answering some voicemails? I'm like, yeah, okay, no problem. Had no idea I was being set up and that's the best kind of setup when you don't know.

So, I go in and they say, Hey, here's a script, read this off. If anyone answers or calls you back, you simply say, That's a great question. I don't know. You can get that answer when you come visit a model. When are you available? I'm not making this up. So, that's how I get in. So, they handed me a headset, I start making phone calls. The people would answer. How much is the fireplace? You know, I really don't know. That's a great question that my onsite advisor will go through. Will you be able to come up tomorrow?

I started sending appointments. It was supposed to be for one week. It turned to two weeks. Then three weeks and they're like, Hey, we're going to go to a lunch with the VP of sales, they want to meet you. I had no idea I'm being interviewed. Just dumb, no clue. Went to lunch. Week four it's the company meeting. I'm at the company meeting. [00:07:00] They're like, is Terrell Turner here? Yeah, I'm here. Everybody, this is our brand new online sales counselor. That's literally how it happened. And they all chuckled and laughed and let me know, Hey, we've been trying to find a good fit. They're very big on culture and that they wanted someone. And so, that's how I got into home building.

I loved the online sales part because, at that point, I didn't know a lot about construction so it helped me really learn the industry and really get my feet wet. I've had the opportunity to go on-site sales, but my kids were born. That gave me flexibility to really be with them. What a great place to be where you're starting with the buyer journey, introducing them to the company, and setting them up for success that they're going to go through as they build their home with your company.

Kevin Weitzel: Well, it's also no slough that you get to work with industry rock stars like Tom Baldwin, Melissa Call, Christy Beck. They're all industry-renowned, pretty much rock stars.

Terrell Turner: So, when I met Christy for the first time, I'm [00:08:00] like, yeah, I'll work for her. Just an amazing person who lets me do what I do gives me the freedom to succeed in how I do it best. So, that's been a great.

Greg Bray: Now, Kevin, while we're talking about rock stars, I mean, we need to give Terrell his due kudos. He did win the gold award as OSC of the year this year at The Nationals.

Kevin Weitzel: At The Nationals. You know, we've been at The Nationals too, Terrell and we're proud of it. A silver baby. Boom.

Terrell Turner: Love it. That's awesome.

Kevin Weitzel: You had a field that was chock full of just tons and tons of people. So, there were lots of entries, lots of nominations, so to hold that gold above your head, that's a big feat.

Terrell Turner: Thank you so much. I wouldn't say I never imagined it. I did imagine it, but again, it was especially this year being so tough. There's a lot of great OSCs out there, truly humbled to, uh, be able to have that and hopefully continue in the success that I've been able to maintain.

Greg Bray: So, Terrell, you started out simply by saying, I don't know how much that is, or what the answer to that is. Let me make an appointment. How much has that changed [00:09:00] now that you are at the top of your game here?

Terrell Turner: Oh my gosh. Yeah, you can't do that nowadays. Right. So that was 10 years ago. The online sales arena was just starting, not just starting, but really kind of getting traction. And so, yeah, nowadays it's not just, I don't know, can you come out? You really want to established trust and establish that you are an expert in your field so that person feels confident and comfortable talking with you and you set them up for success when you hand that off to your on-site advisor.

Greg Bray: So, somebody calls or messages on the website, what's that first thing you do to try and create that trust? How do you try to connect with those buyers?

Terrell Turner: Yeah, it really depends on who that buyer is. And I think that's what makes a good OSC is learning who you're talking to or how they are talking and then create trust based on the questions they're asking. So, they're asking me about the area that I want to be an expert in. Well, great. That community is, five minutes from the grocery store, or it's right next to the highway, hospitals, you know, [00:10:00] having the knowledge about what's around the area that creates trust immediately.

