Part One of this series led to quite the discussion and debate. If you’ve not read that post, I recommend you start here first. In this part, I will continue to clarify and expand on my thoughts in hopes the discussion will continue.
First, this discussion may be new, but I outlined the underlying issues in my first book, Sell More Home Online, first printed in 2008. What were the issues that led to the creation of the online sales counselor?
– The salespeople don’t have access to email
– Salespeople are busy. I want to send only the qualified leads in the hands of our sales people.
– Salespeople don’t understand how to communicate via email
– The salespeople don’t respond fast enough
Let’s examine the current state of these issues one-by-one:
Salespeople don’t have access to email. The issue is resolved. As Internet access options are plentiful, there is no excuse for not having access to email in a sales center. If there’s no wired option, there are a multitude of cellular data plans that can bring the Internet to a laptop instantly; not to mention email availability on a smart phone.
Only the best qualified leads should be in the hands of our sales people. Should you make every lead prove they’re qualified? Or should you make them prove they’re not?
At the peak of the market, it was true that we were focused on maximizing a sales rep’s time. Looking back, that seems like a flawed concept, as it was less difficult to achieve the sale at that time. I’m not arguing that sales were easy then, but I don’t think anyone would argue that they’re harder today. From a business standpoint, it would’ve been a better solution to simply add more salespeople.
Times have changed. Salespeople have more time on their hands, more responsibility to self-generate traffic, and more qualified leads use the Internet. Do not ask yourself “who is better equipped to handle an email lead?” Ask yourself “Who is more likely to sell a home?”
Salespeople don’t understand how to communicate via email. If a salesperson does not communicate well via email, then they need to be trained in the art of email communication. You don’t hire a telephone sales counselor to augment a sales rep with poor phone skills. Most often, you either accept or ignore that deficiency (ignoring it is a poor option) or you provide the necessary training.
What separates poor email skills from poor phone skills is that poor email skills are easier to measure and easier for a sales manager to notice. Many sales managers have seen the email communication of their salespeople, but rarely, if ever, do you get a recording of your salespeople on the phone with their prospects.
The salespeople don’t respond fast enough. This fourth and final issue is the only issue that has any merit as an obstacle. The sales center is a fluid place. Salespeople need to be available when the customers are present. You can’t be responding to an email when you’re in the middle of a model demonstration.
The ideal solution to this problem is to provide an “away” button for salespeople. An online “switch” that they activate, or is auto-activated, when they leave the sales center to demo the model or a home site. A switch that then routes all new incoming leads, phone calls and emails, to someone else – maybe an Online Sales Counselor, maybe a teammate at another community, maybe a central customer service concierge line.
What do you think is more valuable – a phone lead or an email lead? Most would probably say a phone lead. Why do we not stress out about no one being in the sales center to answer the phone while the sales rep is out on a demo? We know a call might come in. An email might come in, too. Both could be missed opportunities. Just because we can monitor the email easier doesn’t mean it deserves more attention.
I get that there’s a need for an online traffic controller, but its a treatment for the symptom, not the problem. Its a band-aid for the rest of the sales team. Its a short-term solution. The online sales counselor is used as a crutch – for salespeople, for marketing, for management. Its a feel good checkbox that says “yep, we’re covered.” That must end if salespeople are to survive.
It may seem like I’m advocating the end of the Online Sales Counselor role. I am most definitely not recommending that.
The Online Sales Counselor should be a secondary method of lead handling. The Online Sales Counselor role is necessary when a lead is undecided on a community of interest. The Online Sales Counselor is necessary when a community is in “coming soon” status without an assigned sales rep. An Online Sales Counselor is necessary when the community salesperson is “away.” An Online Sales Counselor is a great follow-up partner for cold leads. An Online Sales Counselor is a great contact when there are salesperson and community changes.
There’s much to discuss around this topic, and I’ll be publishing at least one more part in the coming days.