If you're asking about product, knowing my product. Again, not giving them too much to not give them a reason to come out but being able to answer that question with confidence that lets them know, hey, I know what I'm talking about. You can trust me. I'm your guide through this process. Because they're searching on Zillow and realtor.com. They've got all kinds of builders. Sometimes they don't remember what they signed up for. And so, reminding them, Hey, this is Terrell. I'm with Caruso Homes. You asked about this particular floor plan at this particular location. Oh yeah. And it creates that trust that I am a knowledgeable expert.

Greg Bray: How soon are you asking for that on-site appointment in that whole process? Are you waiting a little bit longer than you did a while back to build some of that trust? Or is it still kind of that primary goal in that first conversation?

Terrell Turner: I think the goal of every conversation is to secure that appointment. And so, depending on again, how deep we get, you got to earn trust before you ask it. [00:11:00] We're kind of dating. That's not the first question you ask now.

So if they're asking about, you know, well, how much is this fireplace? I see this picture online. Well, great question. I'm going to ask them qualifying questions. Is a fireplace important to you? Is the living room? What would you use that fireplace for? Do you have a fireplace now? Try to find the pain points or what they are looking for. Okay, great. Well, look, I think based upon what you've told me, we are a good option because we're going to get more than the fireplace, and letting them know we are a good match.

My community offers this. You told me this, we have this. You told me this, we have this and give them options. Now let's connect with my onsite expert who can go a little bit deeper into those questions about pricing, about timeframe. They know more about that and then getting them there. Yes. Every conversation you want to be asking for an appointment. If you don't secure it, what's the next step?

Kevin Weitzel: And let me ask you this, how often do you get to take your personal take on your products, like the fact that you have twins? Let's say the subject came up. They're like, Oh, we're moving in. We've got our [00:12:00] twins. You can be like, wow, I've got twins too. Are they going to be sharing a room or are they going to have their own rooms? Are those the kind of conversations that come up on a regular basis?

Terrell Turner: Absolutely. I want to create that rapport and say, Hey, I don't want to ask any questions that are prohibited by the federal, you know, fair housing, but my personality, how I am, you know, like you, Kevin, you gave me energy. I'm gonna give energy back. I want to match their energy, match their tone, and let them know, Hey, you know what? If they're calling from New York, yeah, my mom's from New York. What part of New York are you in?

I'm calling about Charlotte. Well, I'm born and raised in Charlotte. Ask me questions about not just the homes, but about the area. I'm born here. I know the area well, let me know how I can help you. I'll definitely throw in the twins and get a laugh. Again, get them comfortable. I want to provide an experience that's better than my competition. Right?

So, they're calling me about Caruso. I got to be better than anyone else on the phone. I got one shot to get him out. I might not get a second shot. I might not get a third shot. So, I've got to be memorable so they remember that guy, he really helped me. He made me laugh. Yeah, I'm gonna text him back.

Kevin Weitzel: Absolutely. So there's the [00:13:00] personable side of the equation. But what about the objections? How often are you feeling objections and how long did it take you to feel comfortable answering and basically loading your own artillery gun with those responses to negate those objections?

Terrell Turner: Oh man, that's a great question, Kevin. It is something that I practice almost every day is objections. When I first started, I used to get crushed by objections. I was afraid of realtors. They would tear me to pieces because they want all the information right then and there and they would take it and run and I would just get canned. And so, I really started saying what is destroying me on these calls? And I would write down those questions and I would script it and practice it.

The objections we're getting now is, of course, interest rates. The objection now is well, I'm just going to wait after the election. So, now it's finding out, because that's not the issue, what is the real issue? Practicing, practicing objections. I love objection training. I can't get enough of it [00:14:00] because I want to get better on the phone and not get crushed. That's the worst thing is when you hang up the phone, it's like, Oh, they just tore me to pieces, but it's great learning to continue to get better in your craft.

Greg Bray: So, Terrell, when you started, you mentioned that they introduced you as here is our OSC, as in like the one. Today, builders are much more into the department level of OSCs and more than one. How do you help other OSCs kind of learn from your experience as you expand into this kind of team role, as opposed to just being the one who has to do it all?

Terrell Turner: Yeah. I've really seen that journey where it went from one, my first builder was one to when I left was eight. You know, we had five full-time, three part-time. Like, what is that? You know, so really scaling a department. When you're one by yourself, you know, you might be managing multiple roles. You might be doing the, for some builders I've known, design center. You might be doing website management, doing some marketing. As you [00:15:00] grow and scale, your responsibility to start narrowing down to really focus on that online buyer's journey.

So it's really helping fellow OSCs understand here is what an OSC is supposed to do. You know, can you do website stuff? Yeah, but is it maximizing your time? Not really. You know, you're really focused on turning inquiries into leads and then getting those leads out to the model that best fit your company's offerings and gives that on-site rep the best chance to write a sale.

Greg Bray: Have you been experiencing more and more, Terrell, kind of a loop effect where after you've made that appointment and they go and visit on-site that they end up talking to you again later because they come back maybe to the website to learn more and things like that? It's not linear, is it? Where you made the appointment, I never talk to them again, right? Because now on sites got him and they're going to take care of it. What's been your experience?

Terrell Turner: It really goes both ways. You mentioned it is fluid, it's not linear, and it really requires [00:16:00] understanding and trust by on-site and online. Especially after the first appointment, we're going to follow up and say, Hey, how was your experience today? How did it go? You know, did you like the model? Did you like what you saw? What's your next step? Have any questions, right? And then we're going to point them back to the on-site. But they're probably going to reach out. They know, Terrell. I know their dog. I know their cat. I know their grandma, right?

So, they feel comfortable telling me stuff that they might not have told the rep, but I'm going to share that information with my onsite. So, now they have even more ammunition to hopefully close that lead. So it is definitely a fluid back-and-forth sharing of this lead together so we reached the end, which hopefully again, is the contract. That's the ultimate goal and onsite and online have to be in sync and in unity to get that across.

Kevin Weitzel: All right. So, communication with your on-site sales team. Are you using sticky notes, A, B, scribbles on a pad, or C a CRM? And if the CRM, what CRM you using?

Terrell Turner: [00:17:00] CRM, a hundred percent right now. I'm new to the CRM. I'm new to Caruso. It's HubSpot. I was using Lasso for many, many years. And so, every CRM has its pros and cons. But definitely no, no scribble notes. No, no Post-it notes. Yes, CRM. Take good notes so that you're on-site knows, and on-site, if you're listening, read the notes. That's why they're there. So, that is when you go into your appointment. Hey, we took a whole list of stuff that might be helpful for you to know before that appointment.

Greg Bray: Now, you said that Terrell, as if. It might not always happen.

Terrell Turner: The word on the street is that salespeople aren't really good with details. Hopefully, there are tools there to make our jobs easier. Salespeople are really good at what they do. I have so much respect for them. They are the backbone of our companies and they have a really hard job. So, our goal as OSCs is to set them up for success and then make their lives easier. So, going [00:18:00] to the CRM, having those notes, or going to those meetings before just makes you even more prepared so that you feel comfortable in meeting that prospect. So, that first appointment is not a first appointment. It's like a be back.

Greg Bray: So, Terrell, you mentioned providing a better experience in your competitors.

Terrell Turner: Yeah.

Greg Bray: Do you ever mystery shop your competitor? Did you ever call them up? But I mean, we don't have to say who they are.

Kevin Weitzel: I wish we had video instead of just audio because Terrell just gave the look, you betcha.

Terrell Turner: Yes, I do shop my competitors. Yes. And so, I'm looking at, are they giving too much information out? Are they giving you any information at all? Do they answer the phone? What's that follow-up look like? Did they give me an email? Did they send me an email? So, yes, I'm definitely trying to see what's happening in my specific sub-markets so that I know what my customers are also getting and be able to match that, or if not, you know, beat it.

Kevin Weitzel: All right, Terrell, you said something extremely interesting.

Terrell Turner: Yeah.

Kevin Weitzel: You said too much information. Are they giving too much information? So, in a world of Amazon, where you [00:19:00] literally punch anything and everything you want, and they give you all the specs and who's got it, how many different people have it, pricing from, you know, highest to lowest, et cetera, et cetera, what is too much information? Or is it just that it's so overwhelming? What does that call Greg? Paralysis by analysis because you give them too much. Is that what too much information is?

Terrell Turner: I think it's both, Kevin. It can just be a data dump. And again, as I mentioned earlier, they're searching online, this house, that house, this popped up, the realtor is sending them stuff. It's information overload, and it can really be very, very overwhelming. And that's one of my points in my first email. Hey, I know searching online is overwhelming and it's frustrating. Talk to me. I'm gonna make it very, very easy and simple. I'm going to simplify this for you.

And then, too much information is, okay, here's a little nugget. People are trying to eliminate you. They don't want to come out to the model. So, for someone to get in their car, face traffic in 2024, and come into your model is a huge deal. So, we don't want to disqualify [00:20:00] them from coming out and seeing what we have to offer. Because when a person meets a salesperson magic happens. All of a sudden they can afford, all of a sudden their budget changes because they love that model.

Or, you know what? It looked to be too far away on the map, but when they drove out, you know what? It actually isn't that bad. And so, things always change what they told you on the phone. So, we got to get them in front of the sales expert because things just magically happen. When they come together.

Kevin Weitzel: Now talking about shopping the competition. Let me ask you this.

Terrell Turner: Yes.

Kevin Weitzel: Because I know for a fact that Caruso uses fantastic and probably the industry's best interactive floor plans. But because they use those, knowing that your competitors, a lot of them are hillbillies and are still using static floor plans, still using craptastic renderings, how often do you send a link to one of your floor plans to one of your potential buyers?

Terrell Turner: A hundred times a day, all day long.

Kevin Weitzel: Oh, that's the answer. I want to, we don't have to edit it, Greg. We go straight through. I was scared to [00:21:00] death that he was going to say, Oh, we have, what is this? What is this you're talking about? He didn't. He said hundreds of times a day.

Terrell Turner: Yes.

Kevin Weitzel: Oh, Terrell. Uh,

Terrell Turner: All the time. That's one of the things that differentiates us. So, this customer now can play around with their options, add the sunroom, add the morning room, add the fireplace, whatever they want, build your dream house. And guess what? They can save it. I get notified. So, I will reach out again and say, Hey, I saw, well, I don't want to be like snoozing, creeping on them. Hey, it looks like you had some questions about the Lexington floor plan. You built one. You want to talk to my onsite rep and price out those options for you? Yeah, absolutely. So, all the time I'm using it as a tool to get them connected to one of my salespeople.

Greg Bray: I love the idea of using the website assets, not just before they talk to you, but as part of that nurturing process, pushing them back to the website and back to the website again. And that requires you to have a website that you trust and a website that [00:22:00] you're proud of and not embarrassed to show. I've talked to builders like, oh, we would never send somebody to our website. That would embarrass us. And I'm like, okay, well, maybe we should fix that problem, you know.

Terrell Turner: 100%. Yeah, that's your main tool. I'm on it all day. And so, we're constantly communicating, making sure our information is correct. We want to make sure our incentives are correct, the inventory is correct. You know, if there's something that's not for sale, we have taken that off. We want to have accurate information because we're using that as our tool, and of course, our buyers are using it as their tool to get information to decide, do we want to look at Caruso?

Because the website is the digital billboard. They're making their decision, they seem reputable, they seem like somebody we want to do business with. Let's find out. And then, so I've got a match what the website says. So, my professionalism, my energy, my trust has to match the website so that it seems legit. And okay, this seems like somebody we want to do business with.

Kevin Weitzel: Can I have you grade yourself? if you were going to give yourself an A to an F typical elementary school type grades.

Terrell Turner: [00:23:00] Yep.

Kevin Weitzel: For your knowledge of your product to where if I was a customer and I came to you and I said, Hey, I'm interested in Lexington plan.

Terrell Turner: Yeah.

Kevin Weitzel: We're based on the fact that I got a big dog and I've got, you know, eight kids and a live-in maid whatever. You know, because Alice lives it with me because it's a blended family, yada, yada. You get the gist. I'm I'm Brady Bunch. Do you know your product well enough at this stage in the game to where you could pivot and say, you know, here's three other options that better suit you?

Terrell Turner: Yep. Yep. I'm getting there with Caruso because I'm still fairly new. But absolutely I know my product where you can say, actually, I know you were looking at this, but based on what you told me, I want to suggest this, and here's why. You mentioned having a mom and dad might be coming in. The Lexington is a great place because it's not only is the primary suite down. It also comes with that in-law suite standard. You don't have to make any options or changes to that home plan. Right? So, and they will be like, Oh, okay. I didn't think about that.

And again, that's product knowledge. That's trust. I've got your best interest in heart. How much is that? Great question. [00:24:00] You know, Cheryl is great with that. She'll have that option for you. You want to talk to her tomorrow at 3? What are you doing today? Not pushing it out. What are you doing today? Can you do a quick call and let's say it's 2:30 now? Let's see. Let me pull my calendar up here. It looks like she's in an appointment right now. It looks like she wrote a contract this morning. Can you talk to her at 4:00, 4:30? How's that sound? Create an urgency and getting them set.

Greg Bray: That's fascinating that you would push for a same-day appointment. I don't know that I hear a lot of people being that aggressive. Aggressive, not in a bad way, but that urgent same-day appointment. Does it work?

 

Terrell Turner: For me it does. Right. And it's something that even coming to Caruso was new to them, right? Same-day appointment. We have to strike while the iron is hot. You do not want to stop or slow down the sales process because if I don't get them, guess who's going to get them? Somebody else will. It's not 2021, 2022. Those days are gone. So, we have to strike while the iron is hot and get these leads into the opportunity to close deals.

Because they'll be like, you know what? Actually, I am. [00:25:00] And if they say no, then they'll give me the alternative. I don't do the whole, when are you available? Oh, I don't know. Let me check with my husband. Let me check with my wife. Let me see. Grandma's coming in town. Nope. Here are your options. Can you come out today at 4:00? No, I can't do today at four, but I can do tomorrow at four. Great. Thanks so much. Let's do it.

Greg Bray: So, Terrell, for those builders who are maybe not as advanced in their online sales programs, some are still, believe it or not, don't even have an OSC or don't have one that knows what's going on. That still shocks me in today's world. But what kind of tips would you give to a builder who's trying to get that program started, or maybe who's struggling a little bit to get it to perform the way they want to?

Terrell Turner: Yeah. Online sales is so beautiful. It's amazing. When the machine runs, 60%, 65, 70, 75% of your sales can come through your online sales program. So, it is worth investing in. It is worth setting up. It is worth doing it the right way so that you get the results. And if we're not getting the results, say we are [00:26:00] underperforming, is that due to unrealistic goals? Did we set the goal too high? So, it's kind of evaluating that. Are we performing at industry benchmarks? Are we getting 25 percent of our appointments into sales and contracts? If not, okay, we need to look at some other things.

Are we supporting our OSCs? Do they need some tools? Do they need training? But really understanding that supporting my online sales team, if my face is on your website if we are the voice and the sound of the company, supporting mental health because we're on the phones all day dealing with robo calls and complaints and warranties.

We're not just receptionists, but we really are trying to turn these inquiries, and I say inquiry because everyone who puts in that form isn't a lead. They may have seen something on Facebook and that's a beautiful kitchen and you find out they might be a renter or shopper. And so, it's really, weed through all that noise and finding ready, willing, and able buyers. [00:27:00] So, it's really having conversations from leadership and on-site staff, figuring out how can we support you? How can we get to 60%? How can we get to 65%? And I've been a part of those teams that grew from 15 to 45%. It can be done. So, it's just really coming together and working together.

Greg Bray: How do you consider people that you want to have join your team? What are some of those skills and especially soft skills of a potential OSC hire that is the most important because there's some things you can teach and there's some things that they kind of need to have? What are some of those need to have that you can't teach?

Terrell Turner: Love it. Great question. There's two different personalities at the on-site. So, on-site are much, much different than online. Online you want to have that nurturing? So, I would say responsiveness. One of the first things you want to do and see is email them. Do they email you back? How long did it take them to email you? Did they call you back? Ghost them a little bit. Are they persistent? Because you have to be self-motivated to be a great online [00:28:00] salesperson.

Kevin Weitzel: Is that part of the interview process? You ghost them a little bit and see if they come back and really want the job?

Terrell Turner: That's what I would do if I was, you know, hiring an OSC. I would ghost them and see, how bad do you want it. You know, when I interviewed for Caruso, I sent Christy a video email. Hey, thanks so much. And I went into it, right? Because this is going to be part of my process.

So, you want to see what did they do? How good are they? Are they good on the phone? You gotta be friendly on the phone, have a good-sounding voice, because again, you got to compel people and get all this information, build trust, Kevin. Fifteen seconds, 25, 30 seconds to really let somebody know, okay, I want to stay on the phone a little bit longer. So, I would check that out, Greg.

I was able to be successful the past four years 100 percent remote. So, being able to be self-managed is something that's really, really key. You have to be self-motivated. They have to be able to take rejection because you're going to get no, you're going to get hung up on, you're going to get voicemails. So, can you [00:29:00] get up in the morning or in the middle of the day, can I be motivated to go make 10 more phone calls? Or if I didn't get my appointment goal for today, can I make one more call to get that appointment? That's what it takes to be a really good OSC. So, I would look at those things.

Greg Bray: Those are some great interesting thoughts about ghosting people and then rejecting them to see if they really want the job and can deal with the rejection or not. Isn't that what he said, Kevin? He is going to reject them. See if they can deal with it.

Kevin Weitzel: No he said you have to be able to handle rejection, not that they're just going to call him and say, you know what, Carl, you sucked. I didn't like anything about your interview. You were horrible. And then, by the way, call me in a week. I'm probably not even going to pick up the phone, but let's just see where it goes from there. I don't think he quite said that, but very close to it. I loved it.

Terrell Turner: Take your time, you know, again, see, how do they respond back? Do they email you back? How long does it take? Did it take all day? Did they email you back within an hour, 30 minutes? Because you can't do that with a lead. First to the lead wins. Especially Zillow. So you gotta be on it.

Greg Bray: Terrell, we appreciate the time [00:30:00] you spent with us today. This has been some great insights and it's been a fun conversation. As we wrap up, any last words of advice to those OSCs out there that are looking to become gold award winners themselves someday.

Kevin Weitzel: Carry a Sam home. Come on. Boom.,

Terrell Turner: I would just say two things. If you think the leads are crap, you'll treat the leads like crap. So, don't always think the leads are crap. Go into it. Every single lead you have to put on a performance. This is my next appointment. And when you're getting no and no and no, you're getting closer to the yes. So, when you're banging out phone calls or you're banging out emails and no one has responded, just know all that activity will pay off.

And you want to again work harder than your competition because I guarantee you your competition isn't doing what you're doing. Especially make it personal, not just automated. Automated should have its place, yes, and there are those tools for automation, but put some personal things out there to differentiate yourself from everything else that's cluttered [00:31:00] in their inbox and you'll get some results.

Greg Bray: Awesome advice. Well, Terrell, for somebody who wants to reach out and get in touch, what's the best way for them to connect with you?

Terrell Turner: I am on the little LinkedIn space. So, it is LinkedIn, at the Terrell Turner or at the Terrell Turner, and you can reach me there.

Greg Bray: Awesome. Well, thanks again, Terrell, for sharing with us today and thank you everybody for listening 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. [00:32:00]